The central conflict of Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony is Tayo's struggle to gain psychological integrity in the face of various traumatic experiences, ranging from a troubled childhood to cultural marginalization and combat experiences during World War II. Throughout the novel, the key to Tayo's psychological recovery is his rediscovery of Native American cultural practices. Most of the crucial turning points in the novel occur when Tayo hears, takes part in, or learns more about Native American cultural traditions. He progresses toward healing when he visits witch doctors, returns to traditional customs and practices, or develops an intimate relationship with someone like Ts'eh who lives in traditional ways. As he develops a greater understanding of Native cultural practices and ritual ceremonies, he finds psychological peace, which he quickly loses whenever he seeks other sources of healing, whether he seeks them in the glories of war, the pleasures of alcohol, or the practices doctors from the military psychiatric hospital. The novel's opening poem describes the incredible powers that language, stories, and rituals have in Native American cultures: ceremonies are the only cure for human and cultural ailments, and stories and language have the power to create worlds as the novel progresses, it demonstrates this power by showing how rituals are more effective than anything else in helping Tayo heal. Furthermore, Tayo's struggle to return to indigenous cultural traditions parallels Silko's struggle as a writer who wants to integrate Native American traditions into the structure of her novel. Instead of simply following the literary conventions used by other American and European writers, Silko develops new li... middle of paper... that all Americans fit into the larger mosaic of American history. In particular, Silko's novel rewrites American history so that Native Americans like Tayo are no longer relegated to the margins and ignored. It shows that they have contributed and continue to contribute to American history by providing the land on which it takes place, fighting for America in international conflicts, and contributing to American economic development. But more importantly, it shows that Native American cultural traditions also provide an alternative and, according to Silko, a superior vision of what America's future might look like if it chose to be more spiritually sensitive, multiculturally respectful, and responsible in its environmental comparisons. In this sense, Ceremony adds an important and potentially healing voice to the ongoing debate about what it means to be an American..