In There There by Tommy Orange, "what it means to be Indian" is never once specifically defined for a broad audience. Many characters in the book attempt to give their own answers and many seem to be pretty set with at least some details, but none can give a specific answer. This concept is personified most clearly in the character Tony Loneman.
Tony Loneman is the first and last narrator of the novel. It is established immediately that Tony is affected by fetal alcohol syndrome, or as he calls it, the Drome. Tony described that he first noticed something wrong when he saw his face in the reflection of his TV when he was six and "tried but couldn't make the face that [he] found there [his] own again" (Orange 16). This statement rings true in a broader sense for all of the characters in the novel. At some point or another, all of the characters make separate realizations that they do not know what their heritage means to them, or how to make their faces their own, in a sense. This is what inevitably draws them all to the powwow, a drive to find some sort of definition or answer to their question and desires. Tony Loneman's narration also states that "[m]ost people don't have to think about what their faces mean the way I do" (Orange 16). While Tony is clearly suffering from a lost sense of self, the situation once again applies to many characters. Due to the oppression and outright atrocities committed against Native people as described in the prologue and interlude, as well as general day to day racism that Native people also feel, pride in one's culture has been lost to many communities of Natives. The lack of pride contributes to a lack of knowledge and understanding of one's past and culture. It forces Native people to think more about their "face" than many other cultures might. And, when Tony is lying on the concrete of the stadium, slowly passing away from his injuries, he finally finds out more of what it is to be Native as described in the book, he finds his own definition. As Tony is dying he thinks that he may not float away when he dies, but instead "fall inside something underneath him" because "[t]here is an anchor, something he has been rooted to all this time" and in his final moments he remembers advice given to him by his grandmother, "You have to dance like birds sing in the morning" (Orange 290). As Tony passes away he hears the birds singing, and in that signing, he finds his answer. Unfortunately, his finding an answer only in death is something that many Natives in the book seem to be heading towards. No other character has a similar revelation to Tony in his passing, seemingly left to continue questioning their culture for the rest of their lives. With the addition that many of them experienced a traumatic mass shooting at their first attempts of connecting with their culture, the powwow, some may even go on to reject their culture for a large portion of their lives. However, Tony Loneman provides a clear blueprint for the experience of all of the Natives in the novel. The lack of a clear vision that leads to questioning and hopefully one day a personal answer.
Daniel Udelhoven
I think the point that you brought up about the lack of Native pride and the reflection of their "face" is one that is significant to both Tony and the novel itself. In Tony's first chapter, he talks about how The Drome has made him somewhat into a monster or a ghost. People run away from him but he says that maybe one day he'll do something where "they'll finally be able to look at me, because they'll have to" (Orange 19). This feeling of wanting to be seen is one that I think a lot of the characters want especially in relation to their Native identity. It seems like they want to have pride in who they are and what they look like but haven't found it yet.
ReplyDeleteAfter he is shot, Tony "watches himself from above" and finally becomes the ghost that he alluded to at the beginning (Orange 288). He seems to stop fighting what he is and accept his identity both on a physical and spiritual level. I find it interesting that the reflection that Tony has only happens once he has separated from his body and is on the brink of death. It leaves me to wonder if the others will continue to question their culture for the rest of their lives like you said or if this event could be the catalyst for them to reflect on their "face".
I really liked how you brought up Tony looking at his face because it connects well with the prologue at the beginning of the book. American culture has focused so much on the face and head of Native Americans that it is often the only thing people think of when thinking about Native Americans. Tony is scared of his face because of The Drome and it seems to scare and frighten others that see him on the streets. This parallels how Native Americans are portrayed in pop culture as savage monsters that strike fear in those that see them.
ReplyDeleteI also liked how you talk about this crisis of self identity because it is a recurring theme throughout the book with almost every character. It seems in the conclusion of the book many of the characters do seem to reach some kind of closure either with some trauma or personal crisis they are going through. I think this could be the “singing in the dark times” that Orange mentioned earlier in the book. All of these characters begin to find their sense of self and their sense of community in the darkest of times, especially the victims of the shooting. I think this is true in many other aspects of life, immense amounts of stress can often be the best times for personal growth.