Term Paper on "Novel Bless Me Ultima"

Term Paper 6 pages (2162 words) Sources: 0

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Bless Me, Ultima

One of the main themes is the novel Bless me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya is magic. Magic is present in the life of young Antonio thanks to Ultima, an old healer who comes to stay with 7-year-old Antonio and his family. Although the child is naturally attracted to the realm of magic, he is also in the position to wonder about issues such as life, death, and religion.

The owl symbolizes the power of magic, and represents the link between Ultima and Antonio. When the owl dies, Ultima's force is destroyed. In fact, when Antonio buries the owl he feels he is burying Ultima as the woman cannot survive without the owl. Their link is spiritual, not physical, but the death of the inner self - which takes place when Tenerio kills the owl -eventually destroys Ultima's physical self as well. The bond between them is unbreakable which leads to Ultima's death. The owl also has great significance in Antonio's life. The owl guides his sleep and symbolizes Antonio's connection with the world of magic and spirituality. Even though the owl is killed, its presence is still felt by both Antonio and Ultima. Upon her death, Ultima reassures Antonio that the spirit endures and that they are not really dead as long as he can feel them whenever he is lonely: "I bless you in the name of all that is good and strong and beautiful, Antonio. Always have the strength to live. Love life, and if despair enters your heart, look for me in the evenings when the wind is gentle and the owls sing in the hills. I shall be with you -- "(Anaya: 248).

The golden carp is another symbol of spirituality representing wisdom, comfort and moral guidance. Nonetheless, it reinforces the idea that moral percepts are equally valid irrespective of the religion they operate in. In fact, the carp is the symbol of the core of all religions, i.e. The morality of faith. At first, Antonio rejects the carp because he thinks its calling means betraying his own God, i.e. The God of the Catholic faith. In time, Antonio learns hat the carp can actually help him build his own identity, and find answers to his personal questions. In this sense, the carp is much more than a magical fish. It represents moral authority which is capable of providing answers, very much like the power of any religion to comfort and help its followers. Even the appearance of the fish is deeply symbolical. Antonio's eyes are overwhelmed by warm bright colors such as orange, yellow and red:"The orange of the golden carp appeared at the edge of the pond. As he came out of the darkness of the pond the sun caught his shiny scales and the light reflected orange and yellow and red. He swam very close to our feet. His body was round and smooth in the clear water. We watched in silence at the beauty and grandeur of the great fish" (Anaya: 105). The carp appears out of darkness and exposes himself to light; this is a metaphor of finding the answers to life's questions. Sunlight is a classic metaphor of knowledge and wisdom. The child senses the magical power of the fish and sees it as both a miracle and a mystery: "I could not have been more entranced if I had seen the Virgin or God Himself" (Anaya: 105).

Antonio senses a presence in the river. The child is introduced to the river by his friend Samuel who tells him that the river is magical and looks out for people. Although deeply moved, Antonio does not know how to reconcile what his friend tells him with his Catholic beliefs as the latter teach him there is only one God. In fact, the power of the river is the power of nature. The river which separates Antonio's house from the town symbolizes the passage of time. The fact that it is a river is not coincidental because although rivers flow and change continuously, they always remain the same. This is why the river is the symbol of the transformation of human identity with the passage of time. Very much like the river which flows into a greater body of water, human experience progresses towards the complete understanding of the world that only occurs when the final destination is reached.

Anaya, Rudolfo. Bless Me Ultima. Warner Books, 1994.

Antonio, the main character in Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya is torn between Catholicism, his family's religion, and the Llano religion of many gods. Despite it being an inner conflict, its historical background dates back to the colonial period when natives where forced to adopt the religion of the empire, i.e. Catholicism. Antonio's mother represents the culture that the empire brought and hence, Catholicism, whereas his father belongs to the old culture of the original inhabitants of the land. A young boy, Antonio is introduced to other beliefs and concepts which he cannot fully comprehend. His initial reaction is fear of betraying his religion and the God he was brought up to believe in. Antonio finds himself struggling to understand the moral percepts of his religion, most of which he cannot relate to. His desire is to reconstruct his religion so that other elements are incorporated: "Take the llano and the river valley, the moon and the sea, God and the golden carp -- and make something new,' I said to myself" (Anaya: 247). "Something new" is a metaphor for a new kind of religion that is based solely upon spirituality and tolerance.

The inner conflict that Antonio struggles with is very much born in his family: "The sun was good. The men of the llano were men of the sun. The men of the farms along the river were men of the moon. But we were all children of the white sun" (Anaya: 27). Maria, his mother, is a devout Catholic who hopes her son will be a priest. On the other hand, his father Gabriel represents the indigenous way of life and beliefs. His father wants to preserve the indigenous heritage and to pass it on to his son. Nonetheless, they both respect and revere the land, and its connection to the earth as a whole, and to the moon. The fact that they plant by the cycles of the moon is not a coincidence; nor is their name, the Luna family. What his parents are not aware of is that they both combine aspects of both religions, and that the clash is mostly historical because in reality, their way of life is the harmonious mixture of the two religions.

Antonio does not identify with Catholicism; his ideals are tolerance and goodness which he does not fully encounter in his mother's religion "There was no one I loved more than the Virgin. God had power, he spoke and the thunder echoed through the skies; God was not always forgiving, but the Virgin was full of a quiet peaceful love. (Anaya: 42). He feels torn between his parents' religions: "But I am growing, 'I said, every day I grow older - True,' she replied softly. She understood that as I grew I would have to choose to be my mother's priest or my father's son" (Anaya: 41). In this sense, he becomes closer to his father's religion. Ultima is the person who enters his life when he is a child and ultimately influences his search for his true religion. He is fascinated with the use of herbs and generally, of the land in healing people, and feels in touch with his ancestors. When accused of being a witch, Ultima is not afraid and is able to prove she is in fact a healer. Consequently, Antonio becomes certain that he wants to follow the path of his father and his ancestors. Ultima's faith in her religion determines Antonio to have the same faith in his choice. Moreover, her faith and devotion to her religion reinforce Antonio's decision as this kind of faith is something he does not encounter in Catholicism. Initially, Antonio does not know what values to adopt as he cannot fully relate to any of them. Upon her death, Ultima tells Antonio to listen to his heart and look for his own answers: "The tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength that resides in the human heart." (Anaya: 249). Antonio comes to realize that the important thing in life is not to lose one's capacity to persevere and to treat others with kindness. This also resolves his inner conflict as he becomes aware that goodness is the moral percept that guides all religions, and that the magical strength of the heart allows him to overcome suffering and loss, and helps him discover his true self.

Antonio grows up and realizes he must find his own God, his own right and wrong: "I doubted the God of my forefathers, the God of the Lunas,… READ MORE

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