Cultural Conflicts In Bless Me Ultima By Rudolfo Anaya

In the the novel Bless Me Ultima the author , Rudolfo Anaya, gives the audience a novel that is filled with cultural conflicts and shows how these types of conflicts can affect a person's life. What would one expect when being faced with choices of one's culture? These choices lead to conflicts on one’s own cultural beliefs. A boy named Antonio in the novel Bless Me Ultima is faced with these difficult choices that reflect bad on his beliefs. It is hard for Antonio to make a choice because the decision he would take would not only affect him in a short term of his life but his entire life. To grow up in a setting that is based on different cultural beliefs is to choose being a priest or a man of the llano, a vaquero. Antonio’s mom strongly

Maria wants Antonio, her son, to become a Catholic priest not just because of her family’s tradition but because of her devoted Catholicism.

For example, when the author tells the audience that the new son must fulfill his mother’s dream and that he must come to El Puerto and rule over the Lunas of the valley.

When the author tells the reader that Antonio must become a priest in order to fulfill his mom's dream he is letting them know that Maria wants Antonio to become a priest and keep the Luna family tradition alive.

Antonio must become a Catholic priest to make his mom proud.

On the other side Antonio’s dad, Gabriel, wants Antonio to become a man of the llano a cowboy.

Antonio’s dad is a cowboy of the llano himself and would like for Antonio to become a cowboy for the fact that he came from a man of the llano background and he would like for his son to ride on the llano.

For example, when Antonio’s dad says that he would like for Antonio to follow his footsteps and spend his days roaming the llano on horseback he is letting the reader know that he wants Antonio to be a

A person can draw from several cultural traditions to forge a more complex identity for the fact that they will have seen and understood more cultures and with understanding more cultures helps a person see different aspects in life.

Forging a more complex identity helps a person grow and build up their character by layering up one’s knowledge in the different views of life.

For example, in the novel Bless Me Ultima when Antonio is exposed to the Catholic religion and the Curanderismo belief his character builds up and his knowledge increases on different aspects on cultures life has to offer.

Antonio seeing the different cultures in his household helps his knowledge on different cultures increase and helps forge the his more complex identity.

At the end having seen different cultures in his life Antonio builds his complex identity that will help him in his future life by having the experience of a diverse character.

Antonio sees and understands how having seen different cultures in his household have help his character grow and build over