In the novel Bless Me, Ultima, written by Rudolfo Anaya, follows the journey of the main character, Antonio, from his childhood into his early maturity. His journey slowly stripped away at his innocence and continually challenged his religious beliefs shaping him into the person that is seen at the end of the book. Growing up can be a challenge and through this book, it shows how Antonio grew up from a six year old boy into a man through the help of his family, his religious belief, the challenges caused by different people, and especially Ultima, a healer. One example of Antonio growing up into a mature person was when he witnessed the death of Lupito. After seeing Lupito get shot and die right in front of him, he started questioning …show more content…
When Ultima asked him to come with her to help heal his uncle Lucas, who had been cursed by the daughters of Tenorio, Antonio knew that people would disapprove of it, but he still went anyway. This shows that he starts to think for himself even though he knew about the consequences that will happen. This also means tat due to the fact that he is able to think for himself, he grows up for independent and more trustworthy to the people around him. Antonio's journey and adventure into adulthood is finished when he buries Ultima’s owl. This shows that he with the owl, he is also burying his innocence with it. This means that after going out in the woods alone to bury the owl, Antonio recognizes that he should define his own identity while developing his own system of values. Another example is when Antonio started going to school. At first, he was scared of thinking for himself and was afraid of the other students in the school. As the school year went on, Antonio found himself making friends with Samuel and Florence who helps him break away from depending on his mother for everything. This burst of confidence helps him begin to make decisions for