"Ceremony" and "The Long Goodbye"

Paper Summary:

At first glance, "Ceremony" by Leslie Marmon Silko and "The Long Goodbye" by Raymond Chandler seem to have nothing in common. The former represents the psychological struggle of Native Americans in their search for identity in the United States, while the latter seems the usual detective story Marlowe has created. This paper, however, points out that there are several underlying motives and structures that do not make an attempt at comparing the two works futile. One would be a comparison between the two main characters, while another may compare the story's plot and the irony techniques that the writers use.

From the Paper:

"Tayo's suffering is physical, but, most of all, emotional and psychological. His distress does not come only from his imprisonment in Japan during the war, but also from his torment related to his place as a half Native American in the American post-war society. Integration seems, in the beginning, impossible for Tayo. This comes from his double ethnicity which means that he may be rejected by both societies. In many ways, this is something that Leslie Marmon Silko has experienced herself."

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