Antonio’s struggle to reconcile his Luna and Márez identities and the Catholic faith and magic are symbolized by the river, the Golden Carp, and the bridge. The river comes to represent Antonio’s internal struggle to choose between his parents’ dreams for his future. The river represents Antonio’s mind, muddled and confused. The river becomes tainted with Lupito’s blood from when he was shot in the river, therefore ruining Antonio’s pure and clear river. As Antonio ages and gains more knowledge, the river becomes more polluted with different ideas coming from different influences in his life. Because the river separates Antonio’s parents’ homelands, where their ideals are sprung from, the river is convoluted with Antonio’s contrasting fates. …show more content…
Antonio reflects upon the rivers’ stance in his life. The contrast of his life in town against his life in the llano. Antonio understands the situation he is in, yet he is still confused and needs more time to clear the river. Antonio describes Ultima when she first arrives, “When she [Ultima] came the beauty of llano unfolded before my eyes, and the gurgling waters of the river sang to the hum of the tuning earth” (1). When Ultima arrives ‘the beauty of llano unfolded before my eyes’, Ultima shows Antonio a new way to look at life. She shows him the power of nature. Antonio’s already muddled river becomes more muddled, with new ideas. Although Antonio is just a boy, this will ultimately result in the later purification of the river. Ultima urges Antonio to refrain from letting other factors affect his decision about his future, but while doing this Ultima shows Antonio the power of nature. Antonio’s mind symbolizes the river due to the rivers frequent movement mirroring Antonio’s constant search for answers surrounding his fate. The river is always changing just as Antonio’s idea’s and understanding of knowledge …show more content…
Antonio feels linked to the bridge because it represents his dream of pleasing both his parents. Antonio recognizes this at and early age, ”I started across the bridge, and it was the first time I ever remember talking to it. Oh beautiful bridge, I cross you and leave town, I cross towards the llano! I climb the hill, I race over the goat path, and I am home! I did not feel it was a silly song , I only felt happy “ (77). Through this song, Antonio expresses his love for the bridge, for it connects both his father’s and Mother’s sides of their family. Antonio reflects from an early age the importance in the placement of the bridge, ’I cross you and leave town, I cross towards the llano! I climb the hill, I race over the goat path, and I am home!’ Antonio knows that although both of his parents’ native lands are separated, and that this bridge holds the two together. Antonio feels pressured to choose one future, therefore siding with one of his parents. While he is on the bridge, he can find peace of mind and make his own decision upon his future, rather than having influences from other people. Antonio reconciles with his future as he and Andrew walk along the bridge, “I thought about what he said as we walked to the bridge. I wondered if I would grow up too fast ”(75). Antonio feels pressured to make a decision while his
The crossing of the Rio Grande into Mexico is an important structural device and symbol of the novel. This is when they enter the frame. of the novel in which all the conflicts take place. The crossing of the river naked is symbolic of the cleansing of their souls as well as a new beginning. In only a short time after arriving in Mexico, conflicts start.
Barry defines the Mississippi’s unpredictability through an “uncoiling rope.” One cannot experience an act such as that of an uncoiling rope, in it’s smooth, but quick movements. Its destination cannot be anticipated and its course of action can only be speculated. By using a single phrase, like “uncoiling rope,” Barry guides his audience to a complete picture of the fascinating Mississippi. He gives life to the Mississippi by relating it to a snake. His snake-related diction, such as “roils” and “uncoiling” present the river with lifelike qualities that extend Barry’s purpose in saying that the incredible river can actually stand on it’s own. Furthermore, Barry describes the river in similes in order to compare the Mississippi to a snake, in a sense of both power and grace. The river “devours itself”, “sucking” at the surface around it, and “scouring out holes” in its depths. Barry’s combination of personifying diction and similes provide his audience with a relation in which one understands the Mississippi’s paradox of strength and unpredictability, and
Throughout the book Antonio is introduced to many new ideas. The first is the experiences he has with Ultima. Ultima is a healer who learned her techniques from an old wise man on the prairie. She is sometimes called a witch. This confuses Antonio because in his heart he knows Ultima represents good and not the evil she is sometimes blamed for. Antonio learns some of the ways of Ultima and begins to understand his surroundings. He knows the name of almost every plant and what medicinal uses each has.
