Introduction to the There There Exhibit
How can violence impact generations upon generations of people? Also, how does Tommy Orange narrow down the umbrella issue of violence to show its various effects on Native American communities? In Tommy Orange's novel There There, the author details how traumatic incidents of violence have affected the twelve characters of the story. Furthermore, the author details how different sub-categories of violence intersect with each character's experiences. One type of violence that Orange focuses his novel on is domestic violence especially when talking about Jacquie Red Feather and Blue. In mentioning their experiences of how domestic violence is silenced and incomplete, we can begin to see the impacts that violence has upon generations of people.
Especially with the effects of colonialism on Indigenous communities around the Bay Area, where the book is set, the pressures to assimilate on top of processing a multitude of violent experiences becomes essential to look into. In Tommy Orange's novel There There, the incorporation of Jacquie and Blue's experiences of domestic violence as a means to show this idea of generational trauma, not only emphasizes the idea of the single story but also represents the pressure that is put on American Indians, forcing them to assimilate and feel that their voices and sense of belonging at a place that they used to be able to call home are ultimately limited.
Advice for Navigating this Exhibit:
To navigate this exhibit, click on the waypoints on the right side of the page. The first one that you should click on should be "What is Domestic Violence?" After that, continue down in the listed order that the waypoints go in. However, feel free to jump back and forth between pages at your leisure.
Credits
Gianna Madden