Analysis Of Bless Me, Ultima By Rudolfo Anaya

Antonio, who has begun to discover the importance of independence, must use this to his mother, who has her own vision of his future. The fact that he holds this value signifies growth in Tony’s character, and his continuing development into a man.

Children who have been abused are left with more than just physical scars. They have many psychological, emotional, and behavioral problems as well. Their social lives are affected dramatically, and they suffer lifelong effects. (Lambert) Children tend to

Antonio’s conflict is that both sides of his family are trying to have influence in the type of person Antonio will grow into.

At Antonio’s birth, the Luna and Marez fought over which heritage he would inherit, but Ultima resolves the conflict by saying, “I pulled this baby into the light of life… only I will know his destiny” (6). So, when Ultima dies at the conclusion of the novel, the knowledge of Antonio’s destiny dies with her. Antonio then has the freedom to create his own future free from the pressure of choosing to be either a Luna or a Marez. Ultima’s death, while resolving his identity conflict, also forces Antonio to grow up and become more self-reliant. Before her death, Antonio depended on her for advice because his parents are biased with his identity struggle. Without her guidance, Antonio is forced to be more independent. Ultima seems to recognize this as she blesses Antonio before she dies saying, “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—” (261). Ultima reassures Antonio that she will be with him because, without her, he has no one else to depend on for guidance. When Ultima dies, it concludes Antonio’s faith and heritage conflict because it gives him the independence to seek out his destiny as both a

In an additional transformation, his friends are essential in turning Antonio into a more self-sufficient person. The first time Antonio goes to school, he is scared of his peers and is not capable of thinking for himself. As he goes through school, he starts developing a strong friendship with Samuel and Florence, who help him gain more independence by assisting him to not be dependable on his mother. He gains this confidence which assists him in making large decisions by himself. The ordinary procedure of distinctive growth begins for Antonio.

​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

To start off, Antonio is always under pressure from certain people that want him to do specific things in hopes of him securing the future of his people. This ties into conflicting cultures, which plays an important role when it comes to Antonio’s early life since his actions are defined by the conflicts between the Luna and the Marez. The Luna are the devoted farmers who worship the earth and the moon, while the Marez are very free-spirited vaqueros who are extremely devoted to their lifestyle and horses. Being a Marez is what causes Antonio’s three older brothers to go into the world and leave there family behind. “It was true, I thought, it is the Marez blood in us that touches us with this urge to wonder. Like the restless, seeking sea” (40). His brothers chose a path that Antonio is struggling to pick and cannot seem to identify with. This is a big deal because Antonio is only in the first grade and he is being pressured into growing up faster than he should be.

Initially, Antonio 's family in itself experiences major discrepancies with beliefs in different religions. Antonio 's mother, Maria Maréz, (formally a Luna), has a strong monotheistic belief in praying to the Virgin of Guadalupe and is very active in her catholic faith. Antonio 's mother would always make them pray and often times,“after supper [they] always prayed the rosary… [she] had a beautiful statue of la Virgen de Guadalupe” that they would kneel in front of and sometimes pray to for hours on end (Anaya 43). Maria had a strong belief that

The tragic death of Lupito sparked the fire of religious ambivalence that will burn bright in the conflicted mind of Antonio. His innocent mind was now engraved with the dying man’s last wish to be blessed causing him to question if God had also witnessed Lupito’s demise and if so why did would he let him have front row seats. With his innocence now ripped from the

First, the religious concept views death as the commencement of a new life (Campione, 2004). Next, the

Antonio faces many problems in the book because everyone in his life wants something different thing for him, and for

She guides Antonio through his concerns and gives him advice on how to grow up. Antonio has also expressed a fear of growing up, as he was told that growing up is a sin. Ultima teaches him that growing up isn’t bad, as “growth is change” (245) and change is good. She serves as clarity, support, and a source of wisdom to Antonio. She helps Antonio cope with his uncertainties. Ultima teaches Antonio to be independent and make his own decisions. One of Antonio’s inner conflicts is created by the choice he has to make between Gabriel and Maria. Ultima tells Antonio to not “trouble [himself]” (41) with this choice, as he will have “plenty of time to find [himself]” and the solution (41). This approach contrasts wildly with Gabriel and Maria’s, who often remind Antonio of their respective expectations. While Maria and Gabriel’s beliefs and aspirations affect Antonio’s, Ultima says that she “cannot tell [him] what to believe” (119), and that as he grows up, he needs to make his own beliefs. Ultima encourages Antonio to make his own future instead of pushing one on

The binary opposition of Antonio’s mother and father are one of the major central conflicts. Antonio resides between the Lunas and the Márez tradition, two families that see no common ground. His passage

“I yearned for knowledge and understanding” (Anaya, 74). Antonio always wants to learn and is always inquiring into how the world works, and all the mysteries of the universe. “‘I am beginning to understand why your mother calls you the inquisitor,’ she said.” (Anaya, 33). Antonio’s mother recognizes his investigative nature so much that she has nicknamed him after this trait.

Childhood is a time for playdates and learning, a time for big dreams and imaginary adventures. Safety and security should not be questions that linger in uncertainty. However, this is not the case for many children across the globe. Thousands of children from all walks of life each day are faced with unspeakable horror and must deal with the resulting trauma from then on. However, in children, managing this trauma takes a different toll on the mind and heart than it does in adults. While the type of trauma may vary in pervasiveness across countries, trauma occurring in childhood has the ability to cause long term damage to the growing neurological functioning in the brain and negatively influence children’s spiritual development, wounding