In “Ask Me” by William Stafford, Stafford uses tone,idiom, and symbolism to explain why thought his life was like a river. William Stafford uses the river to help him be able to answer any questions people might have for him.
In line 16-19 compares a “ judicious traveler to a river...running rich with veins of minerals, [improving] their qualities as they pass along” in order to create a sense that there is a greater purpose being served in which her son is the traveler absorbing his intellect and power through experience. And in a further line, she asks “ Would Cicero have shone so distinguished an orator if he had not been roused, kindled, and inflamed” through this comparison of grand character’s mishaps and necessary events required in order to erect their elocution in society, she sets forth that it was necessary for him to go in order to become something larger than life. The use of comparisons through metaphors and allusion has the effect of building a strict hindrance that he is expected to come back something greater than before as someone who can lead and possess the qualities of a true
Symbolism is a recurring theme in this novel, the river and fish symbols both contribute to the overall growth to the protagonist, Lily, and to the storyline as a whole. “The river has done its best, I was sure, to give her a peaceful ride out of this life. You can die in a river, but maybe you could be reborn in it too” (Kidd 229). The river as a symbol represents life and death, Lily mentions how it brought May’s death but also brings life too, for example, a baptism is sometimes done in river with symbolizes rebirth. This influential symbol contributes to the organization of the storyline by partly helping Lily come to terms with May’s death, in turn, keeping Lily content and the story continuing. “They held me down on the bank and hooked
First, and probably most important are the three sources of understanding for Antonio. First, there is Ultima, who serves as a neutral source of understanding and comforter for Antonio. The next source of understanding for Antonio is God. Antonio constantly struggles to understand good and evil through the eyes of the Catholic God. The final source of understanding for Antonio is the golden carp. The golden carp seems to be the alternative to believing in God throughout this novel. Antonio is constantly conflicted between God and the golden carp. When this conflict gets to be too much for Antonio, he goes to see Ultima. "I felt more attached to Ultima than to my own mother. Ultima told me the stories and legends of my ancestors. From her I learned the glory and the tragedy of the history of my people, and I came to understand how that history stirred in my blood" (128). This quote illustrates the point that Ultima serves as a crucial part of Antonio's learning and understanding experiences. Antonio feels closer to Ultima than to his own mother, so naturally she is going to have a key hand in influencing him. Just as she serves to mediate his conflicts between the golden carp and God, she mediates between his Luna and Márez blood.
The two rivers that are part of the Devon School property symbolize how Gene and Finny grew up through the course of the novel. The Devon River is preferred by the students because it is above the dam and contains clean water. It is a symbol of childhood and innocence, because it is safe and simple. It is preferred to show how the boys choose to hold onto their youth instead of growing up. The Naguamsett is the disgustingly dirty river which symbolizes adulthood because of its complexity.
