Why does storytelling matter? Storytelling engages our imaginations, creating a better understanding of each other. However, most of us do not acknowledge the importance of storytelling that enables us to interact with different people. It is a key to make people enjoy varieties of feelings while telling or hearing stories. There There, a novel by Tommy Orange is based on the storytelling of urban Native Americans living in the Big Oakland Powwow. As the novel reflects each character through detailed storytelling, it gives us a chance to understand different kinds of people with unique personalities.

The wondrous novel conveys the twelve characters coming from different places who are heading to Oakland. All characters have their own pain and traumas caused by their cultural legacy, which becomes the key that brings all characters to Oakland. The characters were ashamed of their identities because of the violence and racism they received from other people.

According to the definition of Oxford Language, storytelling is the activity of telling or writing stories. However, it has a deeper meaning than what it is simply told. Storytelling preserves culture and knowledge. It is a link to connect people to past traditions and myths, along with our world around us. There There is a link to gain knowledge about the Americans who are suffering and questioning from cultural heritage. The novel focuses on the loss and distress that Native people experience all over the continent. Although “there” identifies a comfortable home, as the world develops, their home is no longer there. Through the storytelling of the novel, it gives the readers an opportunity to feel and accept the reality in this world.

As the novel grants each character the gift of complex stories, allowing us to understand each other better. While reading the novel, we realize the tough situation that urban Indians are facing. We also feel the different kinds of emotions: sorrow, anger, disgust, and fear. Storytelling is the key to accepting each other's reality, creating the emotion that we think is the special thing to do.

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