Rodolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima

Dream Catcher

The life and experiences often encountered by most 6 year old kids are for the most part joyful and fun, but Tony’s childhood was like no other due to the hardships he had to experience at such a young age. Rodolfo Anaya’s “Bless Me, Ultima” is about the development of Tony’s moral independence while dealing with culture and religion as he is introduced to Ultima, a well known “curandera”, who also becomes his confidant, which helps the reader develop a better understanding of Tony’s struggles. One of the main focuses in Freud’s theory of Psychoanalysis is the use of the “unconscious” to express a character’s true desires and anxieties as well as the author’s psyche. This can apply to Tony throughout the novel. Tony witnesses

all sorts of traumatic events which lead to very vivid dreams about the future and his life in general. This can imply the character’s fear of abandonment as well as his insecurity. Although “Bless Me, Ultima” is a novel about Tony Marez’ conflicted journey to finding moral independence, by looking at it from the perspective of psychoanalytic criticism the reader is able to perceive Tony’s struggles and understand his difficulty with finding himself, as well as his baffled thoughts and ideas as he deals with the pressures a typical 6 year old would never have to live with.
Psychoanalytic criticism in literature directly involves the true purpose and reasoning behind certain ways characters behave or think. There are many different reasons why a character develops or becomes who (s)he really is. The similarities between both Rudolfo Anaya and Tony Marez can make the reader infer that perhaps the author symbolizes himself with Tony's character. He appears to also let out his fears, anxieties and desires through the unconscious. “The most important fact to remember is that core issues define our being in fundamental ways. They do not consist of occasional negative feelings, such as passing episodes of insecurity or low self-image. Having an occasional “bad-hair day,” for instance, does not indicate the presence of a core issue”.(15)

The time period this novel took place in was a time where religion was of great importance.

Few questioned it, nonetheless giving the church power. In Antonio’s community, many people identified themselves as catholics therefore believing in the teaching of the Virgen de Guadalupe, a symbol of forgiveness. Like his main character, Rudolfo Anaya was brought up in the same religious environment. His family greatly influenced religious beliefs. A key character to the development of Tony’s religious disbeliefs is Florence, an orphan who does not believe in God due to his troubled past. Florence gives Tony his life story, both parents are dead, sisters become hookers, and he asks Tony “If God was real why would he do this to me” (90). As Antonio became frustrated with many unanswered questions regarding religion he starts doubting the ways of God. At this point Tony meets Cico, an older boy who introduces him to a different belief system, the “Golden Carp”. The belief of the Golden Carp was something that really intrigued Tony as he thought he finally found a forgiving God, a better God. After his first communion Tony thought that he would finally be one with God but soon after he did not feel anything, his disbeliefs were triggered to a whole other

level.
God! Why did Lupito die? Why do you allow the evil of the Trementinas? Why did you allow Narciso to be murdered when he was doing good? . . . A thousand questions pushed through my mind, but the Voice within me did not answer. . . . The mass was ending, the fleeting mystery was already vanishing.
(Ch 19)
Another connection Anaya had with Tony was that they were both raised in a mexican-american or chicano household which took a big hit on both of their identities. Living in a mexican household can be really life changing for some people as many respectful manners are taught at a young age. A great example of that is how Tony’s family brings in Ultima to come live with them as a way of saying thank you for all the good she has done for their family and community. Although there seemed to be some stability with the culture in the town there were some underlying conflicts that the author tries to add. A direct conflict that can be analyzed is the division between the Lunas and the Marez and how they both want to dictate Tony’s future. First the Lunas (mother) want him to become a priest or a farmer and continue the prestige of their family Mother of God, make my fourth son a priest. (217). On the counterpart the Marez (father) wants him to become a Vaquero, a man of el llano and become an explorer and grow with life experiences, including his father relentless desire to move to California. Gabriel, they shouted, you have a fine son! He will make a fine Vaquero!(70). This conflict is hard for Tony as at such a young age he is facing pressure from his parents to become what they want him to be without really letting him become whoever he wants to be. Another notable conflict in the communities’ culture is the mix of spanish and indigenous beliefs, this takes a big role as many people judge the Marez for bringing in Ultima as some people believe she is a witch. The author utilizes these conflicts to interpret the influence of culture on identity. Some characters in the novel are limited by their cultural prejudices and never learn to look beyond their own assumptions and accept people even if they are different.
The use of the “unconscious” is often used throughout the novel mainly focusing on Tony's dreams due to his ongoing thoughts or encounters which can vary from dark to foreshadowing of what his future might look like.

Dreams are often left over thought the brain dealing with certain experiences but taking them to a whole other level mainly because of Tony's stress struggles and pressure he is facing.. Witnessing another person's death at such a young age can take a big toll on someone. These different dreams he has can be use to foreshadow how he might become a priest when he is older. An example can be how Ultima’s owl dies in his dream which later ends up happening later in the story. These also helps him lose his insecurity and develop a more mature and knowledgeable mindset. The

most
“This is the boy who heard our last confessions on earth, In his innocence he prayed the Act of Final Contrition for us who were the outcasts of the town.”
Antonio’s character develops from a young innocent boy to a very mature due to the atrocities he has to go through as well as Ultimas guidance. As a 6 year old Tony had a lot on his plate. Ultima guides Tony and helps him develop a more open minded state of mind by explaining how most questions might have to remain unanswered, and a man has to think for himself, answer own questions and reach conclusions. Freud’s theory of the unconscious comes to play throughout the novel as perhaps Tony's dreams were just his real desires and his anxieties and ideas he was afraid of thinking while awake.
"Take them to their room," I said to my mother. It was the first time I had ever spoken to my mother as a man; she nodded and obeyed.” (Ch 22)

Works Cited
Anaya, Rudolfo. Bless Me, Ultima. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1972. Print
Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2006 Print.