Ceremony: Pages 5-120

In all honesty, when I first picked up this book and started to read it I was extremely confused. I really had no idea who the character of Tayo was or what was going on. Because the book seems to go back and forth between dreams I found myself getting lost in the beginning few pages. I found it difficult to keep up with what was going on, but after a while I started to get a sense of what was happening and who the characters were.

As I have been reading, there are some specific things that I have taken note of. One thing I noticed a lot of was the talk of drought. It is a very apparent image throughout this first half of the book. The author included a lot of talk of drought and how it effects the people and the animals alike. Tayo and Harley look for water, Tayo talks about the drought during his childhood, and he also mentions having to possibly sell the cattle for a very cheap price because they may die soon from the drought. The animals are all bony and sickly because there is not water for them to drink or water to help the grass grow for them to eat.

Another image I noticed a lot through my reading so far is the image of the deer head. I am not exactly sure what it means just yet in relation to the book and the message the author is trying to get across to to readers though. Tayo talks about the deer head from when he was a child and he seems to think of this image and be comforted by it while in agony.

I feel really bad for the character of Tayo but I am not exactly sure what is wrong with him. I noticed that he seems to get sick and vomit as soon as he feels rejected or uncomfortable. For example, just as he is starting to feel well again, he tells his uncle, Robert, that he thinks he is feeling up to helping him on the ranch. Tayo feels that Robert does not want him to help and that Auntie and everyone just want him to leave. As soon as this happens, Tayo falls back into his sickness again. This is only one example, of the many times that he does get sick after feeling lost, confused, or rejected.

I think that this is an interesting book, although it does confuse me at times. I feel that the author purposely confuses the reader with switching scenes so often so that the readers are able to feel how confused Tayo is with who he is and where he belongs. I may be wrong, but this is the first thought that came to my mind when I realized how lost I was when first reading. I hope that I am able to understand this book to the fullest and gain an idea for what it is like to be caught in between two cultures (Indian and American).

**My question is: How old is Tayo? This is something I am not totally sure of at this point.**