2. Characters: The main character is Tayo, a man recently returned from war and suffering from PTSD. Tayo is half white and half Laguna Pueblo, so he tries for Indian cures, when the white scientist cures don’t work. This is where a man named Betonie comes in, half American Indian and half Mexican he understands the different worlds that Tayo is trying to peacefully inhabit. Ts’eh is Tayo’s lover (for lack of a better term), a smart woman who knows herself and the world well. Emo is the antagonist of the novel, he tries to kill Tayo, and tortures Harley. Harley is a friend of Tayo's who also went to war, he became an alcoholic and now spends his days drinking. Rocky is Tayo's cousin, but after a while they become like brothers.
3. Plot: When Tayo returns home from the war, a part of him stays in the Philippines where he was fighting. Rocky, who entered service with him, died over seas, and at one point over there Tayo believes a man his comrades killed was his uncle, at least in spirit. At the time of the story PTSD wasn’t a diagnosis, and the doctors don’t know what to do for Tayo. The American Indians call it ghost sickness, and try to cure it their way. It turns out the only way to cure Tayo is with a good old fashioned ceremony. While Tayo goes on his journey we see glimpses back into his childhood, explaining how he ended up living with his extended family. In the present time of his journey Tayo meets Ts’eh, the final piece of his puzzle. Ts’eh helps Tayo though the last part of the ceremony, curing him and saving his community. The last part of the ceremony was when Tayo was being hunted by Emo, Leroy, and Harley. Emo ends up torturing Harley to try to get Tayo to come out, but Tayo refuses, knowing that more people would die if he saved Harley. Along Tayo's journey we learn about witches, who created the white man, and about the stories told among the Laguna people.
4. Narrative Voice: The narrative voice of Ceremony is a third person limited perspective. It’s written in the past tense and often shares Tayo’s confusion. There is a lot of symbolism in the novel, the main points being directions, colors and the idea of cycles. The directions are important to the American Indian people, each direction signifies a different thing, and which way animals and people move shows us what thy are trying to accomplish. The colors often come into play to help show cycles, such as green signifying the Spring, which in and of itself symbolizes the cycle of rebirth.The tone of the piece is not really formal, but it is slightly detached. The diction can be slightly irregular, thereby separating the reader from the flow of ideas.
5. Quotes: "It seems like I already heard these stories before—only thing is, the names sound different." – Old Grandma. This quote sums up the ideas of the book pretty well. It expresses the idea of rebirth and cycles, which is a prominent theme throughout the novel. It also shows the importance of stories in culture, particularly American Indian culture. “The end of the story. They want to change it. They want it to end here, the way all their stories end, encircling slowly to choke the life away.”- Ts’eh. This quote shows how stories, even though they are being repeated can be changed. It also shows the importance of carrying the stories on, even as the culture dies out.
6. Theme Sentence: Stories are the truth of this world; they record our past, forecast our future, and help us through the present; believe in the idea of the stories and the ending will not be a bad one. Silko uses the juxtaposition of the poetry and the story to show us how the past and present coincide and also how the stories are interwoven. Silko also uses quotes to enforce this meaning, such as the one by Old Grandma above.
No comments:
Post a Comment