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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page essay that discusses Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony, which is a novel that draws its meaning from symbolism that is grounded in the Pueblo Indian tradition and the culture of these Native Americans. A deeply psychological novel, it can be addressed on a number of layers of meaning, but it basically concerns the post-traumatic stress disorder experienced by its Native American protagonist, Tayo, who has just returned from World War II and the symbolic ceremony that he undertakes in order to be healed. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khcersym.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Americans. A deeply psychological novel, it can be addressed on a number of layers of meaning, but it basically concerns the post-traumatic stress disorder experienced by its Native American protagonist,
Tayo, who has just returned from World War II. Tayo is conflicted over his experiences during the war, watching his cousin die, dealing with the jungle environment and having
to kill people, the Japanese enemy, who looked more like himself than his European-descended comrades in arms. Tayo believes that he has alienated himself, and his people, from the earth
because he cursed the jungle rain that "grew like foliage from the sky" (Silko 11). He feels that this act on his part brought on the drought that now severely
affects his home. Wherever he looks, he sees "cloudless sky" and "brown hills, shrinking skin and hide taut over sharp bone" (Silko 36). In other words, the earth itself reflects
metaphorically the disconnection from which Tayo is suffering. Tayo tells a doctor at the VA hospital that he feels like "white smoke" because "it has no consciousness of itself"
(Silko 14). The traumatic experience of fighting WWII has left Tayo feeling empty and disconnected. This connection may seem strange to the non-Native American reader, but it fits perfectly
with Tayos Indian heritage. Prior to describing Tayos chanted curse of the jungle rain, Silko relates a Pueblo myth about Reed Woman and Corn Woman. The myth tells of how
Corn Woman became resentful of Reed Womans constant bathing. The symbolism of this myth suggests a connection between Tayos chant and Corn Womans error, which were both not to appreciate
the diversity and significance of everything, even excessive rain, as part of the intricate web of the universe. The implication is that since Tayos perception of the world is unbalanced,
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