As Native American literature, The Ceremony of Innocence is similar in theme to the novels of contemporary Native American writers. Like Abel in House Made of Dawn (1968) by N. Scott Momaday, Tayo in Ceremony (1978) by Leslie Marmon Silko, and Loney in The Death of Jim Loney (1970) by James Welch, Jemina is caught between the life of the white man and the life of the Native American and belongs to neither. In all three novels, there is a feeling of loss, loneliness, and alienation.

Like other contemporary Native American writers, Highwater shifts from reality to dream and uses the myths and legends of the Native American as an important factor in his writings.

In a larger context, The Ceremony of Innocence can be compared to non-Native American works. In a review in Voice of Youth Advocates (August 1985), Evie Wilson compares the book to The Color Purple by...