...Bless Me, Ultima is a coming of story about a young boy’s journey towards spiritual awakening. Below the surface of this deceptively simple story lie powerful elements of binary opposition and symbolism that the author, Rudolfo Anaya, uses to help provide the backdrop to Antonio’s immersing journey and reveal the “curious mélange of elements” taught to him. Through these literary strategies, Anaya develops the intense conflict between the two sides of Antonio’s family, the mysticism of his surroundings and experiences and glimpses of what lay ahead. Antonio is a six-year-old boy who grows up in a home with conflicting lifestyles. His mother belongs to a devout Catholic family known as the Lunas, who consider themselves masters of the land and skilled farmers. They pride themselves in their humility and strong faith. Contrasting, is the Mares family, from which Antonio’s father was raised. The Mares are a wild bunch of vaqueros, horse-mounted workers, with a burning desire for adventure who take pleasure in handling their own matters without any one else’s authority. This poses a major conflict that is visited through the entirety of the book, between Antonio’s mother and father. While his mother prays incessantly that young Antonio grows up to be a priest and leader of the Lunas community, his father, contrastingly, hopes that his son will follow in the Mares footsteps as Antonio may be his last hope of leaving New Mexico and moving to the wilds of California. This binary opposition...
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...Jacob Garcia Bless Me, Ultima Outline I. (Thesis Statement): Antonio Matures throughout his life with the help of Ultima and his family. He grows emotionally and spiritually over the course of the novel. II. (What is the first point you are making? SENTENCE) Antonios parents teach him the ways of Ultima. Makes antonio think about being a priest. A. (proof – not a sentence) She heals and does good for people. B. (quote or partial quote – with page number) “There isnt a family that she did not help...no road was to long for her to walk to its end to snatch somebody from the jaws of death.” (Anaya 3) III. Ultima comes to stay with him and teaches Antonio more about God. A. Antonio is curious as to what happen the night before and questions God. B. “ and more important me hijo, you must never judge who God forgives and who he doesn't.” (Anaya 33) IV. Antonio witness many deaths and a normal seven year old would not be able to stay and pray with a dead man in front of him. A normal one would run away scared to death. Antonio prays for Narsico at the tree B. “I knew I had to pray. I had to pray an Act of Contrition for his departing soul, like I prayed for Lupito. But I had not held Lupito while his body went cold.” V Antionio takes control of things at the end. He knows exactly what is going on and reacts like a man. A. he is trying...
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...In the novel Bless Me, Ultima, Ultima is a curandera who is considered one of the wisest people in Albuquerque by many men and women. In the time that the story takes place, women were expected to tend to all things involving the home, and Ultima challenges that idea with her distinct beliefs, self-awareness, and willingness to speak out amongst the crowd. Although the Church is threatened by her, both because of her beliefs and because of her gender, she is a key role in the community and many people find themselves seeking Ultima’s guidance in their time of need. She also plays a key role in molding Antonio’s maturing moral compass. It is made clear that Ultima is more powerful than any priest, and that claim is reinforced when she is asked to heal Lucas Luna, Antonio’s Uncle, who is on his deathbed. Ultima agrees, but she calmly insists that Antonio goes with her, despite his parents’ obvious hesitation. This situation demonstrates that Ultima has already formulated a plan, and she intends to follow through with it, and she demands respect for that plan. She has taken the initiative and refuses to back down, and she tells Antonio’s grandfather exactly what she needs in order to do her job properly upon her arrival without hesitation....
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...Rudolfo Anaya is an American author his most common novel is Bless me Ultima. He was born October 30, 1937 he was born in Pastura, New Mexico a small village located on the western edge of the Staked Plains. Anaya was the eighth child out of ten other children. In 1952 Anaya and his family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Rudolfo wrote Bless me Ultima in 1972 and other novels as well. While in the process of writing novels he was a high school educator and also a college educator. Anaya has greatly influenced the chicano literature. Before actually getting into literature he used to write poems to girls. This also happened before he got married in 1966 but can’t remember the wife’s name. His wife was his encouragement in writing books. His...
