The story of Bless Me, Ultima, written by Rudolfo Anaya, is based on Antonio’s coming of age experiences. This novel is a great example of bildungsroman, or “a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character” (Merriam Webster). However, this book also deals with Magical Realism, or “a literary genre or style associated especially with Latin America that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction” (Merriam Webster). Unlike other children, Antonio has to deal with magic, religion and murder. Antonio’s largest influence is his parents, and each parent has a specific dream in mind for his future. His father, a Márez, wants Tony to become a vaquero or a cowboy of the llano, whereas his mother, …show more content…
Antonio becomes obsessed with sin and punishment. He is worried about Lupito and his soul and for his father and Narciso, who participated in the killing of Lupito. He asks Ultima, “will [Lupito] go to hell?”, depicting Antonio’s thought and concern about salvation. This is one of Antonio’s first few confrontations with the concept of good and evil and using religion to better understand the world. In addition, Lupito forces Antonio to take the role of a priest and recite the Act of Contrition. In this scenario, Antonio must quickly deal as an adult with a dilemma. Antonio says “What hurt [the most] was that I had witnessed for the first time the death of a man” (24). Death is a universal coming of age event, as almost everybody faces a family or friend death in their lifetime. With all of these questions floating in Antonio’s mind, he becomes obsessed with his …show more content…
She is an elderly curandera, or a healer who has special spiritual powers. She is a very mystical and wise character. She assists Antonio in his journey in becoming an adult and eventually teaches him that different belief systems offer equal ways of comprehending the world. As a matter of fact, Ultima treats Antonio like an adult, giving him responsibilities, whereas others treat Antonio as a young boy. An example of this is when Ultima mysteriously knows that Antonio observed the killing of Lupito. She says to Antonio’s mom, “You leave Antonio alone, please. Last night was hard for many men” (30). In this instance the reader can see Ultima referring to Antonio as a man. The way Ultima guides Antonio is very important for his coming of age. Ultima’s character, although magical and mystical, is not limited to a certain time, place, or culture. Many people’s coming of age relies on a person who guides them through their adolescence. The Magical Realism is just added in the
Maria had no authority over her restless family. The source of the conflict between Antonio and Maria originates from her oldest sons taking to going where they please and not caring about their parent’s wishes. The burden of pleasing their parents passes from the eldest sons to the youngest one. With the sole duty of pleasing his parents, Tony internally rebels against their wishes instead seeking to set to rest his churning mind by seeking his own beliefs. His brothers console themselves about abandoning their family by saying that “Tony will be her priest” (Anaya 36) and not knowing that the “dreams of their father and mother [haunt] them” (Anaya 36) also haunted Antonio. Having the responsibilities of his brothers and his family shape the way he grows and thinks. He isn’t just thinking about himself he also has the problems of redeeming his family on his head. Through the story and through Ultima Tony realizes that he is not bound by obligations and can instead shape his own
When Antonio first became homeless, an older man tried to steal one of his belongings, which was a simple hot plate. His first instinct was to attack the man and take back his property. While doing so, Antonio thought, “We have almost nothing, and this man wants to take it from us” (43). In addition, he mentions how, “It felt good to hit this man… For a moment, he felt strong and free; fury was a much better drug than self-pity.” (43). When Antonio discusses about the old man and his crimes, he may be alluding to Longoria and what he did to Antonio’s family. The man who tried to take away part of Antonio’s possessions is referring to Longoria and how he took away Antonio’s family. The act of beating the old man refers Antonio’s eventual act of revenge against Longoria and the satisfaction he experiences afterwards. Both acts demonstrate Antonio’s willingness to sacrifice and harm other in certain scenarios where it is necessary. The significant difference between Longoria and Antonio is the intention behind their actions. Longoria killed hundreds in cold blood for his own selfish desires and beliefs, while Antonio only harmed a total of two people to get revenge and to enforce justice in the only way he could. As mentioned before, Longoria’s actions are evil because he commits them for selfish reasons and without remorse. In contrast, Antonio’s actions are seen as necessary evils. A necessary evil is defined as an act of evil (as perceived by society) that is committed in a certain scenario where it follows a utilitarian approach; an approach in which the action does more good than harm. When Antonio beat up the old man, he was merely protecting his belongings and enforcing the law. More importantly, when Antonio killed Longoria, it was for his wife, his son, and the hundreds of other innocent lives that Longoria had claimed; Antonio did an act of
When growing up, the ideals of parents or parental figures can often impact your life and put pressure on you throughout life. This idea was shown drastically throughout the book Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. In this novel, a young boy named Antonio Marez resided in New Mexico where he lives with his siblings and parents, Maria and Gabriel. His life suddenly took a turn when a family friend, Ultima, comes to stay with him and his family. She greatly impacted him while he went through
How do we make the leap from child to adult? What obstacles must we overcome to finally reach the summit of all that we can be? Who can reform and influence our decisions, the very decisions that will shape who we become? In Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, Antonio Márez must progress towards his own moral independence and choose his destiny. Tony is forced to endure difficult experiences too early in life, causing a premature loss of innocence. He is overwhelmed with a multitude of spiritual questions. To find the answers he seeks, Antonio must undertake a metamorphosis.
In Bless Me, Ultima, Rudolfo Anaya defends the assertion, “for in much wisdom there is much grief, and increase of knowledge is increase of sorrow,” from Ecclesiastes. Tony endures many trials throughout the novel, therefore increasing his knowledge of life but also increasing his grief and sorrow. After witnessing Lupito’s death, Tony realizes that people are not always what they appear to be. Tony also begins to question his religion because of trials in the novel, some of which include Lucas’ cure and the sighting of the golden carp. In his trek during the blizzard, Tony learns of his brother’s sinful doings and he witnesses the death of a good man. Tony gains much knowledge in these scenes, but, unfortunately, with this knowledge comes grief.
