Symbols & Allusions
Who or what are important symbols in the novel?
Or, what about important allusions?
How do they function or what is their purpose to the novel as a whole?
Note: Links to some allusions are provided on the left side of the screen, but you might also consider researching some of the many musicians that are referenced in the text.
Or, what about important allusions?
How do they function or what is their purpose to the novel as a whole?
Note: Links to some allusions are provided on the left side of the screen, but you might also consider researching some of the many musicians that are referenced in the text.
Comments
Birds and Feathers - Feathers are seen on all the Native garments. It's a symbol of their heritage. When Orvil wore his feathered garment, it represented him coming of age and being embraced by the Native culture. Birds were also a common appearance throughout the novel. Birds were also referenced as something that symbolized freedom. The drone acted like a bird for Daniel Gonzales. It gave him his freedom and allowed him to see everything from above. This symbol was important at the end of the novel when the drone acted like a bird by flying over the Powwow, observing what was happening, and attacking one of the gunmen.
Even numbers - this was a common occurrence in the novel. Odd numbers related to bad events and even numbers related to good events. It was a subtle symbol, but its importance appeared in the end when the reader had to infer the end of Orvil's story by the even amount of times the door swung open.
Alcatraz - This was an allusion to the actual event that took place in 1968 when Natives lived on the Alcatraz island for 19 months. This event is something that is not talked about and is not common knowledge to most people. This book uses this event as a means to prove that the lives and stories of Natives can be brushed aside or ignored by society.
Carlie McIntyre
I love how you mentioned even numbers as a reoccurring symbol in the novel. Another example of this is with Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield. Her character is highly superstitious, and whenever she delivered mail she would deliver to the odd numbered side first, and end with the even numbers because she felt that they brought her good luck.
Lens: Dene Oxedene found graffiti fascinating and it inspired him to create his own tag called lens. In the bathroom, "Dene thought about how sad it was to want everyone to see a name that wasn't his, a name written to no one, to everyone" (Orange 34). Dene's Lens tag can symbolize something who Dene is not. Dene is not Lens but rather Lens is something he is hiding behind. Most of the characters don't feel "Indian enough" and feel like a fraud. They feel like being Native American isn't who they are. When the character Orvil wears his regalia he feels Native American. Like regalia, lens is a front to make characters more comfortable with who they are.
Indian Head: The allusion that opened the book talked about the Indian-head test pattern. It was a pitch broadcast-ed til the 1970's after all the shows ran out. Orange writes, "You'd see that Indian, surrounded by circles that looked like sights through rifle scopes" (Orange 3). This description is ironic because as the prologue continues it talks about the killing of Native Americans. This allusion gives readers an idea of the injustice that Native Americans face which sets the tone for the novel.
Katy Pedersen
Buses & Trains - Over the course of the story buses and trains represent the difference between public and private lives. It symbolizes the struggles the Natives went through and how separated their lives were. These trains and buses also represent the wish for the people to be able to be treated equally and forget all the injustices that occurred in the past.
Alcatraz - This allusion is based on a real life event when the Natives lived on this island. By reading this book, I learned about this important time in history. I have heard of this before, but before reading this book I never really knew what it was. As Carlie said, it shows how significant times in the past aren’t always discussed and recognized as they should be.
Amanda Teodoro
I didn’t think about the even and odd number symbol until I read your response. Now I realize how important they were to the story. The author added them in indirectly and I love how you explained them in the context of a symbol.
Amanda Teodoro
However, some characters are symbols. Orvil symbolizes innocence; Orvil one of the youngest characters in the book and he is very sincere and earnest. When going to the powwow, his goal is to dance, and to eat Indian tacos with his brothers. Orange shows Orvil throughout the novel as a child trying to reach manhood to make the end of the book more tragic. When he is injured at the end, his close-to-death experience is more impactful as it shows how violence doesn’t discriminate between the guilty and innocent. Harvey, on the other hand, symbolizes second chances. He gets a second chance with his son and Jacquie also gives him a second chance. The book centers around the idea of interconnectedness and second chances are pivotal in that interconnectedness.
Throughout the book, there are many allusions. In the first two chapters, two musicians are mentioned. Tony mentions MF Doom while Dene mentions Radiohead. When I went to look up MF Doom, I found it interesting that one of the Google autocompletes was “MF Doom Radiohead”. Naturally, I was intrigued and clicked on it as both artists are mentioned in the book. I turns out that MF Doom and Radiohead collaborated on a song in 2011. While they may seem like an insignificant fact, I connected that to the motif of interconnectedness within the book. The idea that two characters mentioned musicians that are linked to each other shows that every character in the book is somehow linked to each other. Two other allusions in the book are the Native American occupation of Alcatraz and powwows. Both of these allusions are used to ground the novel in reality. Orange’s purpose in the novel is to show the life of the urban Native American; when he uses the allusions of Alcatraz and powwows, he reminds readers that the stories he is telling are reality for many people.
