Ben answers “I have a question about the shooting...”

Donna asked this question about There There:

I have a question about the shooting scene. I'm totally lost on what went wrong. Why?

Ben

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)[It seemed like the plan was Tony would do the actual robbing as he was dressed in regalia and would likely blend in better with the crowd or maybe people would think he was simply the winner of the contest allowing them all to escape. However he seems to get cold feet last minute.

So Octavio gets the money from Edwin and Blue before being betrayed by Charlos in a classic den of thieves backstabbing twist. He tosses the money at Charles and starts shooting before getting shot in the back by Carlos. Seeing this Daniel crashes his drone into Carlos who is then shot by Tony. Charles shoots Tony but Tony manages to rush Charles, take his gun, and shoot him.

Calvin, Orvil, Bill, Thomas, and Edwin are all hit the crossfire. It’s intentionally kept vague as to who outright dies and who might survive though it seems like Bill and Thomas are most likely dead, Tony might still be alive by sheer force of will, or his spirit is at least refusing to leave. And Edwin and Orvil get to the hospital but we don’t know if either survive.

It was a chaotic climax to a fantastic, slow building, book and I think that’s intentional. You’re supposed to be confused and off balance as it’s suppose to represent the culmination of all the experiences we’ve read about. All the suffering these characters have endured. While also reflecting the many chaotic meaningless massacres of native people through time, often exacerbated by technology.

I was able to suspend my disbelief about the 3D printed guns being so effective as we don’t necessarily know if this book is today or in the near future and these things are constantly improving. It’s only a matter of time before something like this is possible and potentially happens. Moreover the use of modern technology to disrupt native spaces was clearly symbolic.

Edit: quickly reviewing the final chapters I can’t figure out if Calvin actually shoots anyone. In Dene’s last chapter he says he sees him firing at someone, likely Carlos, on the ground with Tony and someone else, probably Charles, shooting in the background. But in Calvin’s chapter he does no such thing, only Tony does. Perhaps he’s mistaking Calvin for his brother? Or it could be a commentary on unreliable narration. Or just an error. (hide spoiler)]

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Joan Calvin doesn't shoot anyone. It is mentioned that the gun feels heavy in his hand, which is positioned downward. From Dene's view, it looks as if Calv ...more
Sep 27, 2020 08:02AM

Ben It's been awhile since I read the book now but from what I recall it's never explicit if Calvin ends up shooting or not, just that he has a gun. I thi ...more
Sep 28, 2020 11:22AM

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