A Moment of Being

The Ceremony by Leslie Silko was written as a modernist book to mirror the style of writing of the time. The book includes stream of consciousness writing as well as moments of being. A moment of being is supposedly the moments in life between the grey matter where life is vivid and meaningful. Tayo has many moments of being that seem random and out of place however they in fact are not. The moments of being are triggered by things that are going on in life at the time and come at moments that you least expect it.

One moment of being for Tayo is a flashback to when his mother died. it happens after Auntie is talking about expectations for women. Tayo flashbacks to his mothers death and her leaving him vividly, he even remembers that Josiah "gave him a candy can left over from Christmas" (Silko 86). Moments of being are random things that have left an imprint on your mind but can also be used throughout a life. Tayo uses the death and memories of his mother to relate to women leaving him. Another moment of being for Tayo is a flashback to his life as a very small child. " He remembered the brightness of the sun,the heat,all the smells of cars and food cooking,the noise, and the people" (Silko 101).  The moments of being that Tayo has are a part of who he is and he is made up of them. This is what makes him who he is. This ideology goes along with the concept of time being continuous in Laguna Pueblo culture. Silko gives the reader brilliant insight into the character by using this technique.

Just A Drink

Alcohol is powerful. It can define a person and a life. It can be used to escape. It can be used to hurt others. In The Ceremony  by Leslie Silko alcohol is used as a tool to deal with PTS, and a way to break down the stereotype of the "drunk Indian". 

In regards to PTS, alcohol is used to escape and suppress pain and suffering. Silko explains it by saying "Liquor was medicine for the anger that made them hurt, for the pain of the loss, medicine for tight bellies and choked up throats" (Silko 37). After the was, many of the soldiers including Tayo turned to alcohol to escape. Tayo finds the power of alcohol when he stabs Emo in the stomach because of the anger that he was holding. Tayo explains it as the alcohol "swelled through his blood and made all the muscles loose and warm, but it was also loosening something deeper inside which clenched the anger and held it in place" (Silko 57). Not only is alcohol be used as an escape but it can also bring up things deep inside a person. That is the thing about alcohol, it is unpredictable.

Native Americans have this unfortunate stereotype of being alcoholics.Growing up Tayo had multiple instances where he was exposed to alcoholism. It started with his mother, then a man he saw at the river as a child and then his friends from the war. Silko throughout the book tries to recognize the power of alcohol while not painting everyone in the Laguna Pueblo tribe as a drunk. While reading the book Silko is slowly breaking down that stereotype.

The Power of Influence

Humans  were created with a clean slate, over time people become categorized into different cultures. Those cultures are defined by beliefs, traditions, language and views on the world. This is a culture in its purist form, however in "modern" day cultures have blended and influenced each other, some over powering others and bringing out the best and worst in humanity. Recently in class we have been focusing on how the Native culture has been influenced by the melting pot of American culture.

The documentary Reel Injun, displays the influence of media on the Native cultures of the United States. Through film especially, Native culture has been shaped and molded. The stereotypes of "The Noble Injun", "The Savage Injun" and "The Hippie Injun" have shaped the modern day culture of Natives.  Countless films have had tremendous impact on the culture from the outside-in. The culture of the original Native people is practically unrecognizable today because of this overwhelming influence. The identity of the culture was handed from the natives themselves to the public and media.

In  Ceremony by Leslie Silko, the influence of American culture on Native culture is tracked. The Laguna Pueblo tribe became a whole new culture under the influence of American culture. Tayo, the main character of Ceremony, explains it as Natives becoming invisible and suppressed. The organic culture was much different than the culture that Americans perceived it is. To a majority of the outside world, the Laguna Pueblo becomes drunken, poverty ridden idiots. This perception has been built up over many years of ignorance and mistaken stereotypes. The worlds view of the Laguna Pueblo, and all Native culture, was skewed from its true form due to influences on it. 

Through revealing how Native culture was truly shaped through books and movies Natives are beginning on the long journey to reclaiming their identity and finding a new identity in America and the world.