Bless Me, Ultima LAP
Deja Dugar
AP Literature
Period 3
9/28/16
A man does not die of love or their body or old age; he dies of being man. "You are innocent until you understand" (page 71). Growth and coming of age can only come with knowledge and understanding. The only way you can truly understand is if you go and actually live life. Through his experiences Antonio Marez finds himself questioning everything. This is the start to a domino effect that is his religious ambivalence.
The deaths of three characters in Rudolfo Anaya's novel Bless Me, Ultima witnessed by Antonio, initially foster the ambivalence of his religion within himself. But when thinking about it maybe the expectations of his mother added to it. Her dream is for him to grow up with an education and become a priest. It's not the mother who is at fault but rather the slight contradiction of her dreams. …show more content…
A curandera that has guided Antonio during her time living at his house. She instructs him in the ways of nature and what it means to simply grow up. Ultima stands as Antonio's guide and mentor. "I bless you in the name of all that is good and strong and beautiful, Antonio. Always have the strength to live. Love life, and if despair enters your heart, look for me in the evenings when the wind is gentle and the owls sing in the hills. I shall be with you-" By the end of this novel Antonio has grown to accept fate as it is. As his mother prepares for a Catholic funeral he comes to realize that the act is merely "custom." Ultima belonged to another faith—another set of beliefs, and that's what he chooses to pay tribute to. Antonio’s innocence has been eradicated compared to the beginning of this novel. He realizes that it is up to him to develop his own value system and sense of identity. Encouraged by the teachings of Ultima, he decides to honor all the cultural and religious traditions to which he is exposed, but to think for himself as
Deja Dugar
AP Literature
Period 3
9/28/16
A man does not die of love or their body or old age; he dies of being man. "You are innocent until you understand" (page 71). Growth and coming of age can only come with knowledge and understanding. The only way you can truly understand is if you go and actually live life. Through his experiences Antonio Marez finds himself questioning everything. This is the start to a domino effect that is his religious ambivalence.
The deaths of three characters in Rudolfo Anaya's novel Bless Me, Ultima witnessed by Antonio, initially foster the ambivalence of his religion within himself. But when thinking about it maybe the expectations of his mother added to it. Her dream is for him to grow up with an education and become a priest. It's not the mother who is at fault but rather the slight contradiction of her dreams. …show more content…
A curandera that has guided Antonio during her time living at his house. She instructs him in the ways of nature and what it means to simply grow up. Ultima stands as Antonio's guide and mentor. "I bless you in the name of all that is good and strong and beautiful, Antonio. Always have the strength to live. Love life, and if despair enters your heart, look for me in the evenings when the wind is gentle and the owls sing in the hills. I shall be with you-" By the end of this novel Antonio has grown to accept fate as it is. As his mother prepares for a Catholic funeral he comes to realize that the act is merely "custom." Ultima belonged to another faith—another set of beliefs, and that's what he chooses to pay tribute to. Antonio’s innocence has been eradicated compared to the beginning of this novel. He realizes that it is up to him to develop his own value system and sense of identity. Encouraged by the teachings of Ultima, he decides to honor all the cultural and religious traditions to which he is exposed, but to think for himself as