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123 essays on character analysis
123 essays on character analysis
123 essays on character analysis
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Bless Me Ultima Prompt
Anaya’s novel fits in the category of a bildungsroman. A bildungsroman is a story that deals with a person’s spiritual education, such as Tony’s education in school on how to be a preacher. An expectation of a reader of a bildungsroman should be to almost feel as if you were there with the character, going through the same spiritual experience with them. The reader should also see a growth in the character whether it be mental or spiritual. The character should share his or her thoughts and feelings. Bless Me, Ultima fulfils these expectations in easy to see and understand ways.
Anaya wrote Bless Me, Ultima in such a way that it made you feel like you were there, experiencing the tragic things in the story. One of the tragic things was when Narciso died. “I heard a low moan as Tenorio aimed his pistol at the head of Narciso. I screamed with fear and Tenorio spun around and saw me. He aimed the pistol at me and I heard the
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click of the firing pin”(169). In this passage it feels like you are there, watching Tenorio shoot Tony. Even though the gun misfires, this piece of the book grabs your attention and makes it feel like you are watching this unfold. In the beginning of the book Tony had a strong belief that the virgin mary and Ultima are two different things, (one being pure and the other being an evil witch) and then throughout the book his faith started to become confused.( Tony is confused about his dream that ultima's owl and virgin mary were working together) In this part Tony doesn’t know what to believe.
“Look! He pointed to the church where the priest desecrated the altar by pouring the blood of dead pigeons into the holy chalice…When the golden carp appeared Cico struck with his spear and the water ran blood red. What is left? I asked in horror… The magic of Ultima! I insisted. Look! He pointed to the hills where Tenorio captured the night-spirit of Ultima and murdered it, and Ultima died in agony”(244).The passage is one of Tony’s dreams, where all the things he believed in were crushed. This loss makes him feel lost, not knowing what to believe in anymore. Tony also shares his feelings with the reader through the questions he asks Florence in his
dream.
In the novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, one of the main characters, Ultima is accused many times of being a witch. Ultima is a curandera who uses herbs and medicines to cure people. She goes to live with Antonio Marez, a young boy who lives in the llano with his parents and two sisters due to the fact that she cannot live by herself and had nowhere to stay. Although many people think she is a witch, her use of herbs, medicines, and scapulars show that she is merely just a curandera. With her use of chants and having her spirit in her owl, many are led to believe that she is really a witch.
The day after having witnessing Lupito’s death Antonio is curious about what will happen to his soul. Based on what’s said in the bible he wondered whether Lupito’s soul will go to hell, whether god will forgive him and put his soul in purgatory, or would Lupito’s soul be doomed to haunt the river like the Llorona? On the way to church Antonio also asked Ultima what would happen to the souls of the men who killed Lupito, whether God would chose to forgive them. Ultima simply said that it wasn’t their place to question who would be saved, it was only God’s decision.
Lupito’s death marks the first scene in the novel in which Tony’s grief is a direct consequence of his knowledge. Tony’s naiveté causes him to take people at their face value, not realizing that they may not be as they seem. Narciso is the town drunk, yet he is the only man on the bridge that maintains his common sense. “’I...
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
In Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima, the author uses Tony’s dreams as a way of displaying various symbols. Three symbols that are used often are weather, water, and the Golden Carp. Weather is used to represent conflict. Water represents cleansing, and rejuvenation. The Golden Carp symbolizes religion and Tony’s beliefs. Because dreams are not an exact mirror of reality, they become the perfect tool for introducing symbolism. The author uses the dream as a way to access the recurring themes of the book.
Tony goes on to categorize each setting by it’s nature and surroundings. A significant setting to Tony that takes part in Bless Me, Ultima, is Narciso’s garden. Tony’s first impression leave a bewildered smile, as everyone in town knew Narciso for being a town drunk, “I was bewildered by the garden. Everywhere I looked there were fruit-laden trees and rows and rows of vegetables. l knew the earth was fruitful because I had seen my uncles make it bear in abundance; but I never realized it could be like this! The ground was soft to walk on. The fragrance of sun-dazzling flowers was deep, and soft, and beautiful. "The garden of Narciso," I whispered” (108-109). Instantly, Tony realizes Narciso isn’t bad after all, because just like Ultima, both Narciso and La Grande own magnificent magical powers. Another setting Tony develops a good sense of good, is the pond where the golden carp lives. The golden carp owns a strong effect in Tony’s thoughts, as the carp represents a forgiving good, therefore the place where the carp lives has to be good, “It was a beautiful spot. The pond was dark and clear, and the water trickled and gurgled over the top of the dam. There was plenty of grass along the bank, and on all sides the tall brush and trees rose to shut off the world. Cico pointed. 'The golden carp will come through there." The cool waters of the creek came out of a dark, shadowy grotto of overhanging thicket, then flowed about thirty feet before they entered the large pond” (112). The beautiful pond owns its extra effect on Tony, as the water is clear and dark, opposite to the water of the river, muddy and
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.
