Femininity in There There
How is femininity depicted in There There ? What roles do the female characters assume in their community? Within their families? In There There author Tommy Orange offers an interesting depiction of feminism. The first section from the point of view of a female is Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield's. This one section sets the tone in terms of feminism for the rest of the novel. One of the first pieces of information that we learn about Opal is that her family consists of three women: her mother, her sister, and herself. Each of these three women have traits that differ from what is thought to be the classic woman who is kind, smart but not intelligent, not physically or mentally strong, and undoubtedly dependent on a man. Opal's mother was strong: she raised her two daughters alone with very little money and very little help. Opal's sister is independent: she sat away from her family on the bus ride to Alcatraz which proves her self-sufficiency and reserved nature. Opa