In the book “Bless Me Ultima”, by Rudolpho Anaya, there were two families represented, the Marez family and the Lunas family. These two families were very different, but were brought together by the marriage of Gabriel Marez and Maria Lunas. Through the eyes of their son Antonio one may see the comparison of the two. The differentiation of these two families is very clearly noticeable, such as in their personalities, the expression of their religion, and their everyday ways of life.
In Rodolfo Anaya's novel, Bless Me, Ultima the author uses different settings in order to develop Antonio's sense of good and evil.
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya is a coming of age story about a young boy named Antonio Marez. The novel takes place in New Mexico where Antonio tries to fulfill his parent’s expectations while struggling with religion. Through Antonio, Anaya defies the some of the principles in religion and expresses her interpretation on the system of beliefs. Antonio’s religious confusion suggests that man should be able to choose his own religion and destiny. In the Bless me, Ultima, Antonio experiences conflict in his religious beliefs because of the deaths he witnesses, the new ideas that he learns, and his open-minded mentality.
In the novel, Bless me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, a boy goes through many more experiences than any child in the hot summer days in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. He witnesses the deaths of his close friends and family. This boy expresses his emotions and grief through his dreams, only to wake up with fear and confusion in his mind. Antonio’s life is filled with dreams that foreshadow future incidents, as well as influences Antonio’s beliefs of religion and ideas of innocence.
Narciso- An honorable man who tries to protect Ultima from harm. Because of the loss of his young wife, Narciso begins to drink and is known as the town drunk. Through his garden, Narciso makes magic by growing beautiful flowers and plants. He is later killed by Tenorio in cold blood while trying to warn Ultima of harm and is buried as the town drunk instead of the hero that he is.
Rudolfo Anaya’s, Bless Me, Ultima and Guillermo del Toro’s, Pan’s Labyrinth are two coming-of-age stories. Both the novel and the movie are full of events that contribute to the disillusionment of the main character’s childhood idealism and the realization of the real world they live in. Both protagonists absorb themselves in a mythical world full of fantasy and each receives exposure to religious theology and trauma by the violence of men. Despite the fact that Antonio and Ofelia have different familial role models and travel along different paths, their childlike innocence, disillusionment, and initiation into adulthood comes about through similar themes: myth, religion, and violence. Bless Me, Ultima is about Antonio, the protagonist, who struggles with questions concerning religion and the local pagan myths.
The curiosity of what our destiny will be and what our future holds has crossed our minds once or twice. Destiny is the conclusion to many life situations we are faced with in our everyday lives, but no one could figure out what their destiny is until the time is right. Antonio from the novel Bless Me, Ultima written by Rudolfo Anaya and Paikea from Whale Riders run through many conflicts trying to seek their destinies. Antonio, must choose to follow her mother’s footsteps of tending the land or become free and wild like his father and older brothers as well as deciding whether or not to follow and walk alongside Ultima, even if she may be evil. Unlike Antonio, Paikea must prove to herself and her grandfather that she is able to lead her tribe out of depression and laziness, even if she may not physically hold the components of becoming a leader. Both Antonio and Paikea are able to find their destinies, but they each have unique and individual experiences of family pressure, spiritual leaders and becoming a leader.
After having a conversation with the man who brutally attacked his father and left him to suffer, Don Lupe’s son takes pity on Juvencio and tells his men to kill Juvencio quickly. Juan Rulfo describes this merciful action in the passage, “There he was, as if they'd beaten him, waving his hat against the ground. Shouting. Immediately, the voice from inside said, ‘Tie him up and give him something to drink until he gets drunk so the shots won't hurt him.’” In this scene, Juan Rulfo shows that the son, even after reliving the story of how Juvencio murdered his father, still has a certain amount of empathy for Juvencio, though it is clear that Juvencio felt no empathy for Don Lupe. The son still orders his men to kill Juvencio quickly and to get him drunk, unlike when Juvencio killed Don Lupe and left him to suffer for two days. This demonstrates that Don Lupe’s son is still a compassionate person, even when dealing with the man who murdered his father. Juan Rulfo uses this scene to show the empathetic nature of Don Lupe’s son and the fact that every main character in the story, except for Juvencio, exhibits
Simpkins, Scott. "Sources of Magic Realism/Supplements to Realism in Contemporary Latin American Literature." Magical Realism. Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham, N.C.: Duke UP, 1995: 145-157.
Antonio is so mesmerized by Sebastian’s beauty that he states, “If you will not murder me for my love, let me be your servant” (2.1.35).Antonio is becoming obsessed with Sebastian and cannot stand the idea of not spending time with him, that he begs him to let him be his servant so he can accompany Sebastian and serve him in any way possible. His desire to serve Sebastian comes from his obsession with him. Antonio extreme obsession for Sebastian stems from the Elizabethan connection between good looks and a good soul. Sebastian tries to prevent this firm devotion but pleads with Antonio: “Crave[s] of [his] leave, that [he] may bear [his] evils alone”(2.1.5-6).(Insert Analysis for the previous quote). Sebastian advises Antonio to “Fare ye well at once”(2.1.39) in an effort to prevent him any injury that Sebastian’s venture might bring. After hearing this Antonio is still adamant about attending Orsino’s court as well; “B...