To Sing or Not to Sing During the Dark Times

        In the beginning of his novel There There, Tommy Orange quotes Bertolt Brecht:

               In the dark times

               Will there also be singing?

               Yes, there will also be singing. 

               About the dark times. (pg. 3)

Throughout the novel, we look at Urban Natives going through very dark times. We see Opal and Jacquie living on Alcatraz and then losing their mother. We see Octavio loss his father, mother, and brother within the course of the one character. Many of the characters, such as Tony and Orvil, do not have father figures. None of Orange’s characters are wealthy or even middle class. While some characters have jobs, many others resort to selling drugs to make enough money to survive. Now, Orange claims there is singing during these dark times. But, at first glance, there is no singing or triumph in the novel. However, singing and triumph is found in the novel, but masked by the harsh reality the characters of There There live in. 

               One of the biggest triumphs in the novel is experienced by Dene when he receives the money for the grant to make the film documenting Urban Natives. But instead of focusing on the grant, Dene’s focus moves towards the death of his uncle Lucas. Dene comes home to his mother “waiting for him. She was crying” (pg. 44). Seeing the pain his mother is feeling, Dene knows Lucas has passed away. His singing of triumph is masked by the loss his family is experiencing. It is only when Orvil goes in to be interviewed by Dene for the film that we know Dene received the grant. 

Another instance of singing and triumph is experienced by Blue. Blue lived with her abused husband Paul in Oklahoma. One day, Blue takes the initiative to leave Paul and move to Oakland. She thinks “when Paul said he needed the car all day I decided to take it as a sign” (pg. 199). Blue knows it is time to leave. With the help of her friend Geraldine, Blue receives a ride to the bus station. However, her husband tracks her down. Only with the help of a kind older lady is Blue able to flee to Oakland. Blue’s escape is worthy of singing. She is safe from her abusive husband. However, the effects of abuse are heavy, and Blue was leaving behind many things she treasured. While her freedom was worth singing about, her victory is masked by loss and pain from her relationship with Paul.

While there are more victories in the novel, Blue and Dene show prime examples of “singing in the dark times.” Their loss and pain mute their singing. With a story full of pain, anger, and loss, we feel Orange compelling us, the audience, to find singing to be difficult during the dark times. However, after the tragic events of the Powwow during Tony’s death, Tony claims “and the birds, the birds are singing” (pg. 290). Here, Orange shows that despite the brutal loss of many of the characters, someone is still singing. However hard it may be, there is still singing in the dark times.