Ceremony by Silko & exploration of a theme: I n t e r c o n n e c t e d n e s s

We live in a world where everything is connected socially, politically, environmentally, and in many other ways. The Native-American Hopi have an ancient saying:

“All dreams spin-out from the same web.”

This saying describes the nature of interconnectedness, using the web as a metaphor. Interconnected refers to having internal connections, just like the strands of a web. What is interconnected does not hold together without its other parts. In other words, it is dependent on its other parts to exist. The complex concept of interconnectedness is depicted in the novel Ceremony via Tayo’s journey of healing.

Ceremony tells the story of Tayo, a mixed Laguna and white descent who tries to overcome his PTSD caused by the war by reestablishing connections with his Native American heritage. These connections are manifested through the practice of storytelling, which brings Tayo closer to the Laguna culture. Tayo starts hearing stories and taking part in ceremonies that belong to his culture, thus learning that in order to heal, he needs to acknowledge that his struggle isn’t solely about him, but rather the whole world. In other words, he has to stop regarding himself as an individual. The traumatic disorder experienced by the war veterans is a communal issue. Likewise, so is the healing process.

Laguna People are the main community portrayed in the novel; however, the interconnectedness depicted in the novel contributes to the sense of unity among all the Native Americans, thus exceeding the limits of a small community. For example, while Tayo was held prisoner by the Japanese, he blames his distress and the deaths of his family on the rain and curses it, praying that it would stop. The rain eventually stops, however, this time, Tayo is welcomed by a long drought once he goes back to the Laguna Reservation, and he blames himself for it. Once Tayo participates in ceremonies and consequently heals, things seem to be right in the world on a much larger scale. Not only does he get rid of his own personal struggles, but rain also returns to the reservation ending the drought, and everything feels at peace.

Once he sets out on his healing journey, Tayo meets Betonie, a medicine man who helps him go back to his roots. What Betonie does differently than other medicine men is that he adapts the ceremonies to the current times and follows a rather risky path. From Betony, Tayo learns that the way to being cured is through a sense of interconnectedness. He can’t just concentrate on himself or his people, he has to be one with the universe - involving all types of people. 

Another way that the reader sees the unity in this novel is the parallel stories/poems seen throughout the novel. As his story unfolds, Tayo’s personal struggles are mirrored by the characters in these poems, as they both suffer from loss and a disconnection from the world, and they both try to solve those problems by returning to their roots and taking part in ceremonies that belong to their cultures. For instance, neglecting tradition leads to disaster in both Tayo’s life and in the story of the Corn Woman. This way, Silko creates a universe where all stories are parallel and connected. This prevents uniqueness perhaps, but it also offers a sense of comfort which comes from the fact that everyone goes through the same struggles one way or another, survives them, and ends up with more knowledge. On top of the similarities between the story of the Corn Woman and Tayo, the interconnectedness is also conspicuous through a quote towards the end of the novel. When Tayo’s grandmother hears that an old friend of Tayo has died, she says, “I’ve heard all these stories before… only thing is, the names keep changing” (238)

To conclude, it is clear that Silko is trying to expose her audience to the concept of interconnectedness in her novel - to understand Tayo’s journey better and make sense of the connections between the poems and the main story.