88 pages • 2 hours read
Geoff RodkeyWe're Not from Here
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
Choom
Choom is the primary setting of We’re Not From Here. The refugees from Earth initially take an interest in Choom because it has the proper makeup to support human life, though the planet’s inhabitants frighten some potential settlers. In this way, the planet represents the difference between necessities and desires. The humans need a planet where they can survive. Discomfort caused by the appearance of others on that planet is less critical, and the humans who go to Choom show the compromises people are willing to make to survive. The importance of being honest about what one needs versus what one wants becomes clear in the differing fates of the groups who returned to Earth or settled on a third planet; neither are heard from again.
Choom society also allegorizes the racism and discrimination that takes place on Earth. The Zhuri are both the species in power and the majority population, which makes them a threat to the other races on the planet, even if they aren’t actively violent. Their leadership position and control over the media allow them to control the narrative for Choom’s people, portraying humans as violent and dangerous and illustrating The Dangers of Misinformation. The change in the Zhuri government that takes place prior to the human arrival shows how those with power influence the experience of those without power. When the Ororo, Nug, and Krik immigrated to Choom, the progressive government was open to new arrivals, which made their transition to life on Choom peaceful and simple. By contrast, the traditionalist government complicates the human immigration process, forcing the refugees to jump through unnecessary hoops and compete with false information designed to turn Choom’s residents against them. Such tactics have been and still are used on Earth to discourage immigration, and even once a group arrives, prejudice from existing residents can make starting fresh difficult.
Art and Music
For the characters of We’re Not From Here, art (including comedy) and music are either forms of cultural expression or agents of corruption. For humans, Krik, Ororo, and the extinct Nug, art and music are an important part of life. Each species has their aesthetic preferences, such as the Ororo liking comedy and the Krik enjoying music, but the medium of cultural expression is less important than its existence. These species create for the sake of creating, not because doing so is biologically sound or efficient—the Zhuri’s main motivation for everything they do. Art and music bring meaning to the lives of the humans, Ororo, and the Krik.
Following the Nug massacre, the Zhuri were afraid of what cultural expression triggered in them, and the traditionalist government saw this as an opportunity to leverage that fear as a way to gain power. Just as Choom society evokes racism and discrimination on Earth, the suppression of art and music on Choom mirrors how humans have suppressed and appropriated elements of others’ cultures, preventing people from sharing and understanding one another. Although the Nug festival shows that those from different cultures may not always understand or appreciate one another’s creations, it was only the Zhuri who allowed their dislike to grow into hateful frenzy, resulting in the massacre.
Emotions
Emotions are a main source of conflict in We’re Not From Here, which explores how different emotional states cause people to view situations. When the Earth refugees are first granted immigration to Choom, their relief, happiness, and hope paint Choom as a place of safety and new beginnings despite its potentially frightening inhabitants. When the refugees arrive at Choom and learn its residents have rescinded the invitation, desperation and fear turn the planet from a safe haven into a last chance for humankind. As Choom shows, something may evoke very different emotions depending on one’s perceptions of it.
We’re Not From Here also explores how emotions are expressed. Where humans show emotions nonverbally by vocal tone, facial expressions, and body language, the Zhuri express emotion as smells. These physical differences in emotional expression show how cultural differences lead to misunderstandings. In Chapter 5, Leeni is confused about why Lan’s family isn’t showing emotion because he doesn’t yet know that humans don’t express emotions through smell. Until Leeni realizes this, he is disturbed by how unphased the humans are by the gathering of violent Zhuri. This misunderstanding mirrors those between cultures on Earth. Even among humans, who tend to express emotions similarly, differences in upbringing and culture lead to misunderstandings that can and have led to conflict. We’re Not From Here emphasizes the importance of educating oneself about other groups and entering into discourse with an understanding of how others may view one’s actions and expressions.
