There There

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Spiders are a recurring motif within There There.

• What do spiders symbolize for the characters? (topic sentence)
• Examine three moments where spiders appear in this novel. What do they symbolize? How do they connect back to your primary argument?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, consider how spiders and spider legs connect to the theme of either Violence Caused by Colonialism or Indigenous Identity.

2. Several of the characters are reflected in different mediums, such as Dene’s camera or how Tony pays so much attention to how others perceive him.  

• Why is this reflection of oneself important? Why might Orange be using these reflections? (topic sentence)
• Using three examples from the text, consider what role reflections and mirrors play in this novel.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, connect your argument back to the theme of Indigenous Identity.

3. Feathers are especially important symbols on the day of the powwow.

• What do these feathers symbolize? (topic sentence)
• Use three moments leading up to or during the powwow to illustrate your thesis.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, connect your essay back to the theme of either Indigenous Identity or Healing From Trauma.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. The cast of characters in There There is large, and each of the characters’ lives are intertwined together in ways that they may not be aware of (or ways that they come to be aware of as it draws closer to its end). Write an essay in which you consider why Orange chose to structure the novel this way and how it connects to either the theme of Violence Caused by Colonialism or Healing From Trauma. Use at least three examples to support your arguments.

2. Personal, generational, and communal trauma recur throughout There There. What is Orange trying to explain about trauma? Where does he see it rooted? Write an essay in which you consider this question through the theme of Violence Caused by Colonialism, explaining how each character’s experience of trauma is connected to a wider communal trauma experienced throughout Indigenous history in the US.

3. How does Tommy Orange explore the contemporary experience of Indigenous Americans in this novel? Consider the ways in which his characters span generations and the ways in which they forge their own Indigenous Identity throughout this novel. Think too about the narrator’s voice in the Prologue and other interluding sections. Utilize at least three examples from the text to support your argument.