Written by M.N.
Picture below: Author with her book
Information
Author: Leslie Marmon Silko / Genre: Fiction / Published: 1977
Summary
Ceremony is a painfully written book about Tayo, a half-white, half-indigenous man who joins the U.S. army with his cousin. Eventually released, he experiences many side effects including hallucinations and nightmares as a result of the war. Often, he has sleepless nights thinking about his loved ones that he left behind. One such instance was when he visited his aunt to let her know that his cousin had died in battle. Suddenly, an empty void formed in his chest where he imagined his cousin was still alive and that he was the one who was dead. This pattern of despair recurs throughout the book.
After retiring from duty, Tayo returns to the Laguna Pueblo Reservation where he lives by himself on a farm. His community is facing a rough drought that Tayo blames himself for causing. From then on, he soon goes on a spiritual quest to cure himself and to bring back rain by performing ceremonies.
At the same time, he reunites with his friends and they begin to tell each other war stories. While his friends boast about their accomplishments, Tayo is the only one who is unhappy with his life. This division between him and his Native American community has been persistent from the start and was brought to the forefront after the friends’ argument. As half Indigenous, Tayo was often scorned for having a white father. As a result, he never had a real family and lived between two worlds that didn’t want him, especially after his mother’s passing.
After leaving his family who didn’t want him while insisting that he get help, he visits a town to meet with a medicine man. The medicine man tells him that to perform the ceremonies to cure him, these ceremonies would be changed to fit the modernizing world.
How the Book Relates to the Modern World
The setting of the book takes place in the mid-1900s, during WWII. Tayo was an American soldier who was fighting against the Japanese at the time. Because of his war trauma, he reacts differently towards others, hence why when he hears people speaking Japanese on a train, he instantly becomes frightened and sick. War trauma is a common side effect of war and many soldiers suffer through this.
The book also briefly touches on Native American schools that sought to assimilate Native Americans. It mentions how Tayo went to one such school and was systematically taught new principles that argued against his own people’s customs and beliefs. This correlates to the late 1800s and early 1900s as many schools such as the Carlisle Indian School grew in popularity to induct Native Americans into American society.
One thing that Tayo mentions in the book is how he and his Native American friends who were all soldiers in the war were treated equally because of their uniform. However, after the war, Native Americans became discriminated against again, just like in the pre-war times. Tayo is the only one to point this out while his friends disregard him. Many Native Americans who served in the U.S. Army during the World Wars received the same uniform and awards as white people, however, they were treated unfairly outside of their service.
Scattered throughout the novel are Native poems that reflect Native American stories with lessons. These poems teach us Native American culture and encourage Natives to continue living in an environment that, while culturally changing, allows Natives to thrive.
Why the Book Should be Read in Schools
This book is definitely for a more mature audience with its topic on post-war trauma and death. However, it also brings to light the challenges Native Americans faced as a whole during WWII such as forced participation in the army and Indian assimilation schools.
Rating
The book speaks volumes on the post-war experiences of minorities who participated as soldiers for a country that marginalized them. While covering serious topics, the book is a good read that brings awareness to traditions and culture.
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