Analysis of MYTH in Leslie Marmon Silkos Ceremony
Introduction Mythology is an integral part of the protagonist Tayo's journey inCeremony. Although it is the Laguna people and their stories that form thebackbone of the novel, the myths that Leslie Marmon Silko uses arearchetypes found not only in Native American mythology, but in Judeo-Christian tradition as well as other cultures. The universality of thesemyths is the central theme to Ceremony-that by accepting these myths andhis role within them, Tayo is able to find fulfillment. More importantly,Tayo has a relationship to his people that will be played out regardless ofwhether he is aware of it, and it is only in recognizing his role that heand his people come to a place of harmony. Two myths central to the story,the creation myth and the myth of the prodigal son, help propel Tayo to thepoint that balance in the Laguna community is restored. ANALYSIS The novel begins with a retelling of the Laguna creation myth in whichthe Thought-Woman, the spider, thinks creation into existence. Equallyimportant to the creation itself is the naming of the things. Thought-Woman names the created things as they appear, and c
Touch one part of the web, and a ripple is feltthroughout the entire web. From the very beginning of the novel, then, the reader isintroduced to the idea that story and mythology are intertwined inexistence, and that there can be no existence outside of the story. This, finally, is Tayo'srealization, as well. By recognizing that there is a storyunfolding in which each person plays a part, and by respecting the eternalways, Tayo is able to complete his journey and bring harmony to the Lagunaand to himself. It is through this ceremony that Tayo recognizes thathe has himself become a destroyer, that he alone is responsible forupsetting the balance of his people (Cederstrom 295). Auntie, inparticular, encourages him to deny his own heritage and the importance ofthe stories, and Tayo himself tries to deny the ways of the Laguna. There is no celebration such as occurs in the Bible when Tayo'sjourney is complete. The Laguna do not have a feast and welcome him backwith great fanfare. At the same time, the outside world, the world of the white man, doesnot offer him greater self-awareness through its path of death anddestruction. The second myth of the prodigal son is the story of Tayo himself. CONCLUSION Silko uses the myths of creation and the journey of the prodigal sonto highlight the theme that existence is itself an integral story in whicheach person has a part to play. Tayo's journey has taken him both physically and emotionally away from theLaguna, and his physical return did not complete that journey. The spider weaves aweb that is complicated and interrelated.
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Acceptance Essays
