Table of ContentsIntroductionOpal and Jacquie Red Feather: Struggling with IdentityEmbracing Mixed Identities ThereThe Complexities of BelongingConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionIdentity is Not Just a Question of race and ethnicity, nor can a person's identity be limited to relating solely to a singular personal attribute of a person's character. Who one truly is can best be defined as a multitude of factors and self-recognition. In Tommy Orange's There There, some characters in the novel believe that they are inferior to their Indigenous identity because of their "other" factors, such as trauma and addiction. However, many other characters, who do not struggle with addiction, also believe that they are not native enough due to their public appearance; the way they see themselves does not coincide with the way the public sees them. All the characters, including Jacquie Red Feather, feel that they are not Aboriginal enough physically or mentally to be accepted within the Aboriginal community. When in fact, the novel reveals that identity is not just an attribute of a person but, moreover, a multitude of intersecting qualities. Being indigenous cannot be defined by a single addiction or the hue of a single skin color; Being indigenous is about heritage and adaptation. Even though all the characters are presented as very different individuals, they are all connected by their Native roots and have the right to identify as Native American. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayOpal and Jacquie Red Feather: Struggling with IdentityThere is a common disconnect between the idea of ​​cultural identity, Native Americans, and personal identities. For example, Opal Bear Shield and Jacquie Red Feather both believe that they are not native enough or that they are not native in a good way; they become disconnected from their indigenous culture and, throughout the progression of the novel, must reform their ideas of what it means to be part of the indigenous community. They are all dealing with their personal traumas related to mental health issues and addictions, and they believe that these traumas have so disconnected them from their Indigenous roots that they no longer have the right to identify as Indigenous. From a young age, Opal Bear Shield develops a strong connection to her indigenous identity because her mother makes her live with her sister on Alcatraz. In the 1960s, Alcatraz was a symbol of protest against the mistreatment of Native Americans by the U.S. government. While on the island, Opal attends meetings with her mother where she hears different plans that the island's natives discuss and debate. “I was at my mother’s side. We would talk to people, attend official meetings where everyone tried to agree on what to do” (50). By connecting Opal to Alcatraz and her childhood to an infamous manifestation of Native history, Orange illustrates that there is a strongly rooted connection between Opal and her Native identity. However, after the death of Opal's mother and the need to leave the island, Opal goes through many traumatic experiences that distance her from her native roots. She is forced to live with and flee from her sister's attacker, and as they escape, Opal sees an Indian Head test model on television: "Walking through the living room, on the television was the Indian test model. . Opal imagined the Indian turning towardsShe. He said: go. (167). Years later, Opal reflects on the moment she saw the Indian head test model on television, she remembers how Native people were, and still are, the target, why she no longer identifies with her indigenous roots and why she refuses to raise her grandsons in indigenous culture. Opal lives in fear of the trauma she and her family endured in her past, the trauma caused by their ties to the natives. She therefore denies the existence of this trauma. the acceptance of her indigenous identity by herself and by her grandsons. Adopting mixed identities there, there However, as the story progresses, Opal finds herself in Oakland. At first, she only goes there to care for her grandsons, but as she sits in her car and listens to the beating of the drum, Opal feels a connection: “Opal listens to the drum. She hasn't heard a big drum like that since she was young. (241). Even with all of his trauma, his Indigenous identity remains a factor in his personal identity. Orange illustrates that past traumas do not distance us from our ethnic roots. Identity can adapt and adjust over time. Opal is not just one of her identities; she is a grandmother, she is a survivor of her past and she is indigenous. The conflicting relationship between acceptance of Indigenous identity and personal identity is also seen in the progression of Jacquie Red Feather. Jacquie turned away from her Indigenous identity and community due to her excessive alcoholism: “Home was for drinking. Drinking was the trap. (101). She constantly struggles with her urge to drink, and even though she finds herself at a drug addiction conference, she is still consumed by her desire to drink. She believes her identity is only tied to her alcoholism and because she has become so estranged