Natalie's blog 3

When I first started to read this book I did not understand what the heck was going on in Tayo’s life. The more time I spent reading Ceremony the more it started to make sense to me. The book is full of am amazing imagery and figurative language that makes the book come alive. I find myself not wanting to put the book down and to keep reading to see what happens next, I am already on page ninety one. There are a lot of cultural aspects of Native American heritage expressed in this reading. I agree with the belief that if you don't respect the dead dear they won't die for you again. I think this is a very interesting outlook on “hunting”, you need to respect what you kill or they won’t let you kill them in the feature.

In the assigned reading Tayo reflects a great deal on his childhood and how he was raised by his Aunty and her family. From my point of view being in the army is not the only thing that messed Tayo up, I think how he was raised had a great deal to do with how he is now. Tayo mentions that his Aunty would be quick to correct people when they called Tayo and Rocky brothers. She did not want the boys to grow up like brothers or treated as an equal. A quote that makes me very sad for Tayo is “She wanted him close enough to feel excluded, to be aware of the distance between them” pg 67. It would be horrible to grow up feeling excluded and unwanted by someone that was like your mother, just like aunty was to Tayo. In a way and think this sociologically messed Tayo up.

I believe another reason Tayo is so sick is because he is suffering from survivor’s guilt. Survivor’s guilt is a mental condition that occurs when a person perceives himself or herself to have done wrong by surviving a traumatic event. It may be found among survivors of combat and natural disaster. This fits Tayo’s situation perfectly because Tayo think he should have been the one to die, not Rocky. Tayo thinks Rocky could have done a better job providing for his family then he could have. The physical and emotion pain Tayo experiences are just some of the symptoms of survivor’s guilt.

"When Tayo saw he was getting started, he looked at the eyes again; he took off his jacket and covered the deer's head"(Page 50). I enjoy this quote because it shows how sweet and caring Tayo is before he goes all nuts with guilt. This quote also ties into Tayo’s Indian culture and his beliefs which seem to be a big part of this book.

"And my brother,"..."If we both sign up, can we stay together?" (65). This quote makes me happy when I read it because even though Auntie tried to push Tayo away from Rocky, Rocky still felt as if Tayo was his brother. Rocky cares for Tayo and there relationship, that is why Rocky wants to stay with Tayo in the army.

I think this is probably my favorite part of the book yet…I hope it gets even better as the book progresses :D