Folkloric, repetitive
The most notable aspect of Silko's style in Ceremony is the way she allows traditional Laguna folklore and ceremonial ritual to tell part of Tayo's story. The inclusion of segments of stories and rituals from an oral tradition breaks up the text of the novel, but it doesn't interrupt Tayo's progress. That's because the events in Tayo's life seem to mimic, repeat, or echo these old stories. Silko's repetitive style reinforces her idea that the things that happen today aren't new—everything has already happened before. Like old Grandma says, "It seems like I already heard these stories before . . . only thing is, the names sound different." (XXIX.17)
We feel like old Grandma at several points during the novel. When Hummingbird and Fly say: "We finally got it but it sure wasn't easy," (XXVII) we're reminded of Betonie's explanation to Tayo: "We all have been waiting for help a long time. But it never has been easy" (XIII.58). And when Ts'eh tells Tayo that she hears voices at night, we seem to recall that Betonie's grandmother once said something eerily similar to Betonie's grandfather. There are tons of examples of these sneaky repetitions of phrases in the novel—see if you can find some more.
So what is the purpose of this repetition? Well, Ts'eh keeps emphasizing the importance of remembering: "as long as you remember what you have seen, then nothing is gone. As long as you remember, it is part of this story we have together." (XXV.144) In an oral culture, repetition is especially important because it helps us to remember the stories without writing them down.
Tayo believes that if you know the old stories, you can go anywhere you want to: "it all depended on whether you knew the directions [ . . . ] whether you knew the story of how others before you had gone" (V.36). Silko's folkloric and repetitive style create the sensation that what we're reading here isn't just a novel—it's a map that will help guide us through any trial or obstacle we may encounter.