Life In Bless Me Ultima By Rudolfo Anaya

Option 4

“Understanding come with life. As a man grows he sees life and death, he is happy and sad, and he works, plays, and meets people”, says Rudolfo Anaya, the author of Bless Me Ultima. In the novel, we are first introduced by Antonio to his childhood. Antonio’s mother is a staunch catholic while his father is the son of a vaquero. His father wants him to become a cowboy, however his mother wants him to become a priest. This is when Antonio begins to question his destiny. “Then maybe I do not have to be just Marez, or Luna, perhaps I can be both –“, said Antonio. (247) In chapter one, Ultima comes to live with the Marez family. Ultima is a curandera, a healer who uses folk remedies. Ultima is more like Antonios mentor. “I felt more attached
He thought that the river was going to be forever stained with Lupitos blood. He did not know if Lupito was going to go to heaven or hell. The boy also witnesses the death of the innocent Narsico. After the deaths he begin to wonder why God was not a forgiving god. He knows the Virgin Guandalupe would forgive Narciso but he did not know if God will. The virgin is the personification of the virtue of faith, devotion, and forgiveness. He questioned why Narsico even had to die and he was so innocent. He also starts to wonder about sin and death. It is all so confusing to him and difficult to understand. Ultima’s healing powers helps Antonio not just physically but emotionally. Antonio runs home crying when he sees the death of Lupito and as he run he hears the owls cry, which right after he hears it, he loses his fear. In Native American culture the owl is seen as a protector, summoning spirit, or as a reincarnation of the virtuous. The owl sends out warning calls that means that danger is near. It also protects Ultima from Tenorio by blinding him in one eye. Antonio did not understand the meaning of the owl and why it was always around until chapter twenty two when he realizes that the owl is Ultima’s soul. “It is the owl that sends out the spirit of the old witch,” says Tenorio. (256) Tenorio kills the owl and Ultima also
Although Antonio is confused about the good and the bad he does not let it get the best of him. “Aye! My man of learning!” said Maria. (53) The more he understands that he must make his own choices the more he becomes a man. He believes that his destiny must unfold just like Ultima tells him. As Antonio begins to understand he realizes that there are more than one religion in the world and not everyone believes in the same religion. He also realizes that religions change and it is not a must that he believe in one God. In the next decade, there may not even be religion. The relationship between Catholicism and folklore all comes together. Antonio can believe in both if he wants. He may make his own religion and believe his own religious beliefs. “Take the llano and the river valley, the moon and the sea, the God and the Golden Carp- and make something new,” Antonio told himself.