Harmony-The Essence Of Native American Culture

As one of the most prominent contemporary Native American writers, Leslie Marmon Silko has received a great critical acclaim since the publication of her Ceremony in 1977. Considered as the most successful work of Silko, Ceremony attracts the readers' interest by its unique blending of Native American and Euroamerican literary tradition. One of the major features of Ceremony is the author's presentation of the protagonist's alienation. With the purpose of searching for the Native American identity in modern world, Silko explores the causes of alienation and the possible solutions for this problem. The loss of balance and harmony results in the protagonist's estrangement from the world and his tribal people. The restoration of balance and harmony is pivotal to solve the problem of identity. This thesis probes into Ceremony by analyzing how Silko brings back harmony to Tayo, the protagonist in this novel, and to the world outside him.The introduction section discusses the possibility of the author's seeking for meaningful place in this changing world for Tayo, the protagonist, and herself. Besides, this part gives a general account on the necessity of having a negotiation and dialogue between the white and the Native American culture.In the first chapter, the analysis underscores the white culture and the Native American culture's different attitudes towards nature. It mainly focuses on how the...