The Ceremony Part Two

          A relationship can have different meanings to them whether it's a good one or not. In The Ceremony Tayo and his Aunt have an abnormal relationship with each other. Auntie being a controlling oldest daughter of her family tries to take care of her household while at the same time tries to be a motherly like figure to Tayo. Although Tayo and Auntie are family members and since Tayo is Native American and Auntie is a strong christian it causes some problems with their relationship. "Those who measured life by counting the crosses would not count her sacrifies for Rocky the way they counted her sacrifices for her dead sister's half-breed child"(Silko 27). Auntie being as christian as she says she is comes across not so christian like the way she acts with Tayo. As she says "half-breed child" she is de-humanizing Tayo and putting him in a dog or animal like form which explains how Auntie acts and speaks towards Tayo. Auntie is described as a problematic character that causes a lot of trouble throughout Tayo's life. When Tayo comes home from World War II Auntie tries to be loving and caring towards him. "... and he realized then she changed the beds as if Josiah and Rocky still slept there, tucking the dark wool blankets around the corners of the clean sheets, stuffing the pillows into starched white pillowcases she had ironed the day before"(Silko 28). This quote describes the relationship between Rocky and Auntie and comparing it to the relationship with her and Tayo's. By Auntie setting up the bed and making everything look perfect is a way of showing that her relationship with Tayo is good but in reality it's not so good on the inside. It's if the only way Auntie can control the way things look as perfect but can't do anything to get rid of the appearance of Tayo being present in her life. She's comparing Tayo as a stain in a shirt that can never be removed and having to deal with the consequences forever. "All that gossip about Josiah and about Little Sister, Girls around here have babies by white men all the time now, and nobody says anything. Men run around with with Mexicans, and even worse, and nothing is ever said"(Silko 30). This was shown as an example of transferred oppression. As in Auntie is getting so anger with the different cultured relationships growing around her that she's pushing her anger onto Tayo and targeting his Native American culture.

          When one chooses to go to war they have to deal with the consequences of wearing a certain uniform. They are given the privilege to be treated with respect by fighting for other's lives. When Tayo and his cousin Rocky were fighting in World War II they wore American uniforms. Everyone around them recognized them as regular American soldiers but didn't recognize that they both were Native Americans behind the uniforms. "The war was over, the uniform was gone. All of a sudden that man at the store waits on you last, makes you wait until all the white people bought what they wanted. And the white lady at the bus depot, she's real careful now not to touch your hand when she counts out your change"(Silko 39). When the war was over they weren't treated with the same respect they were treated while in the war. People didn't care about who they once were. When the uniforms weren't worn by them anymore they didn't get recognized the same. In Dance With Wolves First Lieutenant Dunbar wore a uniform when he faced the Sioux Nation and they acknowledged him in a different way than they would if he weren't wearing his uniform. "The first day in Oakland he and Rocky walked down the street together and a big Chrysler stopped in the street and an old white woman rolled down the window and said, "God bless you, God bless you," but it was the uniform, not them, she blessed"(Silko 38). The old women didn't notice the race in which the men were only the country that they represented and that changed the way she acknowledge them. It's interesting to observe the actions people make to an American soldier dressed in uniform to a regular American man or woman when roaming the streets because it would probably relate to when Tayo and Rocky got noticed. Today, people easily acknowledge soldiers dressed in uniform and treat them with more respect than a usual American. Recognizing and thanking those soldiers for what they achieve greatly is a heroic thing but at the same time should always give respect to the people who deserve it the most because of their race.