Ceremony

The color yellow appears often in the novel, in reference to everything from bulls to sand. Why does yellow have such prominence, and what do you think the significance of the color might be?

How does the novel define witchery? How does Tayo’s experience of witchery relate to the witchery Betonie’s stories describe? How does witchery relate to European colonization of the Americas?

Why do you think Silko chose to write Ceremony without formal structure—e.g., chapter breaks, chapters broken into parts, etc.? How does the novel’s form relate to Tayo’s mental space and experiences?

Why does Emo hate Tayo? How does this animosity reveal itself in their interactions? What would Emo gain by killing Tayo?

Many of the verse stories that break up Tayo’s story are not attributed clearly to a speaker. What effect does this have on your understanding of them? How does knowing who speaks the story change your perspective on the story?

When Tayo and Robert go to retrieve the cattle, Ts’eh’s home is abandoned. The only person she interacts with in the narrative is Tayo. What is the significance of revealing herself only to interact with Tayo in light of her ambiguous nature (i.e., as a human or an animal person)?

What role does sex play in Ceremony? What is Tayo’s relationship to the two women he has sex with, and how does sex shape those relationships? How does this differ from the way the veterans talk about white women?

What do you think the offering is that is given to the sunrise at the end of the novel? Who do you think is speaking this final verse section?