Ceremonies Of The Damned Analysis

Louis opens Ceremonies of the Damned’s first section “Petroglyphs of Serena” with a quote from Nietzsche stating, “Poets behave impudently towards their experiences: they exploit them” (3). The decision to open the first section of the collection with this quote indicates to the reader that Louis possesses a level of self-awareness about the content of the novel. Invoking the role of the poet directly links Louis to the experiences within the text. The idea of exploitation signals to the reader that the sometimes-coarse description of Louis-as-narrator’s life throughout each poem serves a larger intentional purpose, rather than just to shock and disturb the audience. While there a plethora of lessons one could glean from this work, this essay specifically attempts to trace how Louis-as-narrator embarks on a journey of healing through his sexual encounters with women as a sober man. He relies on the practice of uninhibited confession to convey to the reader that some of the most important lessons come from searching the darkest corners of our lives. The opening section of Ceremonies of the Damned is titled “Petroglyphs of Serena” and refers to his young student and lover. The …show more content…
This is his signal to the larger Native American community that while they may not be responsible for their addictions that are potentially the result of years of oppression, it is their duty to take control of their recovery. Just as Louis’ behavior in sobriety did not change overnighter, neither will their struggle. It is only when the community accepts their problematic situation that they can work toward healing. Robin Riley Fast comments on a poem of Louis’ titled “Old Friend in the Dark” by connecting the intentions in this poem with the work he is attempting to do in Ceremonies of the Damned when she