Anaya's Use Of Conflict, Imagery, And Symbolism

Conflict, Imagery, and Symbolism The conflict between Mexican Folklore and Catholic belief is that the Catholics believed in only God and nothing else, while the others believed in the stories that were passed down for generations. Catholics thought it was a sin to believe other than the words of God and tried to change everyone else’s beliefs. However, people who did not believe that it was a sin to listen to believe in other things, believed in Mexican folklore. Before Catholicism was brought in to people’s lives, the Mexicans believed the words of their ancestors and passed their stories down among generations. The clash between these two cultures leaves Antonio questioning the word of God and following down a dangerous path between stories

Some examples are “The pond was dark and clear, and the water trickled and gurgled over the top of the dam.” (Anaya 112), “‘I swear, Tony, the music was pulling me into the dark waters below!’” (Anaya 116), and “‘He said that the sins of the people would weigh so heavy upon the land that in the end the whole town would collapse and be swallowed by water-’” (Anaya 118). The impact that these images had made the reader understand how the water symbolises the clash between Mexican folklore and Catholicism using the water as the sin the catholics refer to and the curiousness that Mexican folklore refers to. In the end the impact that the recurring images had on the reader was that the reader felt more connected to Antonio’s beliefs and how he has to decide on what he believes in. Anaya wants to show this to give the reader an idea of how the book will continue throughout Antonio’s struggle. These words affect the atmosphere by adding a more symbolic look to Antonio’s questioning mind. Instead of saying flat out that Antonio cannot decide which beliefs to follow, Anaya uses the dark, mysterious, gurgling water as a metaphor for his