I’ve been wondering, how important is the setting and wind in Ceremony? Silko has made numerous references to the wind and has described how wind brings Tayo a sense of peace. Additionally, it was mentioned that other characters also listen to the wind or become part of the wind. I may be reading into this too much, I’m not sure, but Silko mentions it enough that it has caused me think about the importance of setting. Specifically, the quote below makes me wonder if Tayo has a cultural connection with the wind or if there is any reason behind why Silko stresses the peacefulness of it.
“There was a peaceful silence beneath the sounds of the wind; it was a silence with no trace of people. It was the silence of hard dry clay and old juniper wood bleached white.”
Aside from the topic of wind, I admire Silko’s writing so much! Her descriptions are full of literary techniques, specifically imagery. Especially in the quote above, as she wrote, “It was the silence of hard dry clay and old juniper wood bleached white,” I can clearly picture Pueblo adobe houses through Silko’s descriptive imagery.
Also, I’m curious about Laguna Pueblo and if it influences Tayo in any way. After fighting in WWII, Tayo returned to his family home only to be surrounded by drought. Does returning to his family’s reservation help Tayo with his PTSD? Does his surroundings and natural environment develop his character or serve as a hopeful reassurance that everything will be okay? I don’t know that much about the area or cultural significance of the reservation, but I’d love to learn more about it. It provides an interesting dynamic between Tayo’s battle in the Philippines to his return home to Laguna Pueblo.
