Maturation In Bless Me Ultima

“Maturity is a high price to pay for growing up.” This quote distinctly describes Rudolph Anaya’s spell-binding and spine-tingling bildungsroman novel Bless Me, Ultima.Set in the backdrop of Guadalupe, New Mexico and followed by World War II this page-turner novel skillfully unravels the artistic maturation of a six-year-old Chicano protagonist, Antonio.Having parents with contentious backgrounds and confusing religious beliefs Antonio came across with the death of Narciso, his father’s friend and due to the certain circumstances was forced to bless him as a priest.This pivotal moment marks his growth which led to his social, moral and mental development.Rudolfo Anaya’s bildungsroman novel, Bless Me, Ultima presents the most crucial moment

for Antonio’s social, moral and mental development through Antonio blessing Narciso when he was dying.
The juvenile protagonist Antonio goes through the social development when he being a priest in a game refused to punish Florence and stand up for him among his fellows.An individual goes through a social development when he comes across the societal norms and traditions and learns to either accept them or defy them.Living in a Christian society with conflicting parental backgrounds, Antonio was exposed to the harsh realities of the society and their ways of judging and discriminating people due to the certain reasons in different categories.He has seen people voicing out different opinions about his spiritual healer Ultima after or before knowing her in person.He himself was subjected to societal ways for the first time when he was being bullied in school for being old fashioned.While playing a game with his fellows where he has to be a priest and punish Florence Antonio once again was put in a contradicting situation by the society.But instead of conforming to the societal norms he decided to infringe them and so he does.This is manifested by Anaya in chapter 18 when in a pastime compelled to be a priest Antonio refuses to punish Florence for not believing in God.He said with an affirmative voice, “I am the priest!...and I have absolved him of his sins”(Anaya 214).The above corroboration clearly demonstrates that Antonio has developed socially all this time and now knows how to interact and react with the society when it forced you to conform to a certain norm.In the case with Florence, although Antonio’s friends expect him to react in a certain way and discipline Florence for not believing in Christian God, he arbitrates to support Florence even being well aware of the bitter consequences of this act.This courage has somehow achieved by him through blessing Narciso at the time of his death.So Antonio goes through social development when he decides to stand in favor of Florence against the societal customs and traditions.
The moral maturation of the chief character occurs when he finally understands the righteousness of Ultima and her teachings while trying to save her from Tenorio's wrath.Moral growth teaches a mortal the distinction between right and wrong and that good is always stronger than evil and even the smallest bit of good can stand against all the powers of evil in the world.Throughout the story, Antonio and morality were inseparable.At different points of life and in a different turn of events Antonio tries to seek the difference between right and wrong.Although Ultima was always there to show him the right path and teach him the lessons of morality yet an understanding gain from experience and time has its own value.

Narciso’s death once again arouses the questions of morality in his mind and he itched to hunt for the answers to those questions.But when he saw the vengeance in Tenorio’s eyes and his aggravation for Ultima he decisively recognizes the rectitude of Ultima and her ways to fight evil.The demonstration of this act occurs in chapter 22 when acknowledging the evil intentions of Tenorio, the distinction between right and wrong dawned on Antonio, “For us Ultima personified goodness, and any risk in defense of goodness was right.She was the only person I had ever seen defeat evil where all else had failed”(Anaya 255).This confirmation displays the fact that eventually, Antonio came to learn that sometimes the source of fighting the evil doesn’t matter but the intentions do.And that one must support righteousness at any stake.Antonio goes through moral development by perceiving the goodness and righteousness of Ultima fighting against

evil.
The Chicano boy mentally developed during the chaos of Ultima’s death, when he as a man ordered his mother to take his sisters inside.Mental development of a soul happens when it becomes mature enough to perceive problems, to find their solutions and to take correct decisions at the right moment.Being born in a family where he was maternally Luna And paternally Marez, Antonio was always torn between losing innocence and becoming a man.Through the course of the events being displayed in the novel Antonio was never treated as a man by his family.He always does what he was being told to, like a puppet.Either choosing between Marez and Luna, becoming a priest or a cowboy Antonio was consistently listening to his elders like a child.But him blessing Narciso at the time of his death brought several changes in him.He developed a lot from that time.When Ultima’s owl was dying and there was chaos everywhere, Antonio handles the situation like a man and although he was crumbling from inside he acknowledges his responsibility towards his sisters which only a person with mature mentality would do.In Chapter 22 the author proficiently exhibits the maturity of Antonio when even in a sensitive situation he takes care of his sisters.Antonio firmly orders his mother about his sisters saying, “Take them to their room”(Anaya 259).This confirmation demonstrates that ultimately Antonio has learned to deal with the critical situations like a man and now he doesn’t freak out like a child.The difference between the way of dealing the situation of Antonio and his sister speaks volumes of Antonio’s development throughout the whole story.Antonio’s mental development is marked by his ability to realize the sensitivity of the situation and care for his sisters as a man during Ultima’s death.
Coming to the end, Rudolpho Anaya’s masterpiece Bless Me, Ultima tremendously presents the story of the maturation of Antonio describing the facts that development and maturity are not measured by age.It’s an attitude built by experience.Antonio’s mental, social and moral growth was initiated with him blessing Narciso at the time of his death.From being a carefree child to a responsible adolescent Antonio suffers a lot during the transformation and ultimately acknowledges that one has to lose something precious in order to gain something priceless.And he has to lose his innocence in order to achieve maturity.