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Bless Me, Ultima By Rudolfo Anaya

971 Words4 Pages

In A Philosophy of Boredom, Lars Svendsen says that, “Self-identity is inextricably bound up with the identity of the surroundings.” Identity and lifestyle go hand-in-hand. There cannot be something in identity that is not found in lifestyle. In Rudolfo Anaya’s novel, Bless Me, Ultima, Antonio, a seven-year-old boy is faced with many conflicts, including finding his own identity, that most boys his age do not encounter. He is introduced to magic from Ultima, a curandera from the llano, death, a battle between two cultures, a new religion, and many other conflicts. In Bless Me, Ultima, Anaya believes that one’s identity is made from the many aspects of their life, not just one. Anaya shows Antonio’s coming of age with symbolism through both …show more content…

Ultima represents guidance for Antonio as he journeys on his path of life and finding his own identity. During Antonio’s first dream, Ultima tells Antonio’s bickering uncles that, “Only I will know his destiny” (6). Ultima is the only person that knows Antonio’s destiny, and she uses that knowledge to steer Tony in the right direction of his own path. Ultima comes to live with the Márez family and allows Tony to follow her around, teaching him many lessons about life. While up on the hill gathering plants and herbs with Ultima, Antonio asks about whether he is a Márez or a Luna, and she responds with, “… do not trouble yourself with those thoughts” (41). Ultima wants to make sure Tony knows that he doesn’t have to be one or the other. Ultima has always answered Tony’s questions, but death will not stop her from doing just that. After Tenorio shoots Ultima’s owl, killing her, Ultima is in her bed, and she tells Antonio to, “Love life, and if despair enters your heart, look for me in the evenings… I shall be with you – “ (261). She lets Antonio know that, though she will dead, he will always be able to look to her for guidance and advice. With Ultima’s knowledge, Tony seems to clear any conflict between his parents’ lifestyles, but is still battling with his different views on

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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.

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