Throughout our lives, especially today, in modern culture, we rely on our identity because it makes us who we are and we will consciously or unconsciously make decisions for us; who we hang out with, what we eat, what books we read, what activities we participate in, and so on. It seems weird at first, but if you think about it, the concept makes sense. The ceremony is no exception to this idea. In the novel Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko, we follow the story of a young man named Tayo, a war veteran. Readers can follow along and discover how identities actually affect the characters in the novel, including Tayo, her mother, her aunt, and many others. Tayo, completely traumatized after the war, understandably feels lost when he returns home. He is mentally unstable and his aunt who takes care of him is not much help either. With all of this, plus the constant flashbacks we get to see, we can really see the impact this all has on identity. Societal expectations set in stone shape the characters' identities and the ongoing actions they perform based on their identities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Tayo, the protagonist of the story, is one of the most complex characters when examining his identity due to his genealogical background. Tayo's mother is named Laguna Pueblo and his father is white. He is “a disgrace” to both cultures. White people want nothing to do with him and neither do Native Americans, including his aunt. But during the war, everything changed. "The first day in Oakland, he and Rocky were walking down the street together and a big Chrysler pulled up in the street and an old white woman rolled down the window and said, 'God bless you, God bless you ”, but it was the uniform, not them, she blessed. As shown in the show, Tayo's encounters with white individuals change dramatically when he begins serving in the military. But because of his education, he is not fooled. While his friends feel like they're part of something, Tayo now knows reality. “The war was over, the uniform had disappeared. All of a sudden this man at the store waits for you last, makes you wait for all the white people to buy what they wanted. And the white lady at the bus depot, she's very careful now not to touch your hand when she counts your change. You watch it slide across the counter and you know. Damn it! When the war was over and Tayo took off his uniform, he felt lost again. Now the man in the store “waits for him last.” All white individuals must get everything they need before man helps them. Still, if he was wearing his uniform, he might have been expected when it was his turn, or perhaps first. Regardless, without a uniform, he is treated like a peon. When he was fighting for America, he was treated well. Once his service was over, it disappeared. The whites used him for what they needed, just showing him that he was willing to diet for the American cause. Society expects the white man to be favored over the native American. Since Tayo doesn't really fit into the category of White or Native American, his identity is distorted, contributing to his mental health issue and his actions that play out throughout the novel. There's one character we never technically meet in the book, but he's probably the most affected by.