Analysis Of Ceremony By Leslie Marmon Silko 'Ceremony'

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“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” - Laozi. In Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko, Tayo’s journey is being told. The reader travels in time with Tayo to experience pre and post war living, and to an extent, the role Native Americans play during that era. Through Tayo’s life, we see the importance of storytelling, and how without it, a culture is lost. Silko uses Tayo’s perception as a template to explain how storytelling guides a person mentally, strengthens a person physically, and supports a person emotionally. Without the cultural aspect of tradition and storytelling, there would be no journey because Tayo wouldn’t have known how to take that first step. Early on in the novel it is evident that Tayo is weak. “all this time, while I was sitting in my chair. Those white doctors haven’t helped you at all. Maybe we had better send for someone else.” When Auntie got back from the store, old Grandma told her, “That boy needs a medicine man. Otherwise he will have to go away. Look at him.” (30) From the very beginning it is evident how much of an impact tradition...

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