to the Lunas, the Marez of his Father’s blood. Only within the ways of Ultima does he discover a necessary middle ground between Luna and Marez The Luna, or “gentle moon” (Candelaria 60), is a tribe defined by ways of the Earth; the Lunas work with nature and focus on harnessing its energy through farming (Lamadrid 498). The focus of Luna tribe is captured in the spirit of his mother, who hopes for Antonio’s future as a priest, “I pray that he [Antonio] will take the vows, that a priest will return to guide the Lunas” (Anaya 49). The influence of Antonio’s mother has played a dominant role in his life, as Emily Smith Riser points out, Antonio’s family has settled down on a piece of land, as a Luna practice, yet this land is near the llano, or the plains that the Marez roam, which his father loved dearly. This demonstrates that the role Antonio’s mother plays is strong, but there is still a figurative tug-of-war with Antonio’s father; a tug-of-war between the Luna and the Marez.
The Marez, or “turbulent seas” (Candelaria 60), display the entitled attitude of their ancestors, the conquistadors, by living on the adventurous llano and roaming in accord with only their own whims (Lamadrid 498). Riser goes further, describing them as “...nomadic cowboys who ranged over the llano, the pains, never staying too long in any one place…”(56). Antonio’s father, Gabriel Marez, flawlessly manifests this image of the Marez through his dream of moving to California with Antonio’s three brothers to live once again as a cowboy (Anaya). This directly challenges and clashes with the Luna ideas of Antonio’s mother, priesthood and settled in a small village. The Marez foils the Luna time and time again throughout the novel, and all of the mental anguish Antonio must solve derives from this ideological battle. One such example of anguish is school and education.
Antonio struggles with Religion; its compatibility, its mechanics, and its meaning. Antonio’s Religious influence seems to be his mother, and Riser points out that she is indeed a devout Catholic, even praying for Tony to become a priest (56,7). Her drive for Religion in Tony’s life represents the faith of the Lunas in a definite God, yet he is only met with indefinites. At Antonio’s first communion, the indefinite nature of faith is shows to him, “A thousand questions pushed through my mind, but the Voice within me did not answer. There was only silence” (Anaya 221). The doubt in Antonio’s mind is further reinforced when he learns of the pagan god The Golden Carp, which are seen are opposites of the Catholic God Antonio’s mother worships.
Maria Lirola describes the Golden Carp as “an alternative religion to Catholicism, it is a symbol of Antonio’s tie to pagan religions. The golden carp legend offers its own brand of wisdom and moral guidance…” (7). The faith Antonio’s friends hold in the Golden Carp challenges the mysterious ideas of God, and seems incompatible with what he has learned in the Church. The Golden Carp resembles Marez ideas in the sense that they oppose the organized religion of the church.
Antonio is in a mental frenzy due to the intense pressure to choose between two extremes.
When he brings his troubles to his father, bombarding him with questions, his father replies simply with, “understanding comes with life” (Anaya 248). Antonio’s father understands that the church yielded no answers for Antonio, and he shows Antonio that he will only find answers through living, not in the church. This is a strong instantiation of the free spirit of the Marez, only to live and see what is at the end of the horizon instead of only thinking of it. Without Ultima, The contrast between Luna and Marez continues to grow.
Theresa Kanoza writes of this sharp contrast, explaining that Antonio not only experiences a difference in parental influence, but a similar influence from his peers who hold faith to different God’s (161,2). Antonio feels the pull towards God, as well as a pull towards the Golden Carp, yet he remains unable to choose. Antonio’s questions remain unanswered by both sides, and he finds no lasting comfort in the ways of the Luna or of the Marez. And thus it becomes clear that he must find a middle ground, the only option being
Ultima.
Antonio’s mental anguish in Religion is rivaled by his physical torment from the many deaths and traumas he faces. His mother nor his father truly consoled him in the daunting countenance of evil, and he supports this thought by realizing Ultima is his safety, “...that was what Ultima tried to teach me, that the tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength that resides in the human heart” (Anaya 249). Using her “indirect and mysterious ways,” Ultima brings Antonio prudence and knowledge of the powers and mechanics that move the world. She is the mediator of both the Luna and the Marez, solving the problems of both families and bringing them together (Lamadrid 497); she is a metaphorical middle ground for the two. One may argue that Ultima’s relationship with Antonio’s family stems from his mother and the Luna, but, “the Marez people understand that all of Ultima’s considerable knowledge is devoted only to good causes, to rectification” ( Wilson 63). Ultima is the connector between the families, and is revered by both. She stands in the middle ground of the two, and teaches Antonio how to do the same.