The essay “The Lack of Solace in Saying ‘There, There’: A Psychoanalysis of Childhood Trauma Stemming into Adulthood in There There” explores the impact that childhood trauma has on individuals, specifically Native Americans, in their adult lives. By analyzing two characters, Jacquie Red Feather and Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield, we can see how specific instances of sexual assault, abandonment, and substance abuse impact them as adults and how they, in turn, will possibly impact their own grandchildren's lives. The essay also discusses how Native communities struggle more in breaking these cycles of trauma on their children, and more support must be provided in order to make change for the better.
The essay “The Lack of Solace in Saying ‘There, There’: A Psychoanalysis of Childhood Trauma Stemming into Adulthood in There There” explores the impact that childhood trauma has on individuals, specifically Native Americans, in their adult lives. By analyzing two characters, Jacquie Red Feather and Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield, we can see how specific instances of sexual assault, abandonment, and substance abuse impact them as adults and how they, in turn, will possibly impact their own grandchildren's lives. The essay also discusses how Native communities struggle more in breaking these cycles of trauma on their children, and more support must be provided in order to make change for the better.
The essay “Native to Me” explores the struggles of how a Native can truly interpret their culture and community. By presenting evidence from multiple articles as well as the text of There There itself, the essay reveals that there are many factors as to why a Native may feel unsure about their own community. Looking both at specific characters and at the novel more broadly, the essay delves into the reasons and perspectives on why and how Natives can feel a certain way about their community. Overall, Natives have their own individual ideas, opinions, and views on what being Native can mean to them, and they should not have to confront questions from any other person but themselves.
The essay “The Cycles and Circles at the Bottom of The Bottle” discusses the psychoanalytical theory of alcoholism, substance abuse, and the reoccurring cycle of both in Tommy Orange’s There There. Following characters such as Tony and Jacquie and others, their surrounding family, the leads and follows of alcoholism and substance abuse; ending up in the previously mentioned cycle of further addictions. For Tony, it will involve his fetal alcohol syndrome, his disfigurement from it, and the effects he causes through the story. For Jacquie, it will revolve around the family’s symbolism of spiders and webs, her past trauma and family line pushing her own alcoholism, and the effects it has caused on others and herself. All ending with the event of the powwow and the possibilities for that cycle to continue.
The essay “Trauma Within Native American Communities” covers how Tommy Orange brings awareness to many common issues in the Native American community through his novel There There. One of the main characters, Jacquie Red Feather, experiences a multitude of traumatic events throughout her storyline, such as alcoholism, rape, teen pregnancy, death of loved ones, and more. Through a deep dive into Jacquie, her mental health, and traumas, the reader can see that Orange uses her character and storyline to represent major issues within Native American communities and how they are represented.
In the essay “The Failure of Colonialism,” Jessica Janus applies postcolonial theory to the novel There There by Tommy Orange. She uses an article from The Indian Institute of Technology entitled “Postcolonialism in the Native American Experience: a theoretical perspective,” as well as an article from Blake Hilton entitled “Substance Abuse Among American Indians and Alaska Natives: An Integrative Cultural Framework for Advancing Research.” Finally, she applies the book “Reading Postcolonial Theory: Key Texts in Context,” by Bibhash Choudhury. All of these sources are applied for a better understanding of what is postcolonialism and how this relates to There There. The essay starts off at the beginning of colonialism. Substance abuse is also tackled in the essay, as it is shown to be an outcome of what postcolonialism can cause within the Native American community. Janus goes into more depth on this, as well as other consequences, including identity issues, generational trauma, and the violent ending of the novel.
The essay “At the Intersection of Life and Literature: Finding Identity When There’s No There There” takes a deeper look into the identity struggle of the characters in Tommy Orange's There There using an intersectional lens. How does intersectionality change the experience of readers? And consequently, how can the experience of readers change the text itself?
Generational trauma within Native communities in America is not talked about enough. The essay “Breaking the Cycle: Generational Trauma in There There” explores the ways Tommy Orange’s novel talks about generational trauma in an effective way for readers to understand the importance of its effects and how it lives on. Orange himself and other resources provide insight as to why generational trauma continues to pass on for years. It is important to understand why marginalized communities are still affected by trauma from years ago.
Substance abuse and alcoholism has long been over-represented in Native American populations, its increased prevalence ultimately stemming from larger systemic issues of colonial oppression, marginalization, and historical trauma. The essay “The Motivations, Consequences, and Recovery Efforts Behind the Alcoholism of Jacquie Red Feather in There There” argues that Tommy Orange’s portrayal of Jacquie Red Feather illustrates how alcohol abuse ultimately results in greater harm to those struggling with addiction, making recovery essential to improving life overall. The essay examines Jacquie’s personal and generational trauma as reasons for her addiction, the harm alcoholism causes to her health and interpersonal relationships, and her efforts to recover through community and family connection.
In the essay “The Unspoken Trauma Between Generations: The Shield of Red Feathers,” Brook Oitker explores ways in which generational trauma affects characters within Tommy Orange’s There There. She focuses on in-depth character analyses, examining how their trauma is acknowledged in the novel. Through them, Oitker discusses why generational trauma is important to acknowledge in all walks of life.
Not all stories have a Disney movie ending. The meanings of “happy,” “sad,” and “bittersweet” endings are important when discussing the authenticity of stories. That is why the essay “Not Happy, Not Sad: Why the Ending of There There Might Not Be as Redemptive as Expected” examines Tommy Orange’s novel for its qualities concerning redemption, hope, death, and similar concepts. The essay also looks at There There for qualities that overlap with rejecting the colonial idea of utilitarianism that drives the popularity of happy endings.