Analysis Of Rudolfo Anaya's 'Bless Me, Ultima'

972 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Loss of innocence lotf

Topic 4 How do we make the leap from child to adult? What obstacles must we overcome? Who can reform and influence our decisions, the very decisions that will shape who we become?A child is innocent from day one, but as one ages it starts to lose its significance and at some point in life and it must be thrown away. In “Bless Me, Ultima” by Rudolfo Anaya, Antonio encounters many obstacles that chip away at his innocence which forces him to question God’s authority and in justice in the world, such as the death of Lupito, Narciso, and Florence. Antonio is forced to endure difficult experiences too early in life, causing a premature loss of innocence. To reach maturity it requires loss of innocence. It’s a coming of age experience that changes the outlook on life forever. For example, when Antonio saw Lupito’s death scene he couldn’t believe what had happened, he said “I had started praying to myself from the moment I heard the first shot, and I never stopped praying until I reached home.”(Anaya 23), he was terrified of what he had seen and didn’t know …show more content…

Tony would ask him so many questions why didn’t he believe and florence would tell him “I don’t know...My mother died when I was three, my old man drank himself to death, and...And my sisters are whores working at Rosie’s place-”(Anaya 195). Tony’s friends didn’t want Florence to be pardoned for his sins, but either way Tony pardoned him and that caused Tony’s friends to beat him up. This caused Antonio to question god and go to confessional to be pardon for his sins but he had no answers. After this Florence’s death came about, he drowned in the river while he was swimming and Tony was there to see him already dead. Tony would ask himself, why didn’t Florence confess, he would have been pardoned for all his sins. Antonio would question god because he didn’t understand why there was so much evil in the

Show More
Related

  • Maturation in Bless Me, Ultima

    724 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Bless Me, Ultima, Rudolfo Anaya defends the assertion, “for in much wisdom there is much grief, and increase of knowledge is increase of sorrow,” from Ecclesiastes. Tony endures many trials throughout the novel, therefore increasing his knowledge of life but also increasing his grief and sorrow. After witnessing Lupito’s death, Tony realizes that people are not always what they appear to be. Tony also begins to question his religion because of trials in the novel, some of which include Lucas’ cure and the sighting of the golden carp. In his trek during the blizzard, Tony learns of his brother’s sinful doings and he witnesses the death of a good man. Tony gains much knowledge in these scenes, but, unfortunately, with this knowledge comes grief.

    Read More

  • Essay Comparing Bless Me Ultima And Their Eyes Were Watching God

    685 Words  | 2 Pages

    Maria had no authority over her restless family. The source of the conflict between Antonio and Maria originates from her oldest sons taking to going where they please and not caring about their parent’s wishes. The burden of pleasing their parents passes from the eldest sons to the youngest one. With the sole duty of pleasing his parents, Tony internally rebels against their wishes instead seeking to set to rest his churning mind by seeking his own beliefs. His brothers console themselves about abandoning their family by saying that “Tony will be her priest” (Anaya 36) and not knowing that the “dreams of their father and mother [haunt] them” (Anaya 36) also haunted Antonio. Having the responsibilities of his brothers and his family shape the way he grows and thinks. He isn’t just thinking about himself he also has the problems of redeeming his family on his head. Through the story and through Ultima Tony realizes that he is not bound by obligations and can instead shape his own

    Read More

  • Antonio's Transformation in Bless Me Ultima

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    To reach maturity requires a loss of innocence. For example, when a child finds out there is no Santa Claus, he is caught between a magical belief and a reality that he is unwilling to accept. It's a coming-of-age experience that changes his outlook on life forever. The child has lost some of his previous innocence and must face life's harsh realities. This process can be confusing and painful. In some ways, a loss of innocence forces us to become more mature by gathering wisdom and knowledge from a metamorphic experience. Metamorphosis is as much a spiritual change as it is a physical one. It is a natural process that helps a person grow and develop.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of 'Bless Me Ultima'

    1138 Words  | 3 Pages

    Life drives us to inevitable places, places where we must cross the metamorphic bridge towards the inescapable. We are not fixed individuals. We hit upon experiences for the sole purpose of change, hence, the “metamorphic bridge”. However, there are certain conditions that all living breeds are destined to encounter overtime, while abiding to a divine plan that many claim was arranged from the moment of birth. Those conditions can be considered fixed; we cannot avoid their occurrences. The ultimate one is death, and the certainty of it provokes religious ambivalence. The crossing of that bridge symbolizes various climactic points in which one results

    Read More

  • Religion and Belief in Bless Me Ultima

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    After reading the book, Bless Me Ultima, I realized the integral importance of religion and need for religion and answers to life’s questions. At first, while reading this book, I thought it was just about relationships and the meaning in them but as the plot progressed I realized the book, is more than that, it questions the structures that decide the rules, morals and values that society is composed of. There were three types of religion that I identified in the book that young Anthony chose to pursue. The first was the paganistic rituals of Ultima. Ultima came into the life of Tony at a very young age and had great influence n the child. Ultima saved the life of Lucas through Tony’s strength. Physical pain was brought unto Anthony because of Ultima's ritual, showing actual validity of the rituals themselves, that they were had tangibility. She brought torment on the Tenorio’s family (he was the antagonist in the book-the bad guy) saving Lucas though using ritualistic dolls and chants. This showed her magic was not only good but bad as well. Ultima guided Anthony through all of the mental and social torment during his early years of grade school. So in away Ultima was a guide for Tony through his early years to make sense of all of the storms in his early life, but also was an instrument of religion to base his life on. But in the end of the book Ultima ultimately dies and the strength he once found in her is destroyed. She is ...

