After reading the book Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko, it is clear to see that she had involved a lot of elements throughout this literature. Storytelling and witchery, which are two of the most important elements in the book, have helped people bond, made them suffer from their own believes, and illustrated how modern scientific knowledge eventually takes over traditions.
Storytelling is a part of the Indians’ tradition. Different stories that explained why and how things are the ways they are were passed on through generations and the Indians believe them, and stories are a part of who they are as an ethnic group. Silko presented this book with poetries of myths at the very beginning that explained how the world exists: “he rubbed his belly, …show more content…
By believing in their own cultures, Tayo’s conditions the war caused have changed with a little help of “magic”. Tayo “wanted to keep the feeling of his words alive inside himself so that he could believe that he might get well” (117). At the very beginning of the novel, Silko described Tayo as a white “invisible scattered smoke” (13), and later after he had heard so many stories and was treated by Betonie’s ceremony, he got better and was able to notice color again: “the rainbows returned him to his home” (134). The next step of the storytelling ceremony, Betonie asked Tayo to pay attentions to the constellations, and Betonie said the stars will tell him where to go. Tayo “had watched the sky every night, looking for the pattern of stars the old man drew on the ground that night. Late in September he saw them in the north” (163). Following the star, he found and fell in love with a woman, the face to face heart to heart emotional connections also have great help in changing Tayo’s conditions, and all of these only happened because of the ceremony. “Betonie’s vision was a story (Tayo) could feel happening—from the stars and the woman, the mountain and the cattle would come” (173).The storytelling helped Tayo’s condition to get better, which leads straight to how he had bonded with his family, and also with the woman he had fallen in love
Storytelling is a part of the Indians’ tradition. Different stories that explained why and how things are the ways they are were passed on through generations and the Indians believe them, and stories are a part of who they are as an ethnic group. Silko presented this book with poetries of myths at the very beginning that explained how the world exists: “he rubbed his belly, …show more content…
By believing in their own cultures, Tayo’s conditions the war caused have changed with a little help of “magic”. Tayo “wanted to keep the feeling of his words alive inside himself so that he could believe that he might get well” (117). At the very beginning of the novel, Silko described Tayo as a white “invisible scattered smoke” (13), and later after he had heard so many stories and was treated by Betonie’s ceremony, he got better and was able to notice color again: “the rainbows returned him to his home” (134). The next step of the storytelling ceremony, Betonie asked Tayo to pay attentions to the constellations, and Betonie said the stars will tell him where to go. Tayo “had watched the sky every night, looking for the pattern of stars the old man drew on the ground that night. Late in September he saw them in the north” (163). Following the star, he found and fell in love with a woman, the face to face heart to heart emotional connections also have great help in changing Tayo’s conditions, and all of these only happened because of the ceremony. “Betonie’s vision was a story (Tayo) could feel happening—from the stars and the woman, the mountain and the cattle would come” (173).The storytelling helped Tayo’s condition to get better, which leads straight to how he had bonded with his family, and also with the woman he had fallen in love