Ceremony (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Leslie Marmon Silko
- First Published: 1977
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: The post-World War II era
- Setting: Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Social realism, Mythological literature
- Subjects: Values, Self-discovery, Mythology or myths, Race, Nature, Social issues, 1940’s, World War II, Alienation, Guilt, Spiritual life or spirituality, Mental illness, Native Americans or American Indians, War, Multiculturalism, Illegitimacy, Mysticism, Southwest, Mexico or Mexicans, Rites or ceremonies, Time, Smoke
- Locales: Laguna Pueblo, NM
Characters Discussed
Tayo, the protagonist, a half-breed whose mother was a disgrace to the community and whose father was a white man who worked on the highway. After he is orphaned, he is taken in by his aunt, uncles, and grandmother and is reared with his cousin Rocky. Tayo is reminded constantly of his separate status, of his not really belonging. Surviving the war in the Pacific, Tayo returns to the United States, first to a veterans’ hospital and finally to the reservation to embark on his journey of healing.
Rocky, Tayo’s all-American cousin. A high school...
[The entire page is 1056 words long]
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