Ceremony: Summary/Analysis

Author: Leslie Marmon Silko is a Native American writer from the Laguna Pueblo tribe. She is the original recipient of the MacArthur Foundation Grant. She was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is of Laguna Pueblo, Anglo American, and Mexican American decent.
Setting: The Laguna Pueblo reservation and surrounding areas, such as a town called Gallup. There are a few flashbacks to Philippines.
Plot: After thinking he sees his Uncle Josiah shot while fighting WWII in the Philippine jungle, Tayo returns back home to the Laguna Pueblo reservation. Tayo, who has been "infected" by the evil that comes from the whites, must purify himself through a ceremony. He learns how to properly complete the ceremony from a medicine man named Betonie and his assistant Shush. He's constantly haunted by images of his cousin/brother Rocky's death. Along the way he meets Ts'eh, who guides him through his ceremony, whom he also falls in love with. He also must deal with fellow Native American veterans who have given in to the same evil that haunts him.
Characters:
Tayo: The main character of the book. Has been tainted by evil, and is on a mission to complete a ceremony that will cleanse him of the darkness. Is half Laguna Pueblo.
Rocky: Tayo's cousin who died while fighting in WWII. Seemed to be more interesting in western things.
Josiah: Tayo's uncle who was trampled by cattle while Tayo was fighting. Taught Tayo everything he knows, and is a very wise man. Dated Night Swan.
Night Swan: Mysterious Mexican woman who dated Josiah. Slept with Tayo to teach him about change. An old dancer that apparently can seduce men quite easily.
Ts'eh: A yellow woman that Tayo finds in the woods. Tayo falls for her, and she guides him through part of the ceremony.
Emo: Tayo's "rival" who has given into the evil of the world. Doesn't seem to flinch at all at the sight of blood and death. Full name is Geronimo.
Auntie: Tayo's aunt who is always busy worrying about gossip going around about her family as well as gossip about her.
Grandma: Tayo's blind grandmother who is quite wise, and knows more than you think.
Author's Style: The book is written with some passages in a poem like form. The book has a storytelling feel overall.
Point of View: The point of view is a third person. It feels as if it's someone telling a story, which fits with the Native American oral storytelling tradition.
Imagery: The imagery in Ceremony was vivid. The scenery was described with much detail, and seemed to focus on color, especially the colors red, white, yellow, and blue.
Symbols: 
The Colors Blue, Red, White, and Yellow: Each represents the directions North,South,East, and West, which each have their own meanings.
The Mountain Lion, Shush, and the Cattle: Each represent spirit animals that lead Tayo through the Ceremony.
The Cattle/Tayo: The Cattle represented the storm clouds in the story of the gambler, while Tayo represents sun father, who saves the clouds/cattle from the gambler.
Quotes:
"You see, in many ways, the ceremonies have always been changing"
This quote shows that in order to properly heal Tayo, they must do a ceremony that has changed, just like things have around them. This also shows that people, such as whites and Native Americans need to put aside their differences and learn to live together.
"They blame us, the ones who look different. That way they don't have to think about what has happened inside themselves"
This quote from the Night Swan explains how people are so afraid of change that they blame others that are different from themselves, yet they fail to realize that they themselves are already changing and there's nothing they can really do.
Theme: Change/New vs.Tradition. This can be seen in many parts of the book, especially when Tayo speaks to Betonie. He says that though tradition is important, it is not adapted to the new modern world, and so doesn't have the same effect that it used to. The books shows how the world is constantly changing, and for all of us to survive, we all must adapt to the changes.