BMU Final Essay "In optimism there is magic. In pessimism there is nothing."-Abraham Hicks Godly fish, enigmatic witches, and ancient angels make up the magical realm that lives harmoniously in reality. At least it appears so in the extraordinary works of Rodolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez's “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”, where the supernatural conduct daily business in all normal aspects. Anaya surrounds his main character Tony with an infinite amount of confusion over his fate, with the additions of influential witches and a pagan fish god. Marquez creates an unseeingly eerie, uncaring town with a displaced old angel and a hot new spider woman. Infusion of supernatural afflictions in normal everyday life defines …show more content…
From this moment on Tony’s exposure to the possibility of pagan gods constantly clouds his mind. The Golden Carp and other supernatural forms in the story suffice with an important role. Magical realism could not exist without the implications of either something magical or mystical. The fairytale characters are the driving force in the story, and it’s because of their presence the story has an ongoing plotline. The Golden Carp, and pagan gods alike, drive Tony to constantly question the right one. Given that the struggle of Tony’s life is deciding what belief system to follow, it’s obvious that the Golden Carp is where the problems take root. Supernatural forms are major influences necessary to complete the magical …show more content…
They similarly shared the idea that without the roles of these characters, the plots would not have a conflict due to the fact that the characters drive the action. These fairytale beings serve up such great abilities in the beginning; however, once they cease to provide valuable income they are questioned as to their continued use. When Tony receives his communion he believed God would finally answer all of his questions, but when he hears silence Tony continues to cast doubt upon his belief. Likewise, as a traditional angel is supposed to perform miracles the old angel alters the imperfections of people, and they question whether he has anymore use to them. However, the creatures of Marquez’s short story are seen as forms of entertainment, whereas Anaya’s Ultima is praised for her powers. Thus, the supernatural play different roles as antagonists in the