Towards Syncretism: Tayo’s Recovery In Silko’s Ceremony

Born in1948, Leslie Marmon Silko is regarded as a key figure of the AmericanIndian Renaissance Literature. She has received many well-known awards. The novelCeremony, which was published in the year1977, ranked high among the prominentancestral literature at that time. The chance to rethink and rewrite Native Americanhistory makes it possible for Native writers to keep and rewrite the history of NativeAmericans and to reinterpret their tribal life and their native people. Leslie MarmonSilko·s works have presented in a variety of ways to express the Laguna people·sstruggle to be their real selves and accept syncretism between cultures. This thesismainly focuses on the novel from the perspective of syncretism. The novel shows howhalf-breed Indian young man Tayo recovers from his war fatigue and gradually seeksa way to survive in a culturally diversified world through his struggle andconstruction of the connection between the American culture and his native Indiantribal culture.The first chapter mainly analyzes causes for Tayo·s sickness. From the surface,Tayo·s sickness is caused by war and Rocky·s death and the family·s blame. However,the deep cause for Tayo·s problem is due to his own confusion of identities. When helives in the tribe, people treat him as shame for his half-white blood. When he is atschool, he is teased by the white and the society. One could easily tell that it is notdeath or war which makes him ill, but that it is the confusion of identities and culturalshock that make him worse. Tayo·s physical illness actually epitomizes his dilemmabetween different cultures. Meanwhile, Rocky, who intends to give up all thetraditional American Indian culture and to accept the white culture ends up dead. Thiskind of arrangement also indicates that those who want to survive in the multiculturalworld by simply getting rid of his native culture could not survive in a diverse society.The second chapter mainly analyzes the healing process of Tayo. Firstly, he issent to the white hospital where advanced healing methods are thought to be alchemyfor his illness. However, the white method could not save the half-breed young man this time. Then he is sent to Ku·oosh, a traditional medicine man who sticks to thetraditional method stubbornly. Tayo cannot recover, either. These unsuccessful healingmethods could not cure his physical disease, which indicates that single white way orsingle traditional way could not cure a person, a tribe, or a culture.The third chapter presents Tayo·s healing by an Indian medicine man Betoniewho combines the white method and the traditional Indian Method. He not only curesTayo·s sickness, but also sheds light upon the living strategy for traditional culture.In conclusion, by analyzing how different healers from different culturalbackgrounds help Tayo complete the healing ceremony, this thesis aims to disclose theliving strategy in different cultures when facing cultural dilemmas. The Indiansshould affirm the enduring power of tribal culture, and meanwhile, they shoulddevelop and update their culture along with reality and judiciously combine themarginalized culture with the mainstream culture so as to survive and develop in amulticultural world. In the modern pluralistic society, no person or tribe can existisolated in the process of globalization. Through Ceremony, Leslie Silko expresses heridea of culture policy in facing the cultural diversity, that is, syncretism betweendifferent cultures, which not only provides living strategy for contemporary but alsoleaves a far-reaching influence for culture communication in different places.