    Read More

  • The Maturity Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

    841 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is maturity? When does one mature? Maturity defined by a dictionary means “fully developed physically; fully grown,” but it also depends on the way one acts. Although one is grown up, it does not mean one acts poised and sophisticated as expected. After the Trojan War, the main character Odysseus is on a long journey to return to his home, Ithaca. The problem is the kingdom is overrun by suitors; his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus, do their best to keep them out of the palace. In the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus transitions from being immature to mature as he is placed in Xenia,the Greek custom of hospitality for guests through encounters with Polyphemus, Circe, and Alcinous.

    Read More

  • Bless Me Ultima Analysis

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the story, the death of Narciso and Lupito cause Antonio to doubt his religion because he cannot understand why God let them happen. Lupito’s death is significant because it is the first death that Antonio witnesses. The murder of Lupito causes Antonio to wonder about religion, sins, and death. After Lupito dies, Antonio says that “a priest could have saved Lupito” (Anaya 23). Antonio questions his religion and the power of a priest because the priest could not save Lupito. Antonio doubts if he is capable of being a priest and he is unsure of his destiny of becoming a one. When Antonio sees Lupito at the river, he believes that he should have been able to save Lupito’s soul, since he might become a priest. Because Antonio could not save Lupito, he feels regret. Antonio shows that he is feeling guilty when he asks himself, “How would I ever wash away the stain of blood?” (23). Antonio’s guilt implies that his future of being a priest might not be suitable for him because he should not feel guilt in something he is destined to do. In addition, Narciso’s death causes Antonio to lose faith in Cath...

    Read More

  • Bless Me Ultima Literary Analysis

    1110 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dreams can often predict what will happen in the future. In Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya, the protagonist, Antonio, lives in a small town in New Mexico. Written from the point of view of Antonio, the story begins when Ultima, a curandera or traditional healer, comes to live with Antonio’s family. As Ultima constantly teaches Antonio life lessons to satisfy Antonio’s curiosity, their relationship greatly strengthens along with Antonio’s understanding of the world. Antonio also witnesses the deaths of many people throughout the novel, causing Antonio to continuously seek answers relating to morality, which is reflected in his dreams. These dreams are often about events that happened in the past or events that occur when Antonio is older.

    Read More

  • Hardships Allow Perseverance In Anaya's Bless Me Ultima

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    In life there exists challenges which transform into tests individuals shall overcome. Those challenges may cause trauma which impedes one to keep faith. Faith, that is essential in someone's heart since it provides motivation to conquer difficult obstacles. In Anaya's novel, Bless Me Ultima a young and innocent boy named Antonio abandons childhood and loses his innocence due to innumerable of traumatic events he experiences. He no longer remains unaware of the true significance in life. As the novel progresses he realizes that evil and good exist in the world. However, Tony's life's hardships allows him to always finds a way to persevere. No hardship drastically breaks his prevalent power of growth. Antonio's possession of a curious mind also causes him to reconcile and search for his true identity. As he sees more powerful throughout his bad experiences he gradually loses faith in God. Further on, he faces events that allow him to conquer his

    Read More

  • Painfully Nurtured In Octavia Butler's Kindred

    1231 Words  | 3 Pages

    What makes a person mature is something that can be easily defined, even though it’s an abstract concept. For instance a person is not considered mature from the moment they’re born until they’re past the age of around twenty-one, and there’s all this scientific research showing why this is the case and so on and so forth. One could argue, however, that what makes a person mature isn’t how old they are, but how they were raised. So is the case with Rufus Weylin from Octavia Butler’s book Kindred. Due to traumatizing and recurring events in his childhood as well as a prominently misogynistic, racist, and unforgiving society, the hedonism that Rufus carries limits him to his Id, the instinctual part of him that prevents him

    Read More

  • Factual Accuracy Of Bless Me Ultima

    452 Words  | 1 Pages

    "A work of literature must provide more than factual accuracy or vivid physical reality... it must tell us more than we already know." - E. M. Forster

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Bless Me Ultima By Rudolfo Anaya

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    American author Richard Wright once said, “All literature is protest”. This statement has been criticized or praised by many different people. Not all literature is protest as proven by the memoir A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, the fictional novel Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, and the spoken word poetry “Friends-Spoken Word” by Trent Shelton.

    Read More

  • The Wives Of Bath Maturity Quotes

    936 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Wives of Bath by Susan Swan, the concept of maturity has everything to do with the recognition of un-education, where in the novel, one can discover a young woman coming of age; Mouse Bradford, who, like all girls her age, just wants to be accepted and respected. She is a young girl who reaches maturity while touching upon the aspects of innocence, identity and sexual maturity. Maturity within the bounds of self-respect is the capacity to reflect, express and act your feelings. “The measure of your maturity is how spiritual you become during the midst of your frustrations” and this is exactly what we see in Mouse.

    Read More

  • Maturity

    390 Words  | 1 Pages

    Maturity is not something that happens overnight. Maturity comes through trial and error; it’s a process which has to be perfected. Life throws curveballs and there are always multiple ways to deal with the situations. Being mature is making the right choices and knowing right from wrong.

    Read More

  • Erickson Reflection Paper

    1167 Words  | 3 Pages

    During this stage adolescents develop a better understanding of self and belonging or they face identity crisis and role confusion. During this stage in my life I felt that I was rebelling and doing things that were not age appropriate. I did not respect authority and thought it was ok to do what I wanted to do. Even though I was a young teenager I did not think of myself that way. I thought of myself more like an adult. Through my negative experiences in this stage I suffered identity crisis and role

    Read More

More about Analysis Of Rudolfo Anaya's 'Bless Me, Ultima'

Open Document