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...In the novel Bless Me, Ultima religion, family and culture play a huge part into the book, these topics make the reader understand and connect to the characters. Without those major points presented in the novel the reader wouldn’t be as interested in reading the book. Bless Me, Ultima if the type of novel of coming of age, this is represented by one of the main characters. This novel is important to Chicano literature because it was a way to fashion the culture to individuals and communities. Much of the experiences and events in the novel reveal the finding of cultures and search of identity in multiple associated spanish culture. Anotonio Marez is writing as an adult about the events he recounts that occured when he was six years old. Ultima who is a curandera, or healer, who comes to live with Anotiono and his family. When Antonio meets Ultima for the first time and shakes her hand he senses some type of power whirlwind around him. Antonio is on the brink of discovery and starting to figure out what it means to grow from a boy to a man. It all begins...
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...Bless Me Ultima was published in 1972 by Rudofo Anaya. The themes Anaya writes of are still applicable today, especially if you are an inhabitant of New Mexico. Many who live here have come to appreciate the multi-cultural influence we live with daily. Ours is a State that offers extreme geography, where we can easily attend church or seek a Shaman or Curandera. Though we are scattered among cities, small communities and isolated ranches, the spirit of the people still shines in times of trouble. Rudolfo Anaya writes that, “The supernatural and ordinary reality are worlds that exist side by side. I don’t believe the truth is out there, I believe it is within. To discover the truth and power within is to walk in the supernatural.” The novel Bless me Ultima has several examples that reflect Anaya’s comments. My favorite is a conversation between Antonio and his father. “Understanding does not come that easy, Tony—““You mean God doesn’t give understanding?’ “Understanding comes with life, “ he answered, “as a man grows he sees life and death, he is happy and sad, he works, plays, meets people—sometimes it takes a lifetime to acquire understanding, because in the end, understanding simply means having a sympathy for people,” he said. “Ultima has sympathy for people, and it is so complete that with it she can touch their souls and cure them---“ “That is her magic—“ “Ay and no greater magic can exist.” “But in the end, magic is magic, and one does not explain it so...
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...“I could not tell him that I wanted the castle of the giants to be forever, that I wanted the goat path and the hill to be for always” (Anaya 143). Symbols of childhood are valuable because they lead to the continuation of a person into adulthood. As a child, one is innocent and oblivious to the wonders of the world around them, but they develop and learn as they age to maturity. Bless Me, Ultima is a novel centered around a young boy named Antonio, who grows and changes throughout the book, going from a boy to a man. Throughout the bildungsroman Bless Me, Ultima, Rudolfo Anaya uses symbolism of the goat path – along with its cohesivity to childhood innocence – to portray that the transition to adulthood is an extensive journey gained through...
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...Everyone in the world seeks independence, whether it be from one’s parents or from corrupt countries. At first, one copies their parent’s beliefs and traditions without question. Later on, however, a child would seek independence and create their own set of values. This concept of independence is very important in Bless Me, Ultima. When the protagonist, Antonio, first hears his brother “explode” in front of his father, he “thought [that] he must be drunk to talk to [his] father like that” (71). Throughout the novel Antonio limits himself to his parent’s values: a priest or a cowboy. With guidance from Ultima, Antonio realizes that neither option suits him well, and that perhaps a combination of professions would better suit him. Antonio...
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...In the novel Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya, a boy named Antonio witnesses many symbolic things. One major thing that really impacts Antonio is Ultima's Owl. The owl is still an owl. It is a sign of fear and usually seen as a threat. Antonio also sees it as a threat at first. Anaya states “ And with Ultima came the owl. I heard it that night for the first time in the juniper tree outside of Ultima Window. I knew it was her owl because the other owls of the llano did not come that near the house. At first I was it disturbed me”. This shows how the owl is a symbol of disturbance and fear for Antonio at first. The owl is an animal that symbolizes safety for Antonio and Ultima. The owl comforts Antonio and makes him feel safe because of the...
