Ceremony
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After reading Leslie Marmon Silko's book, Ceremony, I found myself repeatedly thinking about the many topics that were covered in the story. I was immediately struck by Tayo's obvious illness, both physically and mentally. And, it seemed to me that his ill health was so well conveyed that I would be hard pressed to think about anything else; in fact, there were times where I actually felt nauseous and depressed due to how well the story was written. However, after completing the reading in it's entirety, the main topic that stuck in my head and overwrote my previous thoughts was the conflict between Native American traditions versus Euro-American modernity. There are numerous areas in Ceremony that exemplify this conflict, however, I will cover only two areas that are most poignant to my topic of discussion, in my opinion. First, I will discuss the many ways Tayo experiences incongruity in his world due to his ethnic background while growing up in a "white" world. Secondly, I will discuss the larger picture of "Indian versus White", focusing on the land and the people, and the effects of this conflict on everyone involved in the story.
Starting with Tayo is the most obvious way to begin, as he is the vessel in which all conflict is contained and conveyed. Tayo essentially does not belong anywhere. He is half white and half Indian, so he is considered a "half-breed" by his culture...