ipl-logo

Essay On Bless Me Ultima

767 Words4 Pages

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. Antonio spiritually grows when he experiences the deaths of Lupito and other dear friends. In the beginning of the story, Antonio is quickly introduced into the world of violence and death. Lupito was being hunted down by the men of the llano, including his father. …show more content…

Antonio’s first encounter with the golden carp tests his Catholic faith in which he learns from this experience. “I could not have been more entranced if I had seen the Virgin, or God himself. The golden carp had seen me.”(pg 114) Antonio’s Catholic faith is being tested for the first time. He has encountered another god, a pagan god, other than his Catholic God. He learns that there are other gods other than God himself but he learns from this and later becomes a more devout Catholic when he takes catechism classes which starts to solidify his faith in God. Antonio accepts that there are other gods, but he still continues to strengthen his Catholic faith. Another example of religious coming-of-age is his when Antonio has his First Communion. Antonio has his First Communion and believes that when he has taken it he knows the answers to his questions about God. “I flooded the sticky piece of bread with hot saliva and swallowed it. Now I would know the answers! I bowed my head and waited for him to speak to me.” (pg 220) Antonio believes that all his questions about God and life are answered after he takes communion, which is not the case. Soon after he takes his communion, he waits for the answers from God to enter his mind but nothing happens. Antonio matures religiously by accepting that God cannot answer all his questions about life all at once. Antonio felt he had given his hopes up in

Show More
Related

Religion In Victor Villaseñor's Rain Of God

799 Words | 4 Pages

Juan, with numerous failed attempts in getting his family to safety, once lost his patience with God crying, “What’s wrong with You? I thought we had a deal!” (137). As the chapter progresses, Juan suddenly experiences religious inspiration, and “instead of feeling abandoned by God, he felt close to Him” (138) showing how frustration generates a stronger connection between man and God. In addition, Doña Margarita teaches Salvador to avoid frustration by using the power of God “for this is God’s great plan, that people rise up beyond their personal hatreds” (471).

Read More

Antonio's Use Of Foreshadowing In Bless Me Ultima

783 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

Bless Me Ultima The Hero's Journey Analysis

1756 Words | 8 Pages

The hero’s journey is a common theme in many mythological novels that convey the adventures the protagonist experiences as they resolve their conflicts in attempt to become their own savior. As the novels go about the hero’s decisive crisis and victories, the protagonist is often subjected to develop as he grows mentally from learning from his problems. In the novel, Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya, the story of Antonio exhibits how coming of age can be difficult. As Antonio grows older, he learns that there are many obstacles he must face and surpass, and to aid him with these challenges is his mentor, the curandera, as she brings about the mythical aspects.

Read More

Analysis Of Bless Me, Ultima By Rudolfo Anaya

1187 Words | 5 Pages

This was the moment that Antonio began to wonder if the priest was as powerful as everyone believed. He realized that ideas he once thought were true may not be. After this moment Antonio’s doubts increased, and the last resort of answers would come with the day of his communion, when he would finally hear the word of God. Once Antonio ate the flesh of God, he was sure that all of his questions would be answered, however, when he asked God all he received was “...the whistling of the wind filling the empty space” (pg 187). He needed answers in this moment more than ever, and “...could not understand how the power of God could fail.

Read More

Summary Of Bless Me Ultima

1100 Words | 5 Pages

Bless me Ultima summary In the book Bless Me Ultima, Tony had a lot experience and witness a lot to be so young. Starting from the beginning to the end I will tell you all the important parts that made an impact on Tony. First part is when Lupito was killed near the river. It all started on a Saturday night, Tony’s mother was laying out clean clothes for Sunday mass.

Read More

The Cross And The Lynching Tree Chapter Summary

720 Words | 3 Pages

And if God is God, why is He letting us suffer?” (1) The lifelong quest for answers to these questions shaped his theology

Read More

The Golden Carp In Bless Me, Ultima

706 Words | 3 Pages

As he came out of the darkness of the pond and the sun caught his shiny scales and the light reflected orange and yellow and red. He swam very close to our feet. His body was round and smooth in the clear water. We watched in silence at the beauty and grandeur of the great fish" (120). When Antonio sees the Golden Carp the first time, he could not believe his eyes that he had saw a pagan god.

Read More

Fredrick Buechner Telling The Truth Analysis

1546 Words | 7 Pages

Each of who is seeking new life shed on them. Whether they are searching Christ or not, they are undoubtedly searching for and absence or void in their lives to be filled. Thus sets the plot for this work that guides readers on a journey to what it means to tell the truth and

Read More

Antonio's Loss Of Innocence In Bless Me, Ultima

842 Words | 4 Pages

One of the many themes in the novel, Bless me, Ultima is Antonio’s “loss of innocence” throughout the months upon the arrival of Ultima, the curandera. At the beginning of the novel, Antonio is an innocent boy, protected from reality thanks to his age and parents. As the novel progresses, Antonio becomes aware of the bad and the good in life. Antonio’s transition from innocence to experience is shown through particular events.

Read More

Cultural Conflict In Antonio Marez's Bless Me, Ultima

1616 Words | 7 Pages

“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. In Bless Me, Ultima, the author exhibits the most frequently used cultural conflict from the Chicano culture in rural Mexico in the 1940s and purposely clashes it with Catholicism and the English Language. The book introduces Antonio who can be described as a young boy who is prone to moral questioning, in search for

Read More

Examples Of Conflict In Bless Me Ultima

530 Words | 3 Pages

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).

Read More

Freedom In Bless Me Ultima

880 Words | 4 Pages

Is there a lack of freedom in stability or a lack of stability in freedom? In the novel Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, Antonio’s coming of age is challenged domestically by the father/mother tension of freedom versus stability through their parental expectations. Generally in life, children seek to please their parents in everything they do. It is often conflicting parental expectations that send a child into an overwhelming state of distress wondering why they try so hard to attain the standards of both but inevitably end up disappointing one or the other. Maria and Gabriel are prime examples of parents that are completely disconnected from their family as a whole but most importantly detached from their son due to their unwillingness to compromise.

Read More

Analysis Of Cesar Vallejo's Poem 'Los Heraldos De Negros'

513 Words | 3 Pages

Vallejo continues by displaying an acute message, painful frustration at being unable to determine why life is so hard. This would interpret that not only difficulties of life can take a toll physically, but mentally as well and lead you to question why our lord and savior continues to be blind or to assist with our derailments in life. Vallejo’s thinking of God could be looked at as unorthodox. Most refrain from having an unorthodox kind of mentality about God. Most usually, worship, praise, pray, and see God as a true savior of humankind and that God is always there by our side.

Read More

Cultural Conflict In Bless Me, Ultima

1896 Words | 8 Pages

I am a Catholic… I can believe only in the God of the church”(107). Like many other children, Antonio is unclear on what religion to follow, especially since his own religion failed to help him when needed. He now needs to come to fact on what he should follow. What belief is suitable for

Read More

St. Augustine's Conception Of Sin Essay

1117 Words | 5 Pages

He is beginning to realize that he has to change his ways in order to reach absolution. In the ninth book, Augustine shows how he was able to finally connect with God through his books and teachings. “I read on: Tremble and sin no more, and this moved me deeply, my God, because now I had learned to tremble from my past, so that in the future I might sin no more.” (Book IX, Section 4, Page 187) This shows that Augustine was finally able to find God through the readings of the Bible.

Read More

More about Essay On Bless Me Ultima

Open Document