Bless Me, In My Dreams

748 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Antonios problems in bless me ultima

Dreams occur every night. While they are not always remembered, it has been proven they transpire. So what is the importance of dreams? What do they say about a person? Antonio Marez, from Rudolfo Anaya's debut novel Bless Me, Ultima has asked himself the same questions plenty of times. Through Antonio, the author presents to the reader dreams he has throughout the novel. Rudolfo uses Tony's dreams to direct a message to the reader about life's difficulties and the struggles a person goes through during his/her lifetime.

Tony has a total of eleven dreams in the entire novel. In the beginning he is dreaming about the aspirations his parents have for him and how they clash with the opportunities being introduced to him. First he thought there was just his religion, Catholicism. Then, Ultima and her magic contradict almost all of those beliefs about God, and Florence later in the novel, who is an atheist, does not believe in anything at all. Being just under seven, in the first chapters of this novel, he is curious about everything he sees and asks everyone a lot of questions. He wants answers to the violence he sees during his childhood and constantly is being tested of his faith and inner beliefs, and his dreams reveal his torn attitudes to each of these sources. In Tony's last dream all three beliefs he has been exposed to have been annihilated, "Everything I believed in was destroyed. A painful wrenching in my heart made me cry aloud, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!" And as the three figures departed, my pesadilla they cried out longingly. We live when you dream, Tony, we live only in your dreams- "(244). Rudolfo allows Tony at this point to realize that he cannot rely on other people telling him what to believe....

... middle of paper ...

...s any longer. We can't be tied down to old dreams" (68). Tony is confused at his Eugene's words at first, but as he continues to break away from his youth he begins to grasp the meaning of following his own dreams.

Everyone wonders at one point that they are in their lifetime at least once. Where do are they supposed to find all of the answers? There is no given place for all life's unanswered questions. After reading and experiencing Antonio's dreams throughout Rudolfo's classic Chicano tale, readers are able to relate with their own experiences and struggles they have dealt with through their lifetime. It conveys a question to all, "where is one suppose to draw the line between their own dreams and the dreams of somebody they love?" Sometimes all it takes is for one to set aside the hopes and dreams of everyone else and focus on what their heart truly desires.

Show More
Related

  • The Other Wes Moore Character Analysis

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Wes was so confused. He loved and respected his brother. Tony was the closest thing Wes had to a role model. But the more he tried to be like his brother, the more Tony pushed back.” (72) Wes then got his girlfriend pregnant 4 times and dropped out of school to help out with her. With multiple arrests for shooting someone and drug dealing. Tony his "so called role model" helped Wes rob a jewelry store and they were convicted for murdering Sergeant Prothero along the way. Tony's motives were right but he never really got across to Wes with leading him in the right direction. Tony tried to push Wes away from the drug game but Wes was to drawn to it.

    Read More

  • 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

  • Macaria’s Daughter

    1636 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the end, Tony plays the role of both hero and villain. His wife, Marcela, represents both the whore and the virgin Mexican-American. The both prove unfaithful: Tony to America and Marcela to Mexico. Herein lays the schizophrenic world in which good and bad coexist across the borders of two emerging world countries struggling for control of land and culture. There’s a price to be paid for such human greed and unrealistic expectations. Ultimately it proves to be a place where virtue doesn’t remain intact and villains abound, even among the good guys!

    Read More

  • The Other Wes Moore Essay

    1387 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tony did not want his younger brother to follow in his footstep but “Tony was now full-time in the streets, splitting his time between his father’s and girlfriend’s apartments in the Murphy Homes Project. He was a veteran of the drug game at eighteen”(The Other Wes Moore 57). Tony lived a life of crime when he became a drug dealer which earned money for him as a leaving. Though it did create a source of income for the struggling family, this was a very negative example for the young Other Wes to live by. As a result of not having any other people to help guide him to a successful path to living, Other Wes reverted to living by Tony’s destructive actions. Inevitably, Other Wes joined Tony on the streets selling various drugs as a career. His street life consumed his entire life so much he eventually dropped out of high school to concentrate on selling drugs. His illegal activities became so detrimental to his life that it resulted in prison on multiple occasions due to drug deals and firing a handgun. The role Tony had on Wes contributed towards the actions and downfall of Other Wes. His life could be the same, however, a different role model could have drastically changed his mindset and kept him off the streets which resulted in him living a destructive and

    Read More

  • Antonio's Dreams in Bless me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

    838 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel, Bless me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, a boy goes through many more experiences than any child in the hot summer days in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. He witnesses the deaths of his close friends and family. This boy expresses his emotions and grief through his dreams, only to wake up with fear and confusion in his mind. Antonio’s life is filled with dreams that foreshadow future incidents, as well as influences Antonio’s beliefs of religion and ideas of innocence.

    Read More

  • Antonio's Transformation in Bless Me Ultima

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Bless Me Ultima, Tony embarks on a rocky journey to discover who he is and what he believes. Tony must make the transition from a naïve six year old boy to a mature man. His experiences continually call his basic beliefs into question, and chip away at his innocence. For example, when he witnesses the brutal death of Lupito, he starts to question many ideas; sin, good and evil, punishment, and his faith. He begins to see the world of man as violent and sometimes ruthless, not the friendly, loving world where he had previously resided. He even becomes concerned about his own father's salvation because of Gabrielle's involvement in Lupito's death and begins to see his father as less than perfect. Death continues to haunt him when Narciso, a good man, is killed defending Ultima, while Tenorio, an apparently evil man, is spared. These outcomes are not what he believes should have occurred and yet again, a piece of his innocence is stripped away as he sees life is not always fair. He is beginning to realize that he must define his own beliefs.

