Bless Me Ultima, a book by Rudolfo A. Anaya, is about a young boy named Antonio who comes of age through troubling ordeals throughout the book. He is aided in this journey by a curandera named Ultima, who teaches Tony many life lessons. Anaya uses animals to symbolize intangible attributes such as good and evil. Representing Ultima, he uses the owl, which serves as the good character, while the coyote represents evil, portrayed by Tenorio. The Golden Carp is a symbol of Tony's uncertainty toward religion and morality. .
Anaya's portrayal of these mystical characteristics shapes Tony's ascent into manhood. The need for good is represented by the owl, which symbolizes Ultima. The symbolic value of the owl is seen early in the story when Tony calls it "Ultima's owl". Tony is aware of the presence of the owl because he "heard the owl cry its warning" before the death of Lupito. This foreshadowing of events occurs throughout the book, and shows the magical powers Tony believed to belong to the owl / Ultima. Because of these powers Tony's life is confusing and unstable. .
The owl also proves to be a savior to Antonio's family when it "pounced on the coyotes" while Ultima and Tony are helping Uncle Lucas. Tony realizes that in order to be successful, he must heed the warnings that come to him through nature, and his dreams. He learns that he must put himself in vulnerable positions, like the owl who risks it's life, to help others. Evil, on the other hand, is symbolized by coyotes and the character of Tenorio. Before Tenorio is involved in the story, there is no mention of the wickedness of the coyotes, but once he shows up, they"re constantly on the side of evil. Tony refers to Tenorio's friends as a "ring of coyotes around him".
A unique perspective differentiates Tony from the other characters in the story. Once an idea is implanted into his mind, it remains there in his subconscious. Later in the story he even calls the coyotes Tenorio's -- "He ran to find refuge behind two of his coyotes".
BLESS ME, ULTIMA Writing Assignment Life is filled with journeys. ... In Bless Me, Ultima, Antