Alcohol, in Leslie Marmon Silko’s, Ceremony, is used as a coping mechanism for veterans, while at the same time this substance brought to them by the white men is destroying the Native American community. Alcohol was previously alien to the Native American culture, and when brought over with such an abundance, so quickly, it was hard for the Natives to pace themselves as community. Furthermore, because alcoholism hit the Natives so quick, it was not likely that there were ceremonies were made to treat that. Though thankfully for Tayo, some ceremonies were made to cure a loss of culture in the Native soul. In this, Tayo was lucky to only succumb to one of the diseases the whites brought over, PTSD. While Tayo was lucky, some of his
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The outskirts of town were riddled with bars, this was a somewhat strategic move by the whites. It was not easy for a Native man, especially with PTSD, to be able to pace themselves with a substance such as alcohol. Also, the Natives were stripped of their land and of their culture, just all the more reason to numb this pain with alcohol. Alcohol, was quite literally, a virus that was brought over from the old world. Alcoholism was so contractible because it was easily accessible and and the tolerance was hereditarily low. (You drink like an Indian,”(p 58). This insult from Emo to Tayo is insinuating that drinking like an Indian is a bad thing, proof that alcoholism was a norm for Indian’s at the time. Throughout Ceremony, Tayo’s native brain is being infected by the white culture, and while he had not succumbed to it like others have, alcohol is one of the leading factors for Tayo’s suffrage. Because others, and especially Tayo’s friend had gotten involved in this substance, it only further cripples his healing process. By being around the substance and its effects that were brought over by whites, it has almost the same effects on him that the war does. An overwhelming amount of negative experiences coming from the white culture drains out Tayo’s native culture, one of peace and connection to the natural world. Throughout the novel, Tayo’s native brain is being infected by the white culture, and while he had not succumbed to it like others have, alcohol is one of the leading factors for Tayo’s
The outskirts of town were riddled with bars, this was a somewhat strategic move by the whites. It was not easy for a Native man, especially with PTSD, to be able to pace themselves with a substance such as alcohol. Also, the Natives were stripped of their land and of their culture, just all the more reason to numb this pain with alcohol. Alcohol, was quite literally, a virus that was brought over from the old world. Alcoholism was so contractible because it was easily accessible and and the tolerance was hereditarily low. (You drink like an Indian,”(p 58). This insult from Emo to Tayo is insinuating that drinking like an Indian is a bad thing, proof that alcoholism was a norm for Indian’s at the time. Throughout Ceremony, Tayo’s native brain is being infected by the white culture, and while he had not succumbed to it like others have, alcohol is one of the leading factors for Tayo’s suffrage. Because others, and especially Tayo’s friend had gotten involved in this substance, it only further cripples his healing process. By being around the substance and its effects that were brought over by whites, it has almost the same effects on him that the war does. An overwhelming amount of negative experiences coming from the white culture drains out Tayo’s native culture, one of peace and connection to the natural world. Throughout the novel, Tayo’s native brain is being infected by the white culture, and while he had not succumbed to it like others have, alcohol is one of the leading factors for Tayo’s