    Read More

  • Good and Evil in Bless Me, Ultima

    873 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another example of the evolution of Tony's sense of good and evil through the utilisation of setting is Tony's own home.  To him, his home provided him with warmth and safety.  This was due to the people who lived in the house.  Antonio's father creates a sense of protection in the home.  When Tenorio and his men come to he house to take Ultima away, Tony's father "would let no man invade his home" (pg 123).  This gave Tony faith that as long as his father was around, he would be protected.  Antonio's mother made home a loving and caring place to be.  She would always baby Antonio and give him the affection he needed whenever he needed it.  The morning after Tony had seen Lupito killed, Ultima tells Tony's mother not to be too hard on Antonio; he had a hard night last night.  His mother puts her arms around Tony and holds him saying he "is only a boy, a baby yet" (Pg.28).  The Virgin also makes the atmosphere of Antonio's home peaceful and protected.  Tony loves the Virgin Mary because "she always forgave" (Pg. 42).  Tony thought she was "full of a quiet, peaceful love" (Pg.42) which she filled the home with.  The most important person who contributed to the goodness of Antonio's home was Ultima.  She made Antonio feel as though her presence filled the home with safety, love, and a sense of security.  When Tony saw Lupito get killed, it was Ultima who calmed him.  Whenever he had a nightmare, Ultima was there to comfort Antonio and "[he] could sleep again" (Pg.

    Read More

  • Bless Me Ultima Book Report

    1956 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lupito- A man turned mad by the happenings of the war who kills the sherriff of the town in cold blood. It is his blood that first defiles the river. The memory of his death stays with Tony throughout the novel and causes him to think about the difference between good and evil and forgiveness.

    Read More

  • And The Earth Did Not Devour Him Summary

    1491 Words  | 3 Pages

    As you read you can picture his settings and characters. For the purpose of this book review, the reader will discuss how a migrant community in search of the “American Dream” encounters the “American Nightmare” as described by Tomás Rivera in his novel, “ …And the Earth Did Not Devour Him.”

    Read More

  • Rudolfo A. Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima

    1316 Words  | 3 Pages

    sick man of the curse. Tony’s father also tells him that “no greater magic can exist...but

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Novel 'Bless Me, Ultima'

    1091 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the novel Bless Me,Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, Antonio’s Parents had an adamant ideal of how they wanted their children to live their lives. Maria, his mother, wanted her children to follow the way of her Luna family. Gabriel, his father, wanted his children to travel to California with him. Maria wanted Antonio to become a priest. “Her own dream was that I should grow up and become a priest” (Anaya 5). His father had a dream to move to California. “My father’s dream was to gather his sons around him and move westward to the land of the the setting sun, to the vineyards of California”(Anaya 14). His parents had two different ideas on what they wanted their children to do which stirred up the pot in the house because of it. As a young child growing up he was very conflicted on how he wanted to live his life especially because he didn't want to disappoint his parents. This made a confliction within Antonio’s Identity. Another dream of his mother is that Antonio gets

    Read More

  • Volar Judith Ortiz Cofer Summary

    1540 Words  | 4 Pages

    Imagine being a young girl dreaming of becoming a woman and flying like a super hero over your neighborhood, seeing everything that happens at night. Then, you wake up to realize you are still a young girl sleeping in your room with white “princess” furniture. This is part of the narrator’s dream in the story “Volar” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, but what exactly does this dream mean? Many details can be interpreted by analyzing the character and theme, both by using the reader response approach and the psychological approach made, mostly developed by Sigmond Freud’s theories.

    Read More

  • The Latino Culture in America

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    The struggle to find a place inside an un-welcoming America has forced the Latino to recreate one. The Latino feels out of place, torn from the womb inside of America's reality because she would rather use it than know it (Paz 226-227). In response, the Mexican women planted the seeds of home inside the corral*. These tended and potted plants became her burrow of solace and place of acceptance. In the comfort of the suns slices and underneath the orange scents, the women were free. Still the questions pounded in the rhythm of street side whispers. The outside stare thundered in pulses, you are different it said. Instead of listening she tried to instill within her children the pride of language, song, and culture. Her roots weave soul into the stubborn soil and strength grew with each blossom of the fig tree (Goldsmith).

    Read More

  • Movie Essay: The Movie War Room

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tony and Elizabeth Jordan thought they had it all – a beautiful daughter, great jobs, the best cars, and their dream house, but looks can be deceiving. Behind closed doors their marriage is falling apart, and they are constantly fighting, pushing away from each other and hurting their daughter emotionally and mentally in the process to the point where she says to her friend ¨I wish I lived at your house, my parents are always fighting.¨ Tony and Elizabeth are typical churchgoers who have become self-righteous and, in Tony case, even hostile towards the God who created him for his glory. Elizabeth is a real estate broker, and Tony is a salesman who is always traveling. While Tony relaxes in his professional success and flirts with temptation,

    Read More

More about Bless Me, In My Dreams

Open Document