Ceremony: Analysis of Major Characters
"Ceremony: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the complexities of identity and healing through its key figures, primarily focusing on Tayo, a half-breed Native American caught between two worlds. Tayo's journey begins with a troubled upbringing, marked by the disgrace of his mother and the absence of his father. After surviving the traumas of war, he returns to the reservation, where he struggles to reconcile his fragmented sense of self and seek healing.
The character of Rocky, Tayo's cousin, represents the struggle for acceptance and validation within both Native and white cultures, showcasing the conflicting pressures of ambition and patriotism. Auntie embodies the influence of Western culture on Native identity, often reminding Tayo of his family's shame, while Josiah, Tayo's uncle, offers a more traditional, nurturing connection to the land and its heritage through his ranching practices.
Betonie, a spiritual healer, serves as a pivotal figure in Tayo's healing process, introducing him to the importance of cultural rituals. Other characters, such as Night Swan and Ts'eh, further assist Tayo on his path of self-discovery and connection to his roots. Conversely, figures like Emo and his friends illustrate the struggles faced by veterans, highlighting the adverse effects of disconnection and victimization within their lives. Overall, the character dynamics in "Ceremony" reflect the broader themes of cultural identity, healing, and the search for belonging in the face of adversity.
Ceremony: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Leslie Marmon Silko
First published: 1977
Genre: Novel
Locale: Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico
Plot: Social realism
Time: The post-World War II era
Tayo, the protagonist, a half-breed whose mother was a disgrace to the community and whose father was a white man who worked on the highway. After he is orphaned, he is taken in by his aunt, uncles, and grandmother and is reared with his cousin Rocky. Tayo is reminded constantly of his separate status, of his not really belonging. Surviving the war in the Pacific, Tayo returns to the United States, first to a veterans' hospital and finally to the reservation to embark on his journey of healing.
Rocky, Tayo's all-American cousin. A high school football star, he has plans for college. His life will demonstrate to white people that Indians are not unambitious failures. First, though, he will prove himself—and his patriotism—by serving in the war. Alongside Tayo, he fights the Japanese in the Philippines, only to die in the jungle rain.
Auntie, a strict Catholic who has capitulated to the dominant Western culture. She passes those same values to her son, Rocky. Her sister, an alcoholic who slept with white men and preferred the bars of Gallup to the reservation, left Tayo to remind her of the family's shame. Auntie never allows Tayo to forget his mother's disgrace and seems even more unforgiving when Tayo returns from the war and her son does not.
Josiah, Auntie's brother and Tayo's uncle, an important presence in Tayo's life. A rancher, Josiah searches for the perfect breed of cattle to raise in the hard, dry terrain of New Mexico. Rejecting Rocky's confidence in the extension agent, with his books and scientific knowledge, Josiah chooses the Mexican spotted cattle that know how to survive.
Betonie, a spiritual healer, a half-breed medicine man to whose hogan Tayo is brought when Western doctors and the local medicine man can do nothing to heal him. Surrounded by telephone books from every city he has ever visited, by years of Santa Fe Railroad calendars, and by bags of herbs, bones, sticks, and whatever else may provide wisdom and magic, Betonie initiates the ceremony that Tayo must complete to find his spiritual health.
Night Swan, the aging mixed-breed Mexican dancer with whom Josiah has a relationship. The mysterious woman's green eyes, dancing, and sexuality first provide Josiah with needed companionship and later propel Tayo in his journey of self-discovery.
Ts'eh, another mysterious woman Tayo meets in his journey/ceremony as he searches for the spotted cattle. She knows about plants, berries, sticks, rocks, and the skies. She helps Tayo find the cattle and find himself.
Robert, Auntie's quiet husband, whose silence is supportive and reassuring to Tayo.
Emo, Harley, Pinky, and LeRoy, drunken veterans whose best days were in California, where they posed as Italians, hid their Indian identities, and slept with white women. Back on the reservation, they drink and tell war stories, relishing their victimization by white society while they plot yet another way to be compensated through lying, cheating, or stealing. Tayo's “friends” turn out to be the enemies to his and all Indian people's healing.