Marisa Helff
The powwow: The powwow can symbolize unity but also destruction. This event is what brought every character together despite their stories and what their motive for being there was. It even brought Harvey and his son together as well as Jacquie and her daughter. However, it also symbolizes destruction because that is where the robbery took place and harm to many of the people attending the event.
The white gun: The white gun that was made from the 3-D printer for the robbery of the powwow can symbolize power. The moment this gun was used would turn the harmless robbery into a violent one. Guns are feared, so whoever possesses it has the power. Ocatavio went to the powwow with a plan, with the power to destroy the event.
Oakland: The whole story takes place in Oakland, California. This location is true to its significance in the story. It was once an area founded by Native Americans but later colonized by the Spanish. This area is still rich with people of the native culture just as it is mentioned in the novel. The powwow as well as many of the characters are in Oakland.
Ava Galdenzi
I love how you mentioned the loss of innocence in Opal in relation to Two Shoes. A teddy bear is a symbol of a young, innocent child, so I enjoyed how you mentioned that the loss of the shine in his eyes could be symbolic of Opal losing her innocence. Up until that point in her life, she hadn't really witnessed any real-life tragedy. But in that moment, she felt trapped on an island and experienced her sister being raped, all things that opened her eyes to the real world. She then left Two Shoes behind, symbolizing that she is moving on from her innocent childhood by leaving the symbol of her innocence behind a rock.
Ava Galdenzi
I really liked how you explained the symbol of birds. I agree with you that it symbolizes "leaving struggles behind." To add to the meaning of the symbol, I also believe that birds or more specifically feathers represent a time of peace or happiness for the Native Americans. During the powwow, Orvil "puts on his regalia." And looking more into it, I learned that regalia is typically made of eagle or hawk feathers. I also found that Native Americans believe that eagle and hawk feathers symbolize Great Spirit, strength, and power. Tommy Orange uses the symbol of birds and feathers to represent that the Native Americans still have hope. They use their outfits and the feathers to remind themselves of their power to keep fighting.
Stephanie Sudusky
I agree with your idea that the Indian Head Test represents the injustice that natives face. I also think that it represents another way that whites have flaunted that they "conquered" Native Americans, just like how “The Indian head in the jar, the Indian head on a spike were like flags flown, to be seen, cast broadly." (Orange 5). Orange includes this is the prologue to give readers an idea of natives feel seeing their heads displayed like this. Having a part of their bodies displayed as a victory flag is extremely damaging for them, especially because depictions of their heads have become the symbol of a Native American. They have been stripped of their identities and turned into a public symbol of defeat, and on something as widely broadcast as a test pattern.
Stephanie Sudusky
I liked how you discussed the bird symbolism within the novel. Birds can also symbolize freedom because they have the capabilities to soar wherever they please. The inclusion of birds around Tony's death can possibly signify Tony's freedom from violence and hate now that he is passed on.
Katy Pedersen
I like how you chose the white gun as a symbol because personally, I would have never even thought about that one. I know this was discussed in previous English classes, but in other countries such as China, white can symbolize bad luck and death. I was looking at different websites such lewisandclarktrail.com and warpaths2peacepipes.com and they had mentioned that white to Native Americans can symbolize death and mourning. The white guns in the story lead to both of those terms and I think that's interesting because there was much emphasis on the guns being white.
Katy Pedersen
Tony Loneman, the first character described in the book has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, caused by his mother drinking throughout her pregnancy. He refers to this syndrome as “The Drome.” first talking about how he is insecure of how his face looks and feels different from everyone else. The Drome symbolizes Tony’s insecurity; Tony is critical of himself, even describing himself as a monster: “That’s how looking like a monster works out for me. The Drome” (Orange 19). Readers can sympathize with Tony’s insecurity because his low self-confidence is a result of something out of his control. Although at times Tony feels insecure, The Drome is also a symbol of the strength Tony has gained from his syndrome. It teaches him to “look past the first look people give you, find that other one, right behind it” (17). Tony understands that although most people may be initially surprised by the way he looks, they are not always making fun of him. The Drome teaches him to be less sensitive and to look for the good in all people.
