Introduction
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange opens in 1864, following Star, a young survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre, as he is taken to Fort Marion prison and forced into cultural assimilation under the strict guidance of Richard Henry Pratt. Generations later, his son Charles endures the brutality of Pratt’s Carlisle Indian Industrial School, forging a fragile hope for freedom with fellow student Opal Viola. A story of resilience amidst institutional violence, the novel explores generational trauma, identity, and survival through the lineage of a family shaped by massacre. Tommy Orange delivers a poignant and powerful modern epic of endurance and hope.
Wandering Stars Synopsis
Colorado, 1864. Star, a young survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre, is brought to the Fort Marion prison castle,where he is forced to learn English and practice Christianity by Richard Henry Pratt, an evangelical prison guard who will go on to found the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, an institution dedicated to the eradication of Native history, culture, and identity. A generation later, Star’s son, Charles, is sent to the school, where he is brutalized by the man who was once his father’s jailer. Under Pratt’s harsh treatment, Charles clings to moments he shares with a young fellow student, Opal Viola, as the two envision a future away from the institutional violence that follows their bloodlines.
In a novel that is by turns shattering and wondrous, Tommy Orange has conjured the ancestors of the family readers first fell in love with in There There—warriors, drunks, outlaws, addicts—asking what it means to bethe children and grandchildren of massacre. Wandering Stars is a novel about epigenetic and generational trauma that has the force and vision of a modern epic, an exceptionally powerful new book from one of the most exciting writers at work today and soaring confirmation of Tommy Orange’s monumental gifts.
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More About the Novel
| Author: | Tommy Orange |
| Publisher: | Knopf |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Mode: | Complete |
Themes Explored In The Novel
The novel Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange explores profound and multi-layered themes, including:
- Generational Trauma and Epigenetics: The story delves into how the traumas of the Sand Creek Massacre and institutional violence affect Star and his descendants, illustrating the enduring impact of historical atrocities on future generations.
- Cultural Erasure and Assimilation: Through the experiences of Star and Charles in forced assimilation programs, the novel examines the systematic eradication of Native identity, language, and traditions by colonial institutions like the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.
- Identity and Resistance: Despite relentless oppression, the characters navigate the complexities of maintaining their cultural identity and resisting assimilation, finding moments of solidarity and hope.
- Intergenerational Relationships: The narrative highlights the connections and fractures between family members across generations, exploring how shared histories shape individual lives.
- Endurance and Resilience: Amidst profound suffering, the story showcases the characters’ resilience, emphasizing their capacity to envision a future free from violence and oppression.
- History and Memory: The novel portrays the struggle to remember and honor historical events like the Sand Creek Massacre, juxtaposing collective memory against institutional attempts to rewrite history.
- Love and Humanity in Adversity: Through the bond between Charles and Opal Viola, the novel reflects on love as a source of strength and humanity amidst brutality.
These themes intertwine to create a compelling narrative about survival, identity, and the unyielding spirit of a people shaped by historical wounds.
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