There There blog post #1

    Within the first chapter of There There, Tommy Orange introduces Tony Loneman, a younger Native man in Oakland who struggles with the ideology of being defined by fetal alcohol syndrome, which he calls "the drone." Tony's self-sensibility begins from the beginning, as we are introduced; he is constantly stared at, judged, and described before people even meet him. This constant comprehension by looks can apply to how Native people in America have also been stereotyped and misinterpreted. Tony's disability can be seen as a strong metaphor for what it's like to exist with an identity that's not fully visible and respected by society. The manner in which people don't know how to act towards his face reflects the way Americans look at Native people, not fully understanding the tragedy or history, and not as actual people who are multifaceted. When Tony describes the drome, he shows how his body is telling a story that is being interpreted by himself, just as the native american people use stories to interpret situations and worldly events. Both his racial identity and disability place him in a world where difference is to be feared. But Tony is aware of this; he is aware of how he is looked at differently. He gets power from perception and yet still navigates through the world trying to discover the meaning of why people look at him in such a way. Tony overall embodies both the struggle of the misinterpretation of identity from his native american roots and his fetal alcohol syndrome.