Alcohol plays a key role in the novel There There, written by Tommy Orange. From the first character perspective we get in the story from Tony Loneman to nearly every other character in the novel, alcohol and alcoholism have an adverse impact on the characters in some way or another. Tony Loneman suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome due to his mother abusing the substance while pregnant with Tony. Tony discusses this reality often and the “Drome” is a defining characteristic for Tony. He states, “I’m twenty-one now, which means I can drink if I want. I don’t though. The way I see it, I got enough when I was a baby in my mom’s stomach” (Orange 21). The excerpt captures the sentiments of Tony towards alcohol in full, as well as the correlating disgust for his mother and her alcohol addiction.
Dene Oxendene is affected by alcohol as well. His Uncle Lucas plays an important role in his life as he inspires Dene’s fascination with film. One day, Dene comes home to the news that his Uncle Lucas is in the hospital dying from liver failure. His mother tells him, “He’s been drinking too much for too long. His body, his liver’s going” (Orange 48). Dene is absolutely devastated and genuinely affected as a person as a result of his Uncle’s death. He wants to know why his mother didn’t stop her brother from abusing alcohol sooner; he wants to know why she let him kill himself.
Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield is affected by alcohol at a very young age when her mother, half-sister, and herself occupied Alcatraz in protest. Her half-sister, Jacquie, is out partying with fellow older kids on the island when they begin to drink alcohol. Opal watches Jacquie, “I lied and told everyone I was twelve, but they didn’t even hear me. I saw that they were passing a bottle around. It’d just gotten to Jacquie. She drank long and hard from it” (Orange 76). This passage marks the beginning of a lifelong battle against alcoholism for Jacquie, which subsequently affects the life of Opal as well. Opal is left to care for Jacquie’s grandsons after Jacquie’s daughter died from an overdose.
All of the characters aforementioned are affected by alcohol in a negative way. However, perhaps it is not the fault of any of the characters or their family members. Instead, maybe their circumstances as Native Americans have led to this inevitability of turning to substance abuse as a coping mechanism. The character of Thomas Frank helps elaborate on this speculation, as he struggles with alcoholism. Thomas says, “How you ended up getting fired was related to your drinking, which was related to your skin problems, which was related to your father, which was related to history” (Orange 324). The above passage exemplifies the domino effect of events in history in respect to Indigenous people in America that have led to the massive issue of alcoholism amongst Native Americans.
This was one of my favorite aspect of the novel, Orange's ability to layer in issues that have plagued the Native population for generations while building upon them to generate conflict and character development. The way alcohol affects several character's lives in such different ways, yet it all has the same root, is a very strong narrative theme.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed the prominence of alcohol in the novel and found it very interesting. There are many stereotypes around Native Americans and alcohol abuse and I think Orange wants to showcase this throughout the novel. However, he does this in a way that allows readers to see that is not because Native Americans are "irresponsible," Orange shows that is because of their circumstances as Native Americans.
ReplyDeleteFor example, Victoria says, "Drinking had never been fun. It was kind of a solemn duty" (Orange 152). Victoria had been put in all these situations as a Native American, such as Alcatraz, that caused her to develop this addiction.
Orange uses the same style to explain the other character's stories. While each one is different and unique, they all root back to being Native American. Readers can find similarities in the stories - for example, alcoholism or guns. Orange is successful in showing how the issue of alcoholism has plagued Native Americans and how it still persists today. The characters' personal experiences along with their ancestors all play a role in developing this issue. It is sad to read about it but also brings a light to telling the truth behind it since so many people are unfamiliar with Native American history and thus stereotypes can be easily created.