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Title: Ceremony Author: Leslie Marmon Silko Introduction: Ceremony is a novel
written by Leslie Marmon Silko. It deals with the gender roles of three women
are significant to the development of a character namedd Tayo who is half-white
and half-Indian. These three women are Tayo's birth mother, Auntie, and Old
Grandma. His mother left him when he was four years old and that began his sense
of emptiness and abandonment. She could not bear to raise a child that brought
the reservation shame by her mistake. Summary: Auntie raised Tayo and was the
mother figure he lacked. She had no problem accepting to take him, but only to
conceal the shame of her younger sister. Auntie was always hesitant toward Tayo
as he was not her real son and was also a half-breed. For Tayo, this only added
to his feeling of displacement and emptiness. She would give her affection and
attention to her real son Rocky, but would let Tayo just sit there alone. After
the war Auntie nursed him because he was all she had left after Rocky got
killed. He would wake up crying after dreaming about how much Josiah had loved
him and always hugged him when he was a littlt child .
Now he realized that
there was no place left for him and he would never find peace. Auntie may have
been a mother figure to him, but to Tayo she was just someone who looked after
him. Old Grandma, unlike Auntie, does accept Tayo and wants what is best for
him. When Auntie rejected the idea of a medicine doctor because he's not full
blood, Old Grandma got angry and said that he was her grandson and why should
she care what they say anyway. She has been around for many years and doesn't
worry about what other people will say about Tayo or about their family. The
significance of Montano to the novel, Ceremony is very powerful and vital to the
recovery of Tayo. She lives up in the rim rock and is in touch with the earth
and her surroundings in every way. Being torn between the white world and the
Indian world is what leaves Tayo feeling invisible and hollow inside. Montano
helps him to become more in touch with his Indian side and to feel the strength
and power from the earth. She teaches him the importance of certain plants,
flowers, and ceremonies and how they are significant to Indian culture and
survival. Tayo falls in love with her, and through his love, he begins to feel
alive again. He realizes that he does have a place and that he is not invisible
to everyone and to his surroundings. When he is not with her, instead of the
nightmares, she fills his dreams.
He woke up one night and thought about the
overpowering love he felt for her. He shed tears filled his eyes and the ache in
his throat ran deep into his chest. Tayo no longer feels like a walking shadow,
but finally a real person with feelings and emotions. It is through Montano that
he discovers himself and ultimately is able to deal with being a half-breed in a
changing world. When she finally leaves him, he is able to go on living and
remembering all that she taught him. Conclusion: I really enjoyed this story. It
was a great portrayal of how family might mistreat you just because you are a
little different than them. Sometimes people can’t deal with the fact that a
family member is only half of the race that they are. I would definitely
recommend this book to others, especially to anyone who feels that they are
secluded and have no friends just because they are bi-racial.
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