Bless Me Ultima

             The rite of passage that children go through to enter adulthood is a difficult one. Their task is to find themselves and grow into the adult they will become. This is a daunting and difficult journey filled with new experiences, difficult situations, confusion, and the loss of childhood innocence. In the novel Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya, Tony, a young boy, makes his way into adulthood and in doing so, discovers the dire evil in the world. With so many new and overwhelming situations, Tony is lucky that to have so many people who care about his transition into manhood, and are there to offer him advice. Tony's maturation from his innocent childhood to the sin filled adult world is strongly influenced by magical elements. .
             In the novel, while Tony sleeps, he has many dreams that change his spiritual and personal views of life. For example, Tony's fourth dream occurs during a time when he is struggling with his brothers" growing up and wanting to leave the llano for good. In the dream, Tony's three brothers, Eugene, Andrew, and Leon are going into Rosie's, a place of sin, dangerous thoughts, and dangerous activities. Tony, knowing about Rosie's, pleads with them to stop when he sees them entering. Everybody enters except Andrew, who tells Tony that he will not go inside until Tony loses his innocence. Ultima steps out of the swirling storm of the llano and says that "There in the land of the dancing plains and rolling hills, there in the land which is the eagle's by day and the owl's by night is innocence. There where the lonely wind of the llano sang to the lovers" feat of your birth, there in those hills is your innocence" (66). This dream symbolizes Tony's yearning for his brothers to stay away from sin and evil. The magic in Ultima coming out of the llano stresses her watchful eye over Tony. Tony struggles to face his brothers" growing up and "sinning," as there is a conflict with God and the sin of growing up to become a man.