In his novel, There There, Tommy Orange writes from all sorts of narrative perspectives, but perhaps the most impactful of them all is the third person point of view, especially in the case of Jacquie Red Feather: a recovering alcoholic. As Jacquie struggles with the journey of sobriety, Orange employs the third-person narrative with a dose of second-person to give readers a more objective and developed view of her character. Orange’s depiction of Jacquie’s distress highlights the complexity of loss in one’s identity when recognizing the Native experience.

Unlike the first-person perspective, the third-person perspective offers readers an objective view of events, including unbiased details from within the character’s head as well as the external world. In the case of Jacquie Red Feather, the third person perspective narrates her in a state of conflicting emotions as she wrestles with the urge to drink, but “in her room… without even thinking about it, she got up and went to the minifridge [filled with bottles of alcohol]” (115). Speaking from the first-person perspective, even under stress, conveys at least some sort of ownership over that stress; however, in specifying that Jacquie “didn’t even think” while going towards the minifridge, Orange emphasizes that Jacquie lacks control of herself to such an extent that she’s not even remotely aligned or aware of her actions. Only the third-person perspective would be able to convey this sense of uncontrollableness. Jacquie immediately stops her action after realizing that she is following her alcoholic instincts, but “[s]he was sweating. She still wanted a drink… She needed to leave” (116). Nonetheless, the attention to detail that the third person perspective gives, in providing the quick list of wants Jacquie thinks in this moment, are without bias and are important. A subject would not take note of these thoughts properly in a nervous, stressful environment. While an unbiased external observer would be able to properly capture all these thoughts in a novel, Jacquie is not quite as skilled. Jacquie is stressed and desperate, and she is not thinking about her physical state, or narrating her every internal and external want. In repeating “she” three times in quick succession, Orange emphasizes that Jacquie still does not have enough control to speak from the “I” perspective, which would make this intimate affair more personal. Despite Jacquie’s attempts to get to know herself, she isn’t at a comfortable place of owning her identity yet, exemplified through her losing control of her thoughts, actions, and wants when dealing with the struggles of alcoholism.

Jacquie’s narrative also includes bursts of the second-person perspective, along with the main third-person perspective, which allows readers to be put directly into the objective world of the characters. And as Jacquie continues to fight the will to drink, she thinks about the consequences of taking one shot, in that “the web stuck to you everywhere you reached once you were trapped, once you started” (116). The second person “you” places readers directly into the situation Jacquie is dealing with. Readers create an even deeper connection to Jacquie by empathizing with her sticky situation, quite literally, with the intense imagery of the overwhelming, yet trapping spider webs. However, Jacquie entirely avoids this mess of getting caught up in spider webs by going to the pool and holding her breath underwater, which she describes as “an ache when you keep yourself from breathing. A relief when you come up for air. It was the same when you drank after telling yourself you wouldn’t” (117). Again, the second perspective allows readers to picture themselves in Jacquie’s shoes, sinking into the pool only to break the surface. The “you” second perspective directly tells the readers what and how to feel, which creates a more realistic and vivid scene and gives greater insight into Jacquie’s life experience. Orange use of the second person in Jacquie’s narrative allows readers to empathize with Jacquie’s experiences, which creates a deeper understanding and bond of Jacquie’s character.

While the third and second person create different effects in Jacquie’s stories, Orange beautifully uses both to create a deeper sense of understanding of the character. Readers see a sense of loss and lack of control in Jacquie’s actions as she tries to resist the temptation of alcohol, and through the use of different perspectives, readers can empathize with her struggles under duress. While Jacquie coped with her trauma-filled life through alcohol addiction, it is important to note that she is only one individual out of many who lives the Native experience, and Orange vividly depicts her struggles in life through an unbiased, third-person view.