The Path to Healing

There are many grenades being thrown at Tayo's life in the beginning of Leslie Silko's, Ceremony. So many grenades that one may think he will never come out of this deep depression.  In fact some believe he is on a path to healing by telling stories. "You don't have anything, if you don't have stories. Their evil is mighty, but it can't stand up to our stories" Pg. 2 Silko. This statement says a lot. First of all, it touches on the evil of something out there.  However Tayo is also saying his stories demolish it. This quote summarizes how he feels at the end of the book, but not necessarily how he is feeling in the beginning of the book. Frightened and distraught from World War II "Japanese soldiers shouting orders to him, suffocating damp voices drifted out in the jungle steam." Silk Pg. 6  This statement was only a memory but even for the reader it feels real.  It is hard to imagine, but what Tayo is dealing with is a natural reaction to a traumatizing event in ones life. Tayo can most likely recall almost everything that happened when he was at war, especially the traumatic parts. One example is when he was carrying Rocky, he remembers the very rocks he was walking on. "The words of the story pouring out of his mouth as if they had substance, pebbles and stone extending to old the corporal up, to keep his knees from buckling." Silk Pg. 12 It is also interesting how he talks about telling a story to give strength. Although pain is riddled through out this book, from pain comes growth which is what will come next for Tayo

among the obvious themes in the book, there are subtle ones as well, like racism, classism, and alcoholism. this quote gives a subtle yet strong example of classism. for example there is a quote that says "She spent all day splashing down the summer rain, but her sister corn woman worked all day sweating in the sun, getting sore hands." Silko Pg. 13 This is a poem which has not been explained yet in the book however, as a metaphors it makes complete sense. One person looses so the other can win. Another interesting underlying theme in this novel is alcoholism. Tayo's friend Harley seems to be constantly drinking to solve his problems or at least subdue them. "Harley didn't use to like beer at all, and maybe this was something that was different about him now after the war. He drank lots of beer now." Silko Pg. 20 This quote makes an interesting point that even though he did not

use to drink at all, harley had been changed by the war. racism is also a big hidden factor to this book, ad there are many facts to prove it, for instance, when Tayo is talking about his school, he talks about basically intuiting him his own religion. "He had believed i  stories for a long time, until the teachers in indian school taught him not to believe in that kind of nonsense." Silko Pg. 19 it is astonishing how many themes are brought up through the pain this man is going through in this book. one may be able to feel for what he has been through because they have gone through it too. Even if they have not been through the same types of problems and issues one is sure to understand it.