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[Name Removed]
ENLT 225.01
Professor Moore
11 September 2007
Rediscovering Life
In Leslie Silko’s Ceremony, the main character, Tayo, struggles with his identity
and purpose as he attempts to ease back into life as he knew it before he fought in World
War II. Tayo begins to uncover the truths about his life and learns how to get back into
touch with his Native American roots. The drought and rain are symbols of life and
death during Tayo’s search for his forgotten identity.
When Tayo begins the new chapter of his life as a WWII vet, he begins to realize
how much he has changed as well as the people and the land that surround him. The
drought that has come over the land is a symbol that Silko uses for the mental and
emotional drought Tayo feels in his own life, “He (Tayo) let himself go limp; he did not
brace himself against the nausea. He didn’t care any more if it came; he didn’t care any
more if he died” (Silko 39). The drought that carries on through the novel is an inward
image of Tayo’s mind and soul. When Tayo finally receives help and becomes more
active, a change occurs as well as healing to Tayo’s spirit and the land. As the rain
begins to fall again and heal the land, we watch Tayo come back into alignment with his
existence, “As far as he (Tayo) could see, in all directions, the world was alive” (Silko
221). The rain not only resembles the new growth on earth, it resembles the purification
and growth taking place in Tayo’s life.
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The journey of rediscovering the purpose driven life was a difficult road for Tayo
to travel on, however, hard as it was, the outcome for Tayo was a fresh new meaning to
life and his purpose as a Native American. The drought was the symbol of Tayo being
lost, broken, and ready to surrender while the rain symbolized hope, healing, and a new
purpose for living.
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Works Cited
Silko, Leslie Marmon. Ceremony. New York: Penguin, 1986.
Lovely prose and clear expression. However, note how much
of the discussion paragraph is “narrative summary.” It does a good
job of summarizing the plot, themes, and symbols, but it is closer
to observation than analysis. A gauge is the question, “Is it
arguable?” Can someone say, “No the drought and rain do not
represent Tayo’s sickness and healing”? The steps to analysis are
more specificity. For example, here’s a sample revision of your
thesis: “Expressing a Native sense of kinship with nature [ = so
what], Silko portrays the drought & the rain in two ways, literally
and mythically [ = how], while both link Tayo’s inner sickness and
healing to the outer land.” (Then provide and discuss quotations to
match this closer analysis of language use.) I hope this helps, &
I’d be glad to chat.