Ceremony by Leslie Silko follows a Native American war veteran Tayo after he returns home to the reservation from war. Like many of the other Native American veterans, Tayo returns home to turmoil, plagued by an incurable illness. At the time of the Native American being seen as inferior to the white man, the war allowed Native Americans to feel a sense of belonging and respect for the first time. Yet when the war ended, the Native American veterans returned to a land that treated them as second class. The loss of respect and the trauma of war took its toll on the Native American soldiers. After the war Tayo was placed in a Veteran’s Hospital, and eventually turned to alcohol as self-medication, like many of the Native American veterans on
…show more content…
“As the liars had fooled everyone, white people ad Indians alike”, this caused them to be susceptible to the destroyers’ plan (Silko 191). By not understanding themselves the Native Americans lost their ways. They either became stagnant and held a firm unchanging grip on tradition or abandoned the traditional ways altogether. By forgetting the truth of their ceremonies, the Native Americans experienced turmoil that manifests in Tayo’s illness and the state of the reservation. The resulting destruction came as “they had been fooling themselves, and they knew it” (Silko 191). As part of the destroyers’ plan, the white people’s misunderstanding of themselves is the cause of much destruction. Without understanding their origin the white people had a false purpose. They worked for power and wealth, a hunger that could never be satisfied. In their pursuits, destruction followed. However, they were responsible for the destruction only because “the lies devoured white hearts, and for more than two hundred years white people had worked to fill their emptiness” (Silko 191). While both sides failed to realize the truth, destruction and ruin were inevitable. As they followed the destroyers’ plan, the destroyers only had to “sit back to count the casualties” (Silko
“As the liars had fooled everyone, white people ad Indians alike”, this caused them to be susceptible to the destroyers’ plan (Silko 191). By not understanding themselves the Native Americans lost their ways. They either became stagnant and held a firm unchanging grip on tradition or abandoned the traditional ways altogether. By forgetting the truth of their ceremonies, the Native Americans experienced turmoil that manifests in Tayo’s illness and the state of the reservation. The resulting destruction came as “they had been fooling themselves, and they knew it” (Silko 191). As part of the destroyers’ plan, the white people’s misunderstanding of themselves is the cause of much destruction. Without understanding their origin the white people had a false purpose. They worked for power and wealth, a hunger that could never be satisfied. In their pursuits, destruction followed. However, they were responsible for the destruction only because “the lies devoured white hearts, and for more than two hundred years white people had worked to fill their emptiness” (Silko 191). While both sides failed to realize the truth, destruction and ruin were inevitable. As they followed the destroyers’ plan, the destroyers only had to “sit back to count the casualties” (Silko