Ceremony

by Leslie Marmon Silko

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Ceremony Questions and Answers

Do the "hazel eyes" mean anything in the book Ceremony?

What does the color blue represent in Ceremony?

Who is Betonie in Ceremony?

In Ceremony, what is the "lie"?

In Ceremony, Betonie tells us why Indians blame the white man for everything. What’s his reasoning? Witchery is an important part in this section—what do you think of his explanation of the origin of white people? What is witchery? What is ultimately used to create the white people? What is your view on his explanation?

Who is the intended audience for this book?

What is the exposition of Ceremony by Leslie Silko?

How important is setting in "Ceremony," and what specifically does it influence?

What are some symbols in Ceremony?

Tayo, the protagonist in Ceremony, is part Native American and part white, a reality that influences the choices he makes and dictates how he is treated in the community. How does his mixed ancestry affect his way of thinking about his circumstances? Why would Silko choose Tayo to be mixed-race?

In Ceremony, who is Betonie and where did he come from?

How is the narrative in Ceremony nonlinear in its use of time, and why would Silko use nonlinear temporality in the novel?

What is the connection between Tayo, Rocky, Josiah, and the Japanese?

Why does Silko use fractured chronology in Ceremony?

What ultimately happens to Emo?

We read another story at the end of this section (pg. 80–160) of Ceremony. Whose story is it? (I think it's Helen Jean's.) Do you think anyone else hears it? Why does the reader hear it? Do you believe her? Witchery: this part reveals where the evil comes from. Describe the ceremony used to "create white people."

In what ways does Leslie Marmon Silko represent John Dewey's theory of "art as experience" in her work Ceremony?

In a well-developed essay, analyze how Silko uses such devices as setting, characterization, and language to create tension and how that tension serves to convey meaning in Ceremony. 

In Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko, is Tayo edging toward failure or healing? What is the author trying to communicate with the section that describes Tayo hitchhiking up Highway 66 until he runs out of money?

What are the roles of magic, mysticism, and the supernatural in Ceremony?

What is the significance that the cattle is of mixed breed?

What research can be done on the book Cermony by Leslie Marmon Silko?

What are two crucial quotations that reveal or encapsulate important themes of "Ceremony"?

What is a close reading of the first four pages (the poems) in Silko's Ceremony?