“There There”
“There There” by Radiohead is a real song mentioned in the novel. Orange explains that the hook of the song is “Just ‘cause you feel it doesn’t mean it’s there” (Orange 29). After listening to the song, the underlying meaning of this hook can refer to people who suppress their true feelings and don’t discuss their problems with anyone else. “Just ‘cause you feel it doesn’t mean it’s there” may refer to people who ignore their emotions and pretend that how they feel is insignificant. This line in the song relates back to the book because for example, Tony is insecure of his face and Edwin is insecure of his weight, and both of them allow themselves to become sad and lonely by not telling others how they feel. In addition, “there there” is used to describe how the landscape of Oakland has changed. Dene describes how in the book Everybody’s Autobiography, the author Gertrude Stein talks about how “the there of her childhood, the there there, was gone, there was no there there anymore” (39). This is a quote that many of the characters can relate to, because their childhood in Oakland seems to hold great importance to them. Seeing the landscape change can symbolize the loss of their childhood.
Crazy Horse’s Prophecy
Another allusion in the novel is the Crazy Horse’s Prophecy. In the book, Opal’s mother hands her a card with the name on it, and the card reads “Upon suffering beyond suffering; the Red Nation shall rise again and it shall be a blessing for a sick world. A world filled with broken promises, selfishness and separations. A world longing for light again. I see a time of seven gernerations, when all the colors of mankind will gather under the sacred Tree of Life and the whole Earth will become one circle again” (48). This allusion to the Crazy Horse’s Prophecy is made because it shows hope for changing a segregated world. The Red Nation refers to the Native Americans, and describes the colors of mankind--different races--joining together. If people of all cultures and ethnicities are able to move past their differences and unite, this would fix a broken and separated world.
Fog/Islands- Fog is another symbol that is mentioned several times in the book. It symbolizes loss or confusion, and can represent approaching death. In one of Daniel's chapters, he writes an email to Manny's gmail account, and tells him about a dream that he had after Manny died. He types: "It started off I was on an island. I could barely see that there was another island across the way. There was hella fog in the way, but I knew I had to get over there, so I swam over" (192). In dreams, islands symbolize a part of you that is cut off from the rest of the world, but where you feel safe. The fog in this scenario represents the confusion that Daniel may have been feeling after Manny was killed, as well as representing the loss of an important figure in his life. The islands depicted in Daniel's dream represent his unconscious, and the place where he feels safe from the public.
I also agree with your interpretation of the BART trains and buses as symbols of the characters embracing their identities, especially where Tony wears his regalia on the train. I think they can also be interpreted as the middle section between their lives in private, and their lives in public. Often on these transport systems, the characters reflect back on their lives up until the moment they are in, wondering if all the trouble they've been through has a purpose. In one of Orvil's chapters, he notices that the coliseum looks "bigger than it looks when you see it from BART or driving by on the freeway" (130). This quote shows a specific moment where the BART station acts as a barrier between a character's private life and their public life, due to separating them from experiencing the true enormity of the coliseum in person.
I liked how you explained the symbol of drums. After reading your response, I looked more into it and found that in the Native American community, drums also symbolize power and spirit. I also learned that drums can help bring the physical and mental side of a person in touch with their spiritual side. An example of drums I found in the book was when Edwin Black was listening to "A Tribe Called Red. They're a group of First Nations DJs and producers based out of Ottawa. They make electronic music with samples from powwow drum groups. It's the most modern, or most postmodern, form of Indigenous music I've heard that's both traditional and new-sounding" (Orange 77). This can represent how even after the American settlers took over, the drums are a way for the Native Americans to express themselves and like Avonlea said, it is a way of balance and renewal.
I love how you described two different things that The Drome symbolizes for Tony. When I read Tony’s section, I only thought of how The Drome symbolizes his insecurity because of how he feels when he sees himself in the mirror. When Tony looks in a mirror, he describes his face “There’s too much space between each of the parts of my face--eyes, nose, mouth” (16). This symbolizing insecurity is easy to pick up on, but I like how you took it another step and discussed how having The Drome gave him strength. I didn’t think of how it can also be a symbol for something good (strength) even though he talks about it in such a negative way.
I really appreciate your insight about the symbolism of spiders and being trapped throughout the story. I agree that this symbol was most apparent in the lives of Jacquie with her alcohol addiction, and Orvil with his family and culture. I thought your comment about the powwow was interesting because I had never thought of it to represent destruction. After reading your insightful comment about the robbery, I can now see how the powwow is representative of both destruction and unity.
Another symbol that is used in the novel is The Drome. Tony Loneman suffers from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - which he shortens to “The Drome”. In Tony’s perspective, he feels as though The Drome represents a mask. Tony feels as though he is a monster because of FAS. Furthermore, Tony feels as though The Drome outcasts him from society by making him different. Due to The Drome, lacks self confidence.
Additionally, the allusion to powwows in general is important to the novel. Throughout the book, the characters are connected to the powwow, which what the powwow represents: connection. A powwow allows for people to come together and celebrate their culture - something that many of the characters in the book don’t do. Orvil, for instance, wants to learn about his culture, but Opal doesn’t tell him. The powwow is a place for him to discover his cultural identity. A common issue is in the book the lack of cultural identity, however the powwow is something that can help inform people.
