There There: Part I: Edwin Black (1) Summary & Analysis

Edwin Black sits on the toilet in his mother’s house, struggling with his sixth day of constipation as he laments his years-long addiction to the internet and social media. His computer is fried, and being forced to step away from the internet is making him look at how he’s wasting his life. He has a master’s degree in comparative literature with a focus on Native American literature, but since graduating he’s done nothing with his life—he’s moved back into his childhood bedroom in his mother’s house, gained over a hundred pounds, and hidden himself away from the world.

Edwin gets off the toilet and returns to his bedroom, where he is excited to see that his computer has flickered to life. He’s still worried about being constipated, but knows he’s caused the condition himself by eating such terrible food. Edwin has been holing up in his room eating junk and being fearful of using the bathroom at certain times because his mother, Karen, has moved her Lakota boyfriend, Bill, into the house. As Edwin begins googling constipation and gets lost in a series of forums on the subject, he considers how quickly time goes by when one is looking at the internet, which he believes is a mechanism “like a brain trying to figure out a brain.”

Edwin hears a ping from his computer, which he knows means a message has been sent to his mother’s Facebook account, which he’s been using to try and find his biological father. His mother has told him little about his dad except for the fact that his name is Harvey, he lives in Phoenix, and he is what she—a white woman—calls “Native American Indian.” Edwin resents his mother for using “this weird politically correct catchall,” and for making Edwin himself feel removed from the Native community. Edwin has secured permission from his mother to message several different Harveys from her profile—and now one has responded.

Edwin reads the message from Harvey, which states that he’s coming to Oakland for the Big Oakland Powwow in a couple of months—he’ll be the emcee. Edwin writes back to Harvey, revealing who he is and apologizing for using the false premise of his mother’s account to contact him. The two men chat back and forth for a while, and Harvey demands to see a picture of Edwin to confirm their resemblance. Edwin takes a quick selfie and forwards it to Harvey, who admits they look a lot alike. Edwin asks what tribe Harvey belongs to, and Harvey replies that he is Cheyenne. Edwin quickly thanks Harvey and signs off, feeling overwhelmed.

Edwin considers how long he’s been waiting to learn about his own Native heritage, searching for clues in his work as a Native American studies major and looking for a feeling of familiarity as he studied various tribes. Now, knowing what tribe he belongs to, Edwin still feels “not Native enough.”

When Karen comes home from work, she calls Edwin into the living room for a talk. Edwin complains, but his mother reminds him that they agreed on “updates” about Edwin’s job search—and what he plans to do about losing some weight. Edwin spirals out of control, ranting about how badly he feels about his weight all the time. Edwin pours himself a glass of water and takes an apple from a basket in the kitchen, telling his mother this is his “update.” Edwin expresses how frustrated he is with the job search, but his mother remains optimistic, suggesting different kinds of positions Edwin could apply for. She asks him how his writing is going, but Edwin feels patronized. Edwin’s mother tells him that there’s a paid internship position at the Indian Center he should apply for, and he halfheartedly says that he’ll look into it.

Back in his room, Edwin listens to music on his headphones and lies down on the floor to do some exercises. He has difficulty doing push-ups and sit-ups, and quickly begins feeling sorry for himself. As motivation, he tries to tell himself that as a Cheyenne Indian he is a “warrior,” but when he realizes how “corny” he’s being, he gets angry and uses that as fuel to do some sit-ups. As he completes a set, he feels himself defecate in his pants involuntarily. He lies back down on the floor and says "Thank you" out loud.