Analysis Of Ultima

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“Gabriel, they shouted, you have a fine son! He will make a fine Vaquero!” In this quote, who is the subject and why is that significant? The author connects Antonio’s anxieties about change in his life to the culture in which he lives. Ultima’s intrusion into Antonio’s life marks a crazy time of change for Antonio. Anaya reiterates Antonio’s position on the threshold of change by showing his nerves about beginning school, moving away from his mother, and facing his unusual future. The vaquero lifestyle preferred by his father renews the values of freedom, independence and mobility, all of which are rules in the vaqueros’ love of the llano. The Luna family lifestyle preferred by Antonio’s mother, but emphasizes family and productivity, …show more content…

Who is the child? Is this happening in real life? Ultima correctly predicts that he will be a learning man. This shows that her learning conception is larger than that of most other characters. The prediction she has does not confirm that he will become a priest. Her answer actually comes from a comment that she made before, when Antonio is tries to make real sense of Lupito’s death and Ultima tells him that the ways of people are really hard to learn. She clearly believes that every man is a “learning man” because acquiring life experiences is in itself a process of learning. (101) “He was excited and eager now that his sons had returned” Antonio’s dream in Chapter 7, in which his brothers are three giants who ask for his “saving hand,” is open to many metaphorical interpretations, all of which address Antonio’s gradual entrance into adolescence. The dream could mean that Antonio is reluctant to give up his innocent, childish idea that his brothers are infallible and unchanging. It could also mean that they are dying because they have changed too much to settle seamlessly into their old lives. When they do arrive, they are restless and aimless. Finally, León and Eugene decide to build independent lives elsewhere. The dream also reveals Antonio’s awareness that the people he loves can sin despite his attempts to save them.

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