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...Bless Me, Ultima: A Reflection on Individuality There arrives a time in everyone’s education where they must make the conscious decision to stray away from their childish delusions. From that point forth, choosing between the truth and the safety of familiarity becomes a struggle that numerous people must overcome. Rudolfo Anaya illustrates this concept in his bildungsroman, coming of age novel, Bless Me, Ultima. Bless Me, Ultima, follows the life of six-year-old protagonist Antonio Marez as he attempts to make sense of his life in World War II-era New Mexico. For his whole life, Antonio has lived on the Llano, a barren range of land where plant life is hard to sustain; however, his life changes when Ultima, a curandera, comes to stay with...
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...Bless Me Ultima Analysis In the novel “Bless Me Ultima” by Rudolfo Anaya expresses a young child named Antonio, coming to age, making his own choices, and last understanding the ways of life. “The magical time of childhood stood still, and pulse of the living earth pressed its mystery into my living blood” (chapter 1). Antonio preaches, his childhood memories and knowledge is still their, but he seen too much as a kid so he is a lot more mature than other kids his age. As being said Antonio still has a lot of mysteries to find throughout his life. As he proceeds through his life he will start growing up and seeing more things. Rudolfo Anaya expresses Antonios coming of age moments by using questions and clues to find his own answer. “The...
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...In Bless Me, Ultima, Rudolfo Anaya uses Ultima as a mentor to lead Antonio on a quest for identity. Through Ultima’s use of spiritual and historical teachings and the acceptance of different beliefs, Antonio achieves a sense of balance in his thoughts. In the beginning of the novel, Ultima as a mentor opens up doors of identity for Antonio. When Antonio and Ultima go out in search for herbs and plants Ultima, being a curandera, teaches Antonio about nature around him and about the spirits within plants. This allows Antonio to ease into his acceptance of nature and loss of fear to the Llano. Through Ultima, Antonio learns more about his family and their ties to nature with their personalities. Through this Antonio begins to become more open-minded as he begins questioning which path to pursue, Llano or Priesthood. As a mentor, Ultima encourages Antonio to balance these paths and take a direction of his own. In addition, Ultima also explains the history of Antonio’s ancestors and the mix of cultures between the indigenous and the Spanish from Europe. She mentions how the two cultures never got along when they collided. This information shines its importance as it prepares...
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...Caleb Robinson Rob Gibney English 260 December 9, 2014 Bless Me Ultima Analysis Bless Me Ultima in my opinion was the best book we read this year. This book had many literary elements for me to discuss. For time sake, I’ll be discussing some of the many themes that were presented in the novel. First theme, the author illustrates a loss of innocence by using the character of Antonio. Also the author shows good versus evil when given power, like the curandero and a witch which hold similar powers, but have used it differently. Lastly, I'll write about is the conflict of how the parents have different views/ influences that will lead Antonio to make a choice on what he wants from life. Since Antonio’s brothers are away at war he is left as the...
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...“No matter the age of parents or the age of children, parents always have tremendous influence over their children”(Kevin Thompson). Mr. Thompson later continues to address in his article, How Parents Influence their Children, that through example, story, and encouragement, parents can unknowingly and purposefully impact their kids. This ideology can be seen in Bless Me Ultima with Antonio’s parents. The Marez parents have different views on the future for Antonio and their words and action contributes to Antonio questioning who he is. Anaya utilizes the symbolism of the moon and sea to represent the two opposing heritages of the Lunas and Marez; this symbol helps to convey that an individual's future cannot be pressured by one's parents, but...
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...Throughout “Bless Me Ultima”, written by Rudolfo Anaya, we witness a young boy named Antonio experience a multitude of vivid dreams, and the various literary devices applied by Anaya to emotionally invest the audience into Antonio’s experiences. Anaya sets the mood by using diction and he utilizes imagery to the point where we develop strong sympathetic feelings towards the main characters, or victims, in Antonio’s dreams. Many of Antonio’s dreams contain graphic descriptions of how the people appear in his subconscious. One dream in particular gives a descriptive portrayal of Narciso’s appearance and what appears to happen to him after he dies. The use of emotional appeal, foreshadowing, and vivid imagery help aid Anaya in his description of this dream by building the reader’s emotions towards what happened to Narciso and the aftermath....
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