Mixed Blood Indentity In Ceremony Analysis

Leslie Marmon Silko is a Laguna Pueblo writer who was born on March 5, 1948 in New Mexico. Inspite of the fact that she as published many works, such as Alamanac of the Dead (1991) and Gardens in the Dunes (2000), the main work that made her famous (ide valami szofisztikáltabb kellene xd ) was her first novel, the Ceremony (1977). Growing up on the edge of the Laguna Pueblo Reservation, her earliest experiences were between culture and traditions. Most of her works focus on the alienation of Native Americans in a white society. The aim of this paper is to illustrate how brilliantly she demonstrated mixed blood indentity in Ceremony, which was a common theme in twentieth century Native American literature. Before writing about the novel, it is important to mention that Silko herself is mixed blood and as a child …show more content…
After his return from World War II, Tayo retires into “white smoke” where “visions and memories of the past did not penetrate . . . where there was no pain” (15). This white smoke simile indicates Tayo’s attempt to retreat completely into the white society, leaving his Native American roots. Tayo notes that “he’d almost been convinced he was brittle red clay, slipping away with the wind, a little more each day” (27). Silko contrasts the two realities, presenting their different traditions, values and beliefs. The white people “see no life/ When they look/ they see only objects./ The world is a dead thing for them” (135). While the Indians are characterized as “people who belong to the mountain” (128). There are many differences between the two worlds, for instance the relationships to the land and to animals, the problem of the loss and the understanding the importance of