Work: Ceremony
Author: Leslie Marmon Silko (1977)
Setting: New Mexico, Laguna Reservation, late 1940’s
Characters: Tayo, Emo (Geronimo), Rocky (Tayo’s cousin), Josiah, Ts’eh Montano, Night Swan (dancer), Betonie
Plot: Tayo is suffering from what we would now call PTSD after returning home from WWII, where he was a Japanese prisoner of war. He is depressed, confused, and vomits a lot. The other Laguna that fought in the war alongside Tayo cope with their return home by drinking heavily. Eventually Tayo attempts to ground himself and become whole again by going through a ceremony with a medicine man Betonie. Tayo forms a romantic relationship with a mysterious woman named Ts’eh Montano (woman mountain). By the end of the novel, Tayo is able to complete his ceremony and cure himself, reckoning the cyclical nature of time and events with his Indian and white cultures.
Analysis: Ceremony incorporates many core cultural beliefs of the Laguna and Native American’s in general, such as the notion that time is not linear but cyclical, forming a web where all events and people are connected. This is linked to the belief in the central deities of Native American Culture Spider Woman or thought woman who wove the world into being. Tayo has suddenly seen the true nature of time and the world and he cannot handle his realizations in tandem with the horrors of WWII and the death he has seen. The story of Ceremony is really Tayo coming to grips and synthesizing all of his different realities, learning the true nature of the world (for instance, that Emo is witch that uses his powers for evil). Symbols include Ts’eh Montano, the mixed breed cattle that Tayo searches for.
Analysis: Ceremony incorporates many core cultural beliefs of the Laguna and Native American’s in general, such as the notion that time is not linear but cyclical, forming a web where all events and people are connected. This is linked to the belief in the central deities of Native American Culture Spider Woman or thought woman who wove the world into being. Tayo has suddenly seen the true nature of time and the world and he cannot handle his realizations in tandem with the horrors of WWII and the death he has seen. The story of Ceremony is really Tayo coming to grips and synthesizing all of his different realities, learning the true nature of the world (for instance, that Emo is witch that uses his powers for evil). Symbols include Ts’eh Montano, the mixed breed cattle that Tayo searches for.
Theme: Time is not linear, but cyclical, forming a web that connects all places people and events.
Quote: "It seems like I already heard these stories before—only thing is, the names sound different." –Grandma
In your plot summary, you probably should mention the failed attempted ceremony with Ku'oosh.
ReplyDeleteAgain, more development on themes and quotes.