Ceremony- Leslie Marmon Silko

Thought out the beginning of the book the reader gets a scene of the racism in Tayo life and how war has made that fade in his eyes. War made all the soldiers connected to thee point where there was no race. "The humid air turned into sweat the had run down the corporal's face while he repeated his dream to them. That was the first time Tayo had realized that the man's skin was not much different from his own". (Leslie Marmon Silko 6) The conditions were so terrible it made a little difference like race not matter, they were connected though the hard situation they were all in. The things they were experiencing were so brutal that it made skin color unrecognizable. "even white men were darker after death. There was no difference when they were swollen and covered with flies". (Silko 7) Tayo realized that all the racism he grow up with was insignificant, people were dying no matter what race they were. Tayo even noticed there was no difference between the Japaneses soldiers and himself. "Tayo started screaming because it wasn't a Jap, it was Josiah, eyes shrinking back into the skull and all their shining black light glazed over by death" .(Silko 7) Tayo saw his uncle when he looked at the Japennse soldier that had been killed. He saw the connection they had, and that race did not set people apart or make one better than another. Tayo grow up with racism but going to war and living though such a hard time with men of other races made him open his eyes to the fact that there are no differences.

Many believe that story telling is a important way to heal. This is a strong belief in the Laguna Pueblo religion. "They aren't just entertainment. Don't be fooled. They are all we have, you see, all we have to fight off illness and death. you don't have anything if you don't have the stories" . ( Silko) Stories are a reminder of who you are and a source of hope when you have nothing left. They connect you with your past and shine light on your future and that is why they can be so healing. "he could not feel anything except a swelling in his belly, a great swollen grief that was pushing into his throat". (Silko 8) Tayo was feeling physically ill and need to tell his story and relive the grief he had been holding in and enduring all alone. Stories don't just heal after a tragic event, they also help support you though a tough situation. "He made a story for all of them, a story to give them strength. The words of the story poured out of his mouth as if they had substance, pebbles and stone extending to hold the corporal up, to keep his knees from buckling, to keep hid hands from letting go of the blanket". (Silko 11) stories are a way to distract and detach people from the suffering they are going thought and give them hope as something to look forward too.