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Religion In Bless Me Ultima

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When you are young you are taught what is generally right or wrong. You are not given a chance to choose what you believe in since you are only a baby, and cannot fully comprehend the concept of religion. Once you are old enough, you are exposed to the variety of cultures that may fascinate you, and will help influence how you think. The majority of individuals tend to follow their own beliefs when they are well into their adult life, since they were taught to believe what their parents believed in. In Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya, Antonio a young Catholic is left to question his beliefs when a curandera named Ultima exposes him to her own beliefs. Thus introducing Antonio to Ultimas paganistic ways which are causing him to not only explore more of his beliefs, but Antonio is discovering many ideas that go against the Catholic …show more content…

At this age, he is still learning more about being a Catholic. Antonio accompanies Ultima on her walks to gather herbs, while teaching him about the different plants and trees. Ultima has no problem teaching Antonio her beliefs, like her belief of plants having spirits as well telling them why they are being harvested. She knows there will be no serious consequences. In order to help him choose his own path, Ultima shows him that an in individual is not obligated follow every Catholic belief in order to be one. For instance, so many Catholics have adopted the belief of reincarnation and it is not a Catholic belief. Reincarnations is when the soul is reborn into a new body, many people agree that one lifetime is not enough to determine the fate of a human being. When an individual is part of a religious group that does not necessarily mean they must give up their freedom of thought. Such ideas help to express an individual 's characteristic (Stafford). Thus, not only does Antonio learn from Ultima that you can have your own concept, but that it is acceptable to explore other

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In the novel, Bless Me Ultima, Rudolfo Anaya uses Antonio, Andrew, Eugene, and Leon to show how when people have the ability to choose, when someone has the ability to choose, sometimes they don’t choose what others want them to choose. Antonio has to choose between religions and also had to choose his future. Andrew had to choose whether to leave with Eugene and Leon, or stay with the family. Eugene and Leon had to choose if they wanted to help their father move west, or start their own life. If people are given a choice, sometimes they will choose a path that others might not agree with, negatively impacting others.

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Ultima is well renown for her abilities and she is constantly asked for help. Though most are rejected by Maria, there are 3 main "blessings" granted by Ultima. Ultima blesses Lucas and removes his curse, removes the curse of Tellez 's house, and she blesses Antonio himself. These blessing play a prevalent role in the story. "You have done evil", [Ultima] sang, "but good is stronger than evil, and what you sought to do will undo you..."

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Rudolfo Anaya is Hispanic-American from New Mexico. He grew up young in a small village then, they later moved to the city. They had a new modern begining in which Rudolfo into somewhat a cholo, while living in New Mexico. “ It is because good is always stronger than evil. Always remember that, Antonio.

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Antonio begged God to forgive Andrew (Antonio’s brother) “Your brother has sinned with the whores, and so I condemn him to hell for eternity!”(Pg.173). Antonio’s demeanor portrayed confusion and fear of why he is the chosen one to save his brothers when he is hopeful for their saving of him. “Oh, I cried, forgive me Lord! I have sinned, I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed.

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When Narciso died, Ultima showed Antonio the harsh reality that comes with every human life. "Do not worry about Tenorio's threats, he has no manly strength to carry them out. He murdered Narciso because he ambushed him in cold blood, but he will not find me easy to ambush-" (189). Antonio understood her words and learned to avoid Tenorio no matter the struggle he went through. He never went against her words because he her words had powerful meaning behind them was pure truth.

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In Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me Ultima, the major conflict that Antonio has with the two different paths both sides of his family provide for him make an appearance in his dreams to aid him in determining his destiny and what choices he will make that will influence his future. In one of the first dreams we see from Antonio concerning Lupito’s death, we see him struggling with what his mother wants of him versus what his father does. “we must gather around our father, I heard myself say. His dream is to ride westward in search of new adventure.

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Being Born into a Family with Two Different Backgrounds: A Conflict in Bless Me Ultima About Tony Being Influenced By Two Opposite Ways of Life In all conflicts there are always two sides which think they are superior to the condescending opponent. Sometimes in the conflicts they are facing, a force which is intertwined with both sides will have to choose a side in order to declare which side is superior. There are times when the deciding force is confused and not sure which side is actually better, so it must take time to finalize its decision. This deciding force in Bless Me, Ultima is Tony, who is puzzled about whether he should follow the path of a Luna or a Marez.

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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.

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Upon asking his father for his opinion on why there is evil in the world Gabriel responds “I think most of the things we call evil are not evil at all; it is just that we don't understand those things and so we call them evil.” (248). The contrasting outlooks of right and wrong reveal the gray areas that exist in life forcing Antonio to reckon with the limitations of absolute truths in morality. An instance is when the children see Florence’s dissent towards the Catholic Church and urge Antonio who was acting as the priest to "Make him kneel and we'll all beat him," Ernie suggested.

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In almost any person's life religion is always an internal struggle. Deciding which religion they want to chose and why they want to chose it. For some people it is more difficult than others to chose one, especially if you are already born into one. Anaya’s main character in Bless Me Ultima is going through many tough emotions to figure out what religion is right for him because he is already born into a very religious Christian family. In Rudolfo Anaya's post WWII Chicano novel Bless Me, Ultima Anaya uses the symbol of the Golden Carp to present an alternative from Christianity that Antonio feels he needs.

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