Jeremy Croy KC7OFQ
10/1/96
M.C. Lit 7
Essay on Ceremony
Ceremony is the story about Tayo, A Native American World War II Veteran, and his
struggle to find himself. He struggles to adapt to a world where his people have to fight
between the what "whites" say is the true path, and what his culture says the right path.
Ceremony displays Tayo's struggle by comparing his struggle to find his own path, to the
other Native American's and their fight to their own path.
The book starts as Tayo is in bed going over the war in his mind... He remembers how the
Japanese looked like him, same skin color and how Rocky told him, "It's is what we're here
to do" and how he doesn't understand why he's there killing people that look like him, and
possibly feel the same way he does. But he is there because the "white" recruiter told him
that he could fly planes, and make America proud. He remembers the clash of his path
between what the white man wanted and his path. Tayo became so entranced with the
idea that the Japanese were like him that he started to put people he knew at home's
faces on the Japanese soldiers. Tayo could not see the reason for killing the Japanese, and
then when the soldier killed Rocky, it made his path split like a silk string to a spider's web,
it went out in all directions. His mind snapped at that exact moment and went into
"shell-shock".
Tayo started very early trying to find his path, but yet his path paralleled Rocky's until the
time when Rocky died. Tayo's path paralleled but was always a step behind, because he
was trying to retain his heritage and still keep with the new ways. Tayo walked a thin line
trying to keep his path and Rocky's close together because he loved Rocky, and yet could
not understand Rocky wanting so badly to leave the old ways. Rocky believed in ...