from her family and culture that she is no longer connected to her Indigenous roots. At the conference, she looks around the room and admits her feeling of not belonging: “They were career people, more motivated by the desire to keep their jobs than by the need to help Indian families. Jacquie was no different. She knew it and hated it. (103). Like many other characters in the novel, Jacquie feels like a fraudulent member within her own community. As the chapter progresses and Jacquie finds herself at an AA meeting, the AA meeting facilitator says, “It's not the alcohol. There is no special relationship between Indians and alcohol. as well as: “I stopped telling the story I was telling myself about how this was the only way, that [it was] my life, my bad luck, my story.” (112). This underlines Orange's message that personal attributions and cultural roots are two important indicators in constituting a person's identity. As Orange's characters attempt to make sense of who they are within and outside the Indigenous community, Orange argues that understanding who they are on a personal level can lead to recognition and acceptance of their place in a broader cultural identity. BelongingIdentity is an acknowledgment of each person's individuality and position in their community, such that each character defines their identity differently. Although some characters in the story struggle to find the correlation between their personal identity and their cultural identity due to their past traumas, other characters experience an internal struggle to accept their identity due to the way they are perceived in public or private. The struggle for identity within the communityIndigenous is not just about dependency; Identity is an issue that all Native characters face due to Native history and the pressure to survive through adaptation. Being mixed race has a strong correlation with the struggle to be seen rather than to see one's own identity throughout the novel. Edwin Black was raised by his white mother and, although he knew his father was Aboriginal, he never had any connection to him or the Aboriginal community. This disconnect between him and his Indigenous identity controls many aspects of his life. In college, he avidly studied Native American literature to find a connection to his ethnic roots. “One day I dreamed of becoming a writer. I received my master's degree in comparative literature with a specialization in Native American literature. (63). He even manages to contact his father and find out which tribe he belongs to in order to receive some kind of public recognition.really native. Edwin's life is so plagued by the fear of not belonging that he is unable to pursue his career because he feels like an impostor working with Native American literature. As the story progresses, Edwin joins the Oakland Pow Wow committee and, ultimately, forms a real connection with his community and his father. Once the connection to his family and heritage is established, he can see himself authentically and pursue his passion for writing fiction. Edwin's new connection to the indigenous community allows him to expand his identity as an author and storyteller; accepting one’s identity as both white and Indigenous. Through Edwin's progression, Orange illustrates the idea that being part of one culture does not erase your connection to another culture. Instead, cultural identity has adapted to accept mixed identities as members of certain ethnic groups become more mixed. The struggle to accept one's identity when torn between two distinct cultures can also be seen through the progression of Dene Oxendene. Dene attempts to honor the memory of his uncle Lucas by launching his film project that would tell the stories of the natives of the Oakland community. He faces the daunting task of defending his artistic project before a jury, and his only worry is that he will not receive the artistic scholarship he needs because he is "ambiguously non-white." (28). Unfortunately, his fears are realized when the only judge on the committee to reject the Dene idea is the Aboriginal judge: “The Dene knew it would be the Aboriginal guy. He probably doesn't even think the Dene are indigenous. (41). This rejection indicates that the Dene are not sufficiently perceived as indigenous by other members of their community. The Dene are only half-indigenous, making it difficult for him to find a community to belong to. Not only are the Dene seen as not being indigenous enough by members of the indigenous community, but also by other mixed indigenous people. During his first encounter with the Dene, Calvin remembers that he would have thought the Dene were white if he had not worn a specific tribal symbol. Although the Dene actively strive to connect with their Indigenous community, they cannot consider themselves authentically Indigenous because of how the public perceives it. However, during interviews for her film project, Dene discovers that many other Native people within the community also do not feel Native enough to identify as Native. He feels a specific connection to Calvin, as Calvin states: “I feel bad sometimes, even saying I'm Native. Most of the, 2018.