Few questioned it, nonetheless giving the church power. In Antonio’s community, many people identified themselves as catholics therefore believing in the teaching of the Virgen de Guadalupe, a symbol of forgiveness. Like his main character, Rudolfo Anaya was brought up in the same religious environment. His family greatly influenced religious beliefs. A key character to the development of Tony’s religious disbeliefs is Florence, an orphan who does not believe in God due to his troubled past. Florence gives Tony his life story, both parents are dead, sisters become hookers, and he asks Tony “If God was real why would he do this to me” (90). As Antonio became frustrated with many unanswered questions regarding religion he starts doubting the ways of God. At this point Tony meets Cico, an older boy who introduces him to a different belief system, the “Golden Carp”. The belief of the Golden Carp was something that really intrigued Tony as he thought he finally found a forgiving God, a better God. After his first communion Tony thought that he would finally be one with God but soon after he did not feel anything, his disbeliefs were triggered to a whole other
The story uses many motifs, symbols and themes. First the motif is Antonio’s dreams. In the beginning of the book his dreams are about what he will become when he grows up; the choice between priest or a vaquero. Later on his dreams change to more important matters, such as family questions and his duty in life. The second motif regards Antonio’s family. He has many family members such
In essence, Antonio shows that he is unsure if he truly believes in his religion because of his acceptance of other beliefs, the new ideas that he learns, and the deaths of Narciso and Lupito. Antonio’s experiences lead him to believe that he is in charge of his destiny and he has the ability to choose what he wants, not what his parents want. In the end, Antonio determines his religious values based on what he believes in, so he tells himself to “[t]ake the Ilano and the river valley, the moon and the sea, God and the golden carp and make something new” (247). Antonio’s encounters with religion represent those who follow their religion but are not content with it. All in all, the story suggests that sometimes people want to learn other ideas to discover what fits them best.
...ce. In the very last dream, he witnesses three deaths that occur in front of him. This shows that he is losing his innocence because the people that die in the dream were not evil but good. This makes Antonio realize that the world is unfair and unjust. In his dream, “the Golden Carp appeared and Cico struck with his spear and the water ran blood red” (176). The Golden Carp dies which signify his loss of innocence, because only the innocent who have not sin can see the Golden Carp.
Water is used to symbolize not only guilt, but the medium to get rid of the guilt. Not only does it represent that, from another perspective water also symbolizes purity and transparency, opposite to blood. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth use water to clean off the blood on them, which can be seen as them using water is a medium to clean off the guilt that they possess, symbolically displaying to Macbeth and lady macbeth water is more than just H2O it is a chance that they are clinging on to to clean off their guilty conscience, which also carry over all the way to Act 5 of Lady Macbeth sleepwalking (5.1.2-), doing the exact same thing as before, using water as something greater, something that they can only hope to make them feel better. However from a different perspective it can be see completely different but still fall under the same theme of guilt. Water is pure, transparent and nourishing. Blood is the opposite, blood is portrayed as dirty, it is opaque and it is not very good to drink. These two opposites portrays how the guilt and all the awful things that comes with a violation of nature like murder comes into contact with us, us being the water and the guilt and bad things being blood. When you mix blood with water pretty much always the blood will overpower the water and make it red, filling up your previous conscience being filled up with only guilt,
Hughes emphasizes his message consistently throughout this poem, weaving in the most important line in the middle and end of the poem. He is representing his people. African Americans have waited and been abused by society, and this deepened and weathered their souls over time, just as a river would become deepened and weathered. Hughes’ soul, the collective soul of African Americans, has become “deep like the rivers” (5). This simile speaks that the rivers are part of the body, and contribute to this immortality that Hughes is so desperate to achieve for his people. Rivers are the earthly symbols of eternity: deep, constant, mystifying.
In “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”, the river stands as a symbol of endlessness, geographical awareness, and the epitome of the human soul. Hughes uses the literary elements of repetition and simile to paint the river as a symbol of timelessness. This is evident in the first two lines of the poem. Hughes introduces this timeless symbol, stating, “I've known rivers: I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins” (Hughes 1-2). These opening lines of the poem identifies that the rivers Hughes is speaking about are older than the existence of human life. This indicates the rivers’ qualities of knowledge, permanence, and the ability to endure all. Humans associate “age” with these traits and the longevity of a river makes it a force to be reckoned with. The use of a simile in the line of the poem is to prompt the audience that this is truly a contrast between that ancient wisdom, strength, and determination of the river and the same qualities that characterize a human being. The imagery portrayed in the poem of blood flowing through human veins like a river flows ...