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.
sick man of the curse. Tony’s father also tells him that “no greater magic can exist...but
After establishing this sad and bitter tone, Danticat moves to a more rejoiceful tone when she reminisces about the times when her grandmother would tell her stories: “My grandmother was an old country woman who always felt displaced in the City of Port-au-Prince—where we lived—and had nothing but her patched-up quilts and her stories to console her. She was the one who told me about Anacaona” (137). Danticat then shifts to a more neutral tone when she recalls her grandmother’s peaceful death with her eyes open. She took her grandmother’s death calmly because death was so frequent in Haiti. She further explains, “I have such a strong feeling that death is not the end, that the people we bury are going off to live somewhere else” (138).
It would be unfair to conclude an essay about a novel of such great proportion without matching its weight and grandeur. Tituba's life is one fraught with strong influences; women inspire her to achieve great things while her sole weakness, men, pull her down and ultimately contribute to her demise. Tituba is exposed to the often harsh realities of life, as she attempts to maintain her strong morals and values. Conde is able to drive her vehicle to destroy prejudice straight into success.
Calpurnia attempts to scare Caesar into staying at the house instead of going to the Capitol. She begins with ethos to establish her credibility and justify her concerns. Calpurnia “never stood on ceremonies”, but now they “fright her,” juxtaposing that the omens never scared her, but are frightening enough that she now is attentive to them. Because women were not as powerful in Rome, Calpurnia further credits her argument by including the “watch.” Using selection of detail, Calpurnia Even the guards, who are men, have seen the strange events, and they are scared. Since even men are scared, it should implicate to Caesar that he should be scared as well. Calpurnia sees a lioness, an image, normally associated with strength and courage, “whelp[ing] in the streets.” The lioness is essentially crying, scared of something. Caesar is also strong, but should be scared as well. When ethos fails to impact Caesar, Calpurnia switches to using pathos to try and scare Caesar. “Fierce fiery warriors [fighting] upon the clouds,” is an image that connotes war. In war, there is death and Caesar should be afraid of death. Calpurnia uses the image of “drizzled blood upon the Capitol,” connoting death, scaring Caesar of what is to come if he chooses to go to th...
Anaya demonstrates this through uses of word usage, contrast, and tone; all of these aspects lead to the overall theme of lost innocence through exposure. The novel conveys how the exposure to alternative ideas in the world lead to a gain in understanding. This is shown through the use of words of that portray pessimistic meanings. The contrast between innocence and impurity demonstrates the loss of innocence as well through exposure through the comparison of opposites. Lastly, the tone of the specific part of this novel backs up this claim by stating that loss of innocence has a negative impact. As previously stated, all of these writing techniques that Anaya uses shows how Tony’s exposure to new ideas lead to his loss of innocence as he
In Bless Me Ultima, many cultures dovetail to paint the picture of Antonio’s childhood. Ultima comes to stay with Antonio and his family in the summer time and teaches him about the beauty of nature, particularly the llano. “Ultima came to stay with us the summer I was almost seven. When she came the beauty of the llano unfolded before my eyes…” (1). Christian, Mexican folklore, Paganism and although not clearly stated some Aztec mythology, are all a huge part of Antonio’s combining religious beliefs. Christianity and Paganism are the main religions Antonio most identifies with. Ultima plays a large part of introducing Antonio to Paganism. Before she came, Antonio was largely a Catholic because of his devout Catholic mother, Maria, who wants
Literature has had a great effect on the evolution of society. It formed civilizations, changed political systems and exposed injustice. Literature provides us with a detailed preview of human experiences, allowing us to connect on basic levels of desire and emotion. Such as the powerful emotion that Robert Anaya depicts in his novel. "But what hurt more was that I had witnessed for the first time the death of a man." in this quotation six year old Antonio is talking about his first encounter with the actual death of a man. The scene that Anaya recounts is a very powerful scene in which Tony witnesses the death of Lupito, who is hunted and shot down by a group of townsmen