Bless Me Ultima Chapter 1 Summary

(P) This thought that Antonio has builds up the possibility that he will later form a deep connection and bond with the earth and nature.

Kanoza writes therefore that it is when Anaya's protagonist “comes to comprehend the kinship of the golden carp and Christ and he realizes the obvious-that as the offspring of his mismatched parents he is living proof that opposites can integrate” (Kenzo, 166). In this sense the myth of the golden carp serves simultaneously to embody and also eventually to overcome the contradictions within the novel as a whole. The capacity of myth to provide the ground for reconciliation is made clear in the final passages of the novel, in which Anaya's protagonist reflects on his capacity to use the story of the golden carp as one element of new religion. This religion would be that is capable of containing but also of potentially sublimating religions that have come before it. One reads him asking himself asking whether not “take the llano and the river valley, the moon and the sea, God and the golden carp-and make something new” and coming to the conclusion that “that is what Ultima meant by building strength from life” (Anyata, 1994, 248). The most important realization of the novel is that contradictions may be overcome through an interaction with the myths of the past, but only in the sense that such an interaction enables a synthesis from which something new may emerge. It is the realization of the capacity for this synthesis which marks out the most important aspect of Antonio's self knowledge at the end of the

Ultima helps Antonio with his anxiety and uncertainties throughout the book. After ultima goes to live with the marez family is when Antonio becomes able to be independent and move away from the responsibilities he has in his family. Ultima shows him that he has to think for himself and make his own decisions and conclusions. In the book Ultima tells Antonio “You are growing, and growth is change. Accept the change, make it part of your strength.” This quote from the book shows the relationship between Ultima and Antonio, it also shows her helping Antonio with his uncertainties and telling him to be and stay strong while he is

Many of Antonio’s dreams foretell future incidents. In the first dream, the night before the arrival of Ultima, Antonio is born and both sides of his family gather together for the arrival of the baby boy. The two families express their hopes and desires for the

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

First anaya uses symbolism to communicate her point of how Antonio is having a hard time deciding whether or not to be a Luna or a Marez. In Antonio's dream it's described as a situation where he is stuck picking a side a little after birth. “ This one will be a luna the old man said , he will be a farmer and keep our customs and traditions…. Gabriel , they shouted, you have a fine son he will make a fine vaquero!” (Anaya,5). This symbol communicates how Antonio has to choose what side of his family he will portray. The luna and marez name represents what Antonio will become. The luna name symbolizes the farmer and priest lifestyle, however the marez name symbolizes the vaquero free lifestyle.

His parents have ideas which conflict each other when it relates to their precious last son’s fate. Like a hawk swooping down on its prey, Ultima, an elderly curandera comes to occupy a room in the Marez residence. To everyone else in the house Ultima staying with them is negligible, but the bond Antonio and Ultima soon begin to create is the first step into Antonio’s quest in finding his fate. “When she came the beauty of the llano unfolded before my eyes, and the gurgling waters of the river sang to the hum of the turning earth. The magical time of childhood stood still, and the pulse of the living earth pressed its mystery into my living blood.”(Anaya 1) Ultima’s presence alone lifted Antonio’s spirits, even the little things such as the llano he lived on all his life that had become mundane to him, began to glisten with great importance.

As the story unfolds, Antonio is struggling with his own mind for an answer to the sinful nature of man and the forgiveness of his God. Under the guidance of Ultima, he learns that he must decide for himself the moral basis of life and live by it so as not to drown in the world of sin he lives in. The theme is expressed when Antonio excitedly enters the church for his first communion, thinking it will bring him an understanding of that that has been troubling his mind, ”A thousand questions pushed through my mind, but the voice within me did not answer. There was only silence.” When he feels nothing at the end of the communion and wonders why his God would not answer his questions, he begins to learn that he cannot rely on his church or his priest to provide him with what he needs to define morality. He learns that moral independence is important and as he fulfilled Ultima’s dying wish, he then understood and forged his own moral independence. Another theme is that culture and blood have a great influence of one’s identity. It can be easily seen that his family’s religious ways and the pride they carry in their blood is greatly troubling Antonio on his road to finding his moral

It is inevitable that certain moments in your life will affect how you think and act forever. These epiphanies can occur anywhere and anytime throughout life, whether it be when you're an immature child or a fully developed adult. The sudden realization can be shocking and life changing or so miniscule that you don’t realize the change within yourself. In Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, Antonio at the young age of seven, encountered many situations that caused his perceptions of reality to alter. Many factors such as death and the introduction to secular ideologies caused these epiphanies to arise.

Antonio’s conflicted nature isn’t resolved or even slightly relieved by his mother. In fact, she only seems to further increase his religious ambivalence due to her wish of him becoming a man of prayer even though the he will be devoting his life to a being that only seemed to have failed him during the times that he needed him most. Maria might have good intentions of deciding the path for her own child but she is on the other hand arguably a mother who thinks her every decision is the only true way which in turn not only affects Antonio but the whole family as well.

​Antonio’s questions about good vs evil begin when he first foreshadows that his innocence and peace would be shattered and everything in his life would change forever. He foresees a new period of difficulty and conflict that parallels his transition away from childish innocence and towards becoming a “man of learning.” “But the innocence which our isolation sheltered could not last forever, and the affairs of the town began to reach across our bridge and enter my life.” (15). The beginning of his transition comes when Jason’s father, Chavez comes to the

An important motif in “Bless Me, Ultima” are Antonio’s dreams. His dreams foreshadow major events and make him question his beliefs, especially revolving around

One way the author reflects the hopes, fears and expectations of the culture in the book was through Antonio’s dreams. Antonio’s dream reflected several of his most difficult cultural challenges including his parents conflicting aspirations and the towns conflicting religious beliefs.

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

In this scene, Antonio is faced with the inconvenience of his brothers’ restlessness within themselves and has taken it upon himself to correct their ways. The brothers are actually the ones calling out for help; however, since it is Antonio’s dream, it is his subconscious telling him he should advise his brothers. In his dream, the brothers yell “help us, Toni-eeeeee. Give us, grant us rest from this sea-blood!” Antonio is the only child of the Marez and the Lunas who hasn’t fully felt the urge to travel therefore the only one who can guide them to a permanent destination; however, Antonio believes that he needs magical healing abilities in order to help his brothers, which he does not have. However, the brothers disagree and go on listing