Ceremony by Leslie Silko
The novel Ceremony, written by Leslie Silko deals with the actions of a Native
American youth after fighting, and being held captive during World War II. The young mans name is Tayo and upon returning to the U.S., and eventually reservation life he has many feelings of estrangement and apathy towards society.
The novel discusses many topics pertaining to Native Americans, through the eyes of Tayo and a few female characters. The novel is one that you must decide for yourself what you believe, and why certain ideas or characters points of view are important.
When reading the novel Ceremony, you must decide what you actually believe, and what situations were only figments of Tayo's stressed mind. Many of these situations occur throughout the book, some are very clear and others have hidden meanings. On a whole I believed what Tayo had to say about the world from his shoes. There are certain instinces that I know what Tayo is seeing is completely impossible. In Ceremony one must decide why and how the women's perspective is of importance.
I believe the reason the women's view is to put a different perspective upon everything that goes on in the book, as compared with the perspective of Tayo.
There are two women in the book who put their perspective into the story, one of them is the elderly mistress of Josiah and the other one is Helen Jean who went on one of the many joyrides that Harley and the others went on. These women are actually just a way for the author to explain how the rest of society viewed
Tayo. An example of this is when Helen Jean describes Tayo "Too quiet, and not very friendly(161)". Another thing this allows the author to do is to show how the War affected the young women from the reservations. She is able to show you how Helen Jeans life was in just a few pages. Silko was able to show how the
Native American war veterans looked to anyone who happened to look upon them, but that wasn't one of them. The perspective of the women also helped to debunk a lot of the stories the men told about the war and their various conquests etc.
Another item for discussion that comes up in Ceremony is what did you as a reader actually learn? Well I learned many things that I found to be interesting,
Cultural identity is the sense of belonging to a group of people. Culture connects a person with their own heritage and ties in traditions and beliefs. However, finding a community to be accepted by is problematic when not harmonious with heritage. Trials and hardships allow people to learn from their past. In Leslie Marmon Silko’s novel Ceremony, Tayo is seen as a disgrace due to his biracial background and has no sense of belonging or identity. In order to fight his inner demons and grow individually, he goes on a journey back to his ancestors’ land to find his past. Ceremony emphasizes the importance of culture and community. Irrational fears of alienation and separation lead to Tayo’s self-loathing which only worsens when he serves in World
Leslie Marmon Silko uses the idea of being speckled and/or spotless in her book Ceremony. To try to be spotless is the Laguna people trying to become a part of white society, hence, becoming separated from the Earth and from the roots, tradition, beliefs, rituals and customs of the Native American way. It is letting in white society with the belief that it can somehow improve you. It is destructive change that takes a person away from the Earth. It is change that specifies and names possessions and makes you question your own beliefs.
Common sense tells us that it is much easier for one to go downhill rather than uphill. This is certainly evident in Leslie Marmon Silko’s Ceremony, where the protagonist, Tayo, must find his way out of a deep rut of sickness and suffering that has consumed his life. Influenced by a variety of factors including war, identity, and environment, Tayo is left questioning himself and his greater relationship with two conflicting cultures. Tayo embarks on a quest to remedy his sickness using certain ceremonies, which will help him recover both physically and emotionally. Ultimately, Tayo’s sickness is mainly defined by his experiences in war, his racial identity, and the “witchery” that created white people. He takes steps to attempt to heal himself
His mother left him at age 4, and then he watched his brother die at war right in front of him. Tayo in Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko is experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after his return from the War. Tayo’s life has never been easy but as he tries to return to a normal and productive life after returning from WWII, despite his PTSD, he is greeted with a multitude of social pressures and moral burdens that will only resolve when he accepts who he is.
Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko is a novel that follows the recovery process of a Native American soldier, Tayo. The novel takes place after World War II and Tayo has just returned from the war. Tayo seems to be experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to the horrifying scenes he witnessed while overseas. Silko incorporates flashbacks from Tayo’s war experience to show the readers what it is that he is going through. Not only is he on a journey to find healing, he is also trying to discover who he is. As a Native American of mixed blood, Tayo experiences tension between the two cultures. Raised as a Native American, Tayo attends a white school that causes conflicts due to differences in beliefs. Not only does Tayo have both cultures
Tayo’s Lack of Guidance Parentless, alone, and divergent, Tayo seeks to reach stability despite his strenuous losses and misfortunes. In Leslie Marmon Silko’s novel, Ceremony, she uses descriptive imagery to explain Tayo’s immense struggles with a lack of guidance. Growing up, Tayo was raised by his Auntie, and he continues to reside with and rely on her after his difficult return from the Second World War. She tries her absolute best to assist Tayo with his post-traumatic stress. “She brought him a bowl of blue cornmeal mush.
...n amnesiac nation into “working through” its troubled past.” (Bly ,189) Story telling was the soldier’s salvation, their survival method. Being able to tell their stories let them express everything they were feeling and ultimately cope with the horrors of war and the guilt the carried.
The main way in which the feminist standpoint is shown within both novels is through the use of free indirect style, a technique of narrating a character's thoughts, decisions and feelings through a combination of first- and t...
In December 1941, the government conscripted single women aged 20-30 as auxiliaries to the Armed Forces, Civil Defense, or war industries… Government figures show that women’s employment increased during the Second World War from about 5.1 million in 1939 (26%) to just over 7.25 million in 1943 (36% of all women of working age). Forty six percent of all women aged between 14 and 59, and 90% of all able-bodied single women between the ages of 18 and 40 were engaged in some form of work or National Service by September 1943. (Anitha)
This is shown as Silko wrote “his cure would be found only in something great and inclusive of everything” (Silko 116) Tayo’s identity is defined as being between the opposing worlds, or a third culture that rests between the two states. This idea is also shown when Tayo says, “I’m half-breed. I’ll be the first to say it. I’ll speak for both sides.”
In conclusion, with both stories we go on a journey with these women to what they wish they had. Everyone uses their imagination in their own way to what they think is their benefit.
On few subjects has there been such continual misconception as on the position of women among Indians. Because she was active, always busy in the camp, often carried heavy burdens, attended to the household duties, made the clothing and the home, and prepared the family food, the woman has been depicted as the slave of her husband, a patient beast of encumbrance whose labors were never done. The man, on the other hand, was said to be an loaf, who all day long sat in the shade of the lodge and smoked his pipe, while his overworked wives attended to his comfort. In actuality, the woman was the man's partner, who preformed her share of the obligations of life and who employed an influence quite as important as his, and often more powerful.
The women in both stories had twins and they hated each other. The brothers in both stories also created animals and other things in their world.
wife Muriel and her mother, and also manifested by the end of the story during
The second person point of view helps the reader to connect with the girl in this story. It shows the reader a better understanding of this character and how she is being raised to be a respectable woman. This point of view also gives us an insight on the life of women and shows us how they fit into their society. Through this point of view, the reader can also identify the important aspects of the social class and culture. The daughter tries to assert a sense of selfhood by replying to the mother but it is visible that the mother is being over whelming and constraining her daughter to prepare her for