While there are numerous examples of conflict throughout Bless Me, Ultima, the most prominent examples are the “Man vs. Self” conflicts Antonio faces. One such conflict—a multifaceted struggle that ultimately becomes one of the most prominent in the novel—concerns his religious beliefs. Antonio’s mother is a devout Catholic and raises her children to be followers of the religion as well, but Antonio struggles with the concept of the all-powerful God and the fact that such a God would punish good people while forgiving those whom Antonio deemed “evil,” and at one point thinks that perhaps God does not help him because He is “too busy in heaven to worry or care about” Antonio and his friends and family (187). Antonio also doubts that God truly is all-powerful, as He couldn’t alleviate the Téllez family’s curse, and He could save neither Lupito nor Narciso, and therefore thinks it “doesn’t seem right” that He has “the right to send you to hell or heaven when you died.” (236) Yet despite his doubts, some part of Antonio clings to his upbringing and what his mother taught him, as he is seen desperately clinging to his religious beliefs, such as when he restrains himself from seeking too much knowledge despite his curiosity, for fear that he might commit “the original sin of Adam and Eve” (197).
A short story that is similar to Bless Me, Ultima, is Mi Caballo Mago by Sabine Ulibarrí. This is a story about a boy who dreams of catching el Caballo Mago for his selfish needs. The horse is described as white and beautiful, and the story is a legend. No one has ever captured the horse, so of course, the young boy’s mission is to catch this magical horse. Well, in the end, he ends up catching this horse and he ties him to a gate so the horse cannot escape. Ironically, the horse escapes. At first, the boy was upset and began to cry. The story says “pero mi tristeza era gusto. Lloraba de alegría. Estaba celebrando, por mucho que me dolía, la fuga y la libertad del Mago la trascendencia de ese espíritu indomable” (Ulibarrí, 5). One of the
In Bless me Ultima, Antonio struggles to choose what path in life he wants to take. Antonio’s parents come from very different families and both think Antonio should follow the lifestyle of their family’s side. Antonio’s mother wants her son to follow in the footsteps of the Lunas and become a servant of God, a priest. On the other hand, his father dreams of him and his son venturing to California and starting a new life full of adventure. His parents’ constant disagreement about Antonio’s destiny causes an internal conflict that wreaks havoc on him throughout the book. In this dream, we see antonio break free from his destiny and become his own man. In the dream on chapter 22, in Bless Me Ultima, Anaya uses foreshadowing, juxtaposition, and symbolism to illustrate Antonio becoming less dependent on others to guide him, which leads to him forsaking his parents’ expectations and molding his own path in life. Anaya feels this change in Antonio is a positive pivotal step in growing up.
Magical realism is when magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in an otherwise realistic or normal setting. In Bless Me, Ultima there are many elements of magical realism which occur in the sacred town Tony Marez spends his childhood in. Tony is the character Rudolfo Anaya uses to share personal experience he had as a child. From start to finish, the story consistently portrays imagery and personification to give the land of New Mexico a life of its own.
Ultima is Antonio’s springboard to answers when his questioning mind is overwhelmed with anxiety and when his quarreling parents are incapable of complying with one another. “On Sunday morning I always stayed in bed and listened to their argument. They always quarreled on Sunday.” The repetition of the word Sunday places emphasis on the idea of religion and how it can foster ambivalence. “I felt more attached to Ultima than my own mother.”(123) Having to witness and tend to him at his birth has made their relationship essentially inextricable. Ultima gave him the wisdom he desired and marked his transcendence into a cultivated person. “I knew that if she didn't answer my question that that part of life was not yet ready to reveal itself to me.”(42) As Antonio’s curiosity and faith in Ultima grew his Knowledge through his experiences evolved. Ultima taught him that patience was a necessity and the answers that you want will reveal themselves in due
Throughout the novel, Antonio struggles with his identity due to his parent’s clashing background. As he began to unveil the different aspects of his parent’s culture, he gains an overwhelming amount of knowledge that causes inner conflict. Due to his identity crisis, Antonio begins to learn unnecessary amount of cultures and religions in hope for an answer. Ironically, Antonio gains more layers to his inner conflict as he is introduced to the idea of disagreeing cultures instead of a solution. In addition, Antonio becomes prone to nightmares relating to the negativity of each religion, causing him to further question the religion's taboo subject. Although certain areas of his learning journey were beneficial towards him, Antonio further isolates himself from the rest of society and more into an unrealistic dimension that Ultima had created. In the end, it can be perceived that Antonio’s mindset is focused into the confusion of Ultima’s magic which may ultimately lead to permanent isolation from the rest of
Antonio “Tony” Marez is only a six year old child at the start of the book. His father trying to push him into cattle herding, while his mom is pushing him to become a priest. He instead works under Ultima a elderly women that is a healer in the community.
Thesis: Antonio Marez should become a priest for the family but in doing so should break the traditional Catholicism tradition barriers and be able to incorporate his own life experiences.
Being Born into a Family with Two Different Backgrounds: A Conflict in Bless Me Ultima About Tony Being Influenced By Two Opposite Ways of Life
Sleep is symbolic for peace and harmony. However sometimes the war you face while awake can haunt your sleep. The protagonist Antonio (Toni) in Bless Me Ultima by Rudolpho Anaya is forced to face the differentiating cultures and influences projected by his elders. His parents attempt to live their dreams through Toni but only cause the development of the opposite within Antonio. The conflict Toni faces has such a tremendous impact on him that it besets his dreams.
Is there one real god? Are all gods ideally perfect? The main character Antonio in Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima is torn between which god he must choose. On one hand there is the Virgin, a forgiving god, or God, a wrathful and critical god. In Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima he uses juxtaposition to reveal the differences between God and the Virgin to show the two halves of Antonio’s personality thus revealing that in life people need to be critical and caring towards others.
The main driving point is Bless Me Ultima is Antonio’s coming of age. In the novel, Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya, Antonio is spiritually and religiously tested which leads him to a bildungsroman. Throughout the novel, Antonio encounters religious doubts like the golden carp and spiritual events like the deaths of others. Although Antonio’s purpose in the story is to fulfill his prophecy, along the way he experiences life changing grows more as a spiritual and religious person.
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom,” is a quote by Aristotle, providing a vivid understanding that if someone knows who they are as a person, it is difficult to persuade them into thinking otherwise. However, if one is ignorant of their identity, it is easy to provide them with conflicting thoughts as well as confusion toward their culture, customs, race or anything particularly having to do with their background.
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, a Shakespearean play and representation of the assassination of Caesar, is a well written and developed story in which the build up of the characters is very well done. As a matter of fact, the developing of Brutus, the tragic hero on the play, is one of the most important characters and therefore one of the better explained and exposed. Brutus is a character that is marked with three traits that allow him to be the one responsible for Caesar's assassination. Indeed, Brutus is naive, well-intended and hypocrite, as seen when the conspirators convince him to be part of it, and be one of the most important figures in it.
The short novel, Aura, by Carlos Fuentes creates a mythical reality to reference Mexican history. He uses Aura, Felipe Montero, and Consuelo as a reflection of the past and the present, where for example, Consuelo represents the past and Felipe the present. In this paper I will explain how the love story of Felipe, Aura, and Consuelo represent Mexican history. In addition this paper will explain how myth breaks down into different elements, such as religion, legends, traditions, and beliefs, all of which are manifested in the different characters and their actions within this novel. Carlos Fuentes applies a cyclical view to Mexican history using Felipe and Llorente, and Consuelo and Consuelo.