The Theme Of Loss Of Identity In Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony

Throughout many novels and films, authors have used the idea of ceremonies to show their characters progression and healing be it from PTSD or loss of identity. Novels like ceremony and Films such as smoke signals, bury my heart at Wounded Knee as well as john trundles poetry represent Native American perspective on these issues.

In the novel ceremony the author Leslie Marmon Silko uses the Indian ceremonies to show the progress of an Indian (taco) who has returned from the war with PTSD and is very sick .this is first shown when Tayo our main character meets thought woman. A recurring character throughout the book that is shown as the wise all-knowing person .”The only cure I know is a good ceremony, that's what she said.” (pg)

The amalgamation

Rise like a salmon. Whereas victor goes to the river to throw the ashes into the river to finally get rid of the anger and bitterness that has infected him since he was young. So when he goes it is more of a cleaning out the attic because he is releasing all the bad juju from his father and trying to figure out who he is. But without the journey of traveling to find his father and the ceremony of letting go, he would not have been able to move on.

The final ceremony that I must address is the ceremony that every Indian performs .The ceremony of recognition. Many author have tried to explain this ceremony but I think the authors of “when Columbus got off the boat hit the dot on the head.

Citation: When Columbus got off the boat, he asked us who we were. We said we’re the Human Beings, we’re the People.

Conceptually the Europeans didn’t understand that it was beyond their conceptual reality. ...its five hundred years later and they still can’t see us.(s) This is relatable to authors like Mrs. Silko.

In her novel ceremony she has Tayo the main character be the ceremony performer of the