Izabella Mott
I appreciate the symbols you chose because of how unique they are. I did not think of Lens as a cover for Dene and who he really is. I enjoy the insight and can also agree that many characters throughout the novel use certain symbols to "mask" who they really are. This also goes along with the theme of self-identity and the fact the many characters throughout the story may lack it. It is important to recognize that some characters use things to hide because they are not comfortable with who they are. However I noticed towards the end of the story that some characters had gotten more comfortable with identifying with their native culture (Opal and Edwin specifically).
Jetta Powers
An important symbol that I noticed are buses and trains. There are frequent mentions of both buses and trains throughout the novel. These symbolize character's ability to change and the divide of the Oakland community. The public transit systems are used and it is frowned upon to cause great disturbances. Characters often feel themselves being judged or looked at in certain ways, With the RadioHead allusion above, Dene is riding the train and thinking as he listens to music. While traveling, many of the characters take time to think and reflect upon themselves. While the buses and trains can be a symbol of divide within the community, they can symbolize self-identification for some characters.
Jetta Powers
Over the course of the novel, readers can easily see some recurring symbols and allusions appear. One of the most prominent symbols seen throughout the novel is the spider. In the beginning of the novel, the readers are introduced to a young man named Orvil Red Feather. Orvil Red Feather was banned from learning about Native traditions and beliefs- forcing him to turn to the internet to learn more about certain Native events such as the powwow or tribal dances. One day, when Orvil is walking outside of Target, he suddenly feels a scratchy feeling on his leg and even ‘“felt something poking out of it… I’m [he is] pretty sure they’re spider legs” (Orange 127). Orvil is someone who is curious about his past and Native heritage, he is appreciative of the culture that his ancestors were raised in. Even though Opal refuses to teach him about Native traditions- Orvil still feels as though it is his duty and his time to learn where his family comes from and what they believe in. When Orvil describes pulling the spire legs out of his knee and rolling them into a piece of toilet paper, it is symbolic of him drawing out singling in and finding out his interests and intrigue into his family’s past. The action of him rolling it into the toilet paper may also be a nod to him trying to hide away his desire to learn about his family’s past from Opal- as she heavily disapproves of her grandson's knowledge Native American tradition. The symbol of “spiders” plays a huge role in the plot of the story because each character is trying to break free from their past and try to either better who they are as a person, or learn more about the culture they see around them.
Another symbol that is constantly recurring throughout the story, is alcohol. Right when the story opens up, the readers are introduced to a character named Tony Loneman. Tony Loneman was both with a horrible condition known as fetal alcohol syndrome as a result to his mother drinking alcohol while her son was in the womb- causing Tony to have extreme facial deformities as well as certain intellectual and developmental difficulties. Because of alcohol and addiction, an innocent baby was brought into the world already facing a lifetime of suffering. “‘Why’s your [Tony Loneman] face look like that?”’ (Orange 15). Tony has had a lifetime of judgment and pain thrust upon him because of an addiction that his mother had. Alcohol symbolizes a constant state of suffering sadness.
Alcohol also symbolizes an escape. When the readers are introduced to Jacquie Red Feather, they learn that she has had a lifetime of suffering. When Jacquie grew older, she had a child named Jaime- Jaime became addicted to drugs and ended up dying. When her daughter died, her drinking had gotten to the point where she could not return. Alcohol can also symbolize and escape as well because when Jacquie had lost everything, that is the first thing she turned because it temporarily stopped the pain and reality of what was occurring in her life. Jacquie’s alcohol addiction adds to the novel as a whole because it becomes her greatest weakness in life. Because it is always present in her life, she has to learn how to grow the willpower to stop her desire to drink.
Throughout the entire novel, there is one allusion that the plot centralizes around: the powwow. This is because the powwow means something different to everyone. For example, Orvil sees the powwow as a place where he can celebrate, learn and honor his Native roots as well as learn more about himself and he will choose to live his life. Whereas Octavio sees the powwow with a narrow mind: an event in which people buy and sell goods. From a historical standpoint, powwows were get togethers where tribes would come together and play music, dance, and trade goods and commodities. However, Octavio sees it as a means to steal from others in order to get ahead.
I LOVED your allusion of music! I saw many instances where characters turned to music; especially Orvil. One can easily see that he is always listening to the drums as it makes him feel more connected and one with his Native culture. Not only is this allusion something that we as a society can identify in the novel, but also in our personal lives! Music is something that brings people together, whether everyone is singing along or simply sitting down and listening. It is something that provides an escape from stress or something that can even evoke memories amd even has the power to shape society as it did with the drums throughout the novel.
Calley Marcarelli