The theme of race in Ceremony is complicated, as you might expect. The hero and protagonist, Tayo, is half white and half Laguna Pueblo, and he feels out of place in both societies. Part of Tayo's healing process is learning to accept his mixed racial identity and not be ashamed of it. Yet Tayo fully embraces his Laguna heritage while rejecting white culture, which he associates with death and destruction. White culture is thoroughly vilified in this novel as the originator of racism, alcoholism, environmental destruction, world war, and the atomic bomb. But this global condemnation is tempered somewhat by Betonie, who says, "you don't write off all white people, just like you don't trust all the Indians."
Questions About Race
- How does this novel characterize white culture? Are all white people bad?
- What about Native American culture? Are all Native Americans good?
- What are some of the flaws Tayo sees in Native American society?
- How does Tayo relate to the Japanese and Japanese Americans? Why do you think he feels a connection with the Japanese?
Chew on This
Though Tayo is half white and half Native American, and claims to speak for both sides, he identifies with Native American culture and rejects white culture. His message of healing and acceptance of change is only directed at Native Americans.
As a man with ties to both Native American and white cultures, Tayo offers a critique of both societies as well as a message of reform.