Bless Me Ultima Character Analysis

Ultima’s god like figure is shown through her powerful nature in showing that destiny is not to be decided by parents. In Antonio’s first dream, he sees the scene of his birth, down to the fighting of his relatives over his destiny. Ultima is present and stops the madness, shouting “Cease! she cried, and the men were quite . I pulled this baby into the light of life, so I will bury the afterbirth and the cord that once linked him to eternity. Only I will know his destiny” (6). By doing this Ultima suggests that as she was the one to deliver the baby, she should be the one to ‘decide’ his fate, and that as none of his relatives did the same, they do not get the opportunity to make the choice for themselves. At the time this takes place, Ultima

There was a strange power in Ultima’s medicine,” (27). This shows that Ultima’s magic is now affecting Antonio’s view on Ultima now that he’s

A clear theme in Bless Me, Ultima is Antonio’s struggle to find who he is amidst two sides of himself: the Lunas and the vaqueros. He fears for his future, where he believes he will have to decide between the two parts of himself, and inevitably disappoint one half of the people in his life. He fears what his life will be. He fears the river. This all changes when Ultima arrives. She teaches him to love the presence of the river, and to love his life however it may come. She shows him that the river is the lifeblood of the herbs she uses to heal and save, and that he can use his life to help others as well. But her spirit, in the owl, also shows him that life, and the river, can be very dangerous (Anaya, 14).

In the very beginning of the book Lupito, a war veteran, returns to New Mexico from WWII. He, like many other soldiers, has serious mental issues caused by the firsthand experience of the war. While it may have appeared that he was alright, the lucidity was only surface deep. He had a severe case of PTSD and had delusions. One night, he had an delusional episode and killed the town sheriff. When the townspeople learned of the murder, they set out for vengeance. Soon after, the townspeople and Antonio’s father Gabriel, had set out to kill Lupito. Antonio was nearby the riot, and sees the slaughter firsthand. Lupito is shot several times and dies right in front of Antonio, a young boy at the time.

Another example of Antonio's sense of development in good and evil is his home. It is means a lot to Antonio, because the people living in it makes him feel protected and provide warmth to him. When Tenorio and his men came to his house to take Ultima away, Antonio’s father "You walk on my land! That is my business" (Anaya 130). This make Antonio feel that he would be protected by the presence of his father., Gabriel. However, Antonio's mother made home very fond and ardent for him. She had always been affectionate towards him and would show him care. Most importantly, Ultima was the one who contributed to the goodness of Antonio's home. She made Antonio feel as though her presence filled the home with love and safety. It was Ultima who calmed Antonio down after he had seen Lupito die. Whenever he had a nightmare, Ultima would always be right beside to comfort Antonio and " could sleep again" (Anaya 34). Ultima's fearlessness against Tenorio and his three daughters made Antonio feel that he would be safe wherever Ultima was. Overall, the

An essential part of someone 's life is a place where they are left alone with their own thoughts, not being judged by anyone or anything outside of them. In many cases, this sense of safety can only be found within themselves, because their world is being torn apart by outside influences that have little regard for their own perspective. Similarly, this is ever-present with Antonio and his family in the book Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. In almost every aspect , Antonio 's family persistently attempts to influence him to their own accord, with even his brothers becoming distant memories that left him and expecting him to fulfill his parents ' antithetical wishes.

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

In the novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya , he shows symbolism that greatly affects the reader's understanding of the book and pulls them deeper into the story. Bless Me, Ultima is about a curandera named Ultima that comes to stay with Antonio and his family until her death. Ultima guides Antonio through his life while slowly revealing his destiny. This novel shows us how Rudolfo Anaya uses symbolism to help the reader have a deeper understanding of Antonio’s life.

Most young people have not witnessed five deaths, had their beliefs challenged, nor have been torn between their parents’ hopes, however, Antonio has done all three. In Rudolfo Anaya ’s coming-of-age novel, Bless Me, Ultima, Ultima comes to live with the Márez family.

She is certainly the person that Antonio admires most, and has an extremely prominent influence on Antonio. Since Antonio was the last child that she birthed, Ultima came to live with his family. She was very protective of him for the same reason and teaches Antonio about being a curandera (her job). In addition, she allows Antonio to fill a role that could be called a protégé. Her willingness to allow him to be with her helped to boost Antonio’s confidence.

Antonio’s parents were very kind and supported him by providing useful ideas for his future. Ultima also predicted that Antonio will be “man of learning.” She guided him in his efforts to understand

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

Bless Me, Ultima develop these conflicts very early on and the conflicts begin to grow until the very end. The book says Antonio is having problems about who he is and what he will become. Antonio struggle to believe in God and wonders if the golden carp is real or not. Antonio wonders which parent to follow. He also goes through his culture being challenged.

Antonio, from Bless Me, Ultima, lives stuck in a world of in-betweens, a world of borders. He must navigate this world and find his place within it, all while trying to please his parents. Tony’s surroundings and cultural background lead to this in between world and force him to pick a side before he has even began to grow up. In Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me Ultima, Antonio is constantly searching for answers about his future and the world around him; he finds these answers through his family, environment, religion, and family friend, Ultima.

I asked. That is not for us to say, Antonio. The war sickness was not taken out of him, he did not know what he was doing.”. Since Ultima apprehends that what Lupito did isn’t his fault, but what the war did to him, to lose sanity and become someone he didn’t want to ripen as. Even though he wonders for Lupito’s forgiveness, the fundamentals of his religion contradicts his thoughts which increases his religious ambivalence.