Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in There There, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Cultural Identity vs. Personal Identity
Storytelling
Interconnectedness, Coincidence, and Chance
Generational Trauma
Summary
Analysis
After performing the first song with his drum group, Thomas Frank is distracted. Bobby Big Medicine asks him if he’s okay—and if he’s still drinking—but Thomas insists he’s doing better. Thomas expresses nervousness about keeping up with the drum group, but Bobby assures him he’ll be fine as long as he pays attention to the music and plays from the heart. Thomas thanks Bobby for inviting him today, and then, at the break, wanders around the powwow hoping to see someone from the Indian Center—Blue, specifically—to apologize for his behavior. As he makes his way across the field, he hears screaming, but can’t tell where it’s coming from.
Thomas is attempting to redeem himself through his connection to his community, and is about to make amends with those he’s let down when things at the powwow, for reasons Thomas can’t possibly understand, begin to spin wildly out of control.
Themes
