The [Tayo]ronic Hero
Through the events of her novel Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko illustrates that her protagonist, Tayo, is a Byronic hero. Tayo is an extremely troubled soul - he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, being outcast from both sides of his Laguna and white heritage. In his family’s eyes, especially Auntie’s, Tayo’s mixed heritage branded him a sinful disgrace. Utterly disgusted and ashamed that she must raise him after her sister abandoned him as a toddler, Auntie showed obvious favoritism for her own son, Rocky. She often deliberately ignored Tayo, “[keeping] Rocky close to her”, making sure “that they kept a distance between themselves and him. But she would not let Tayo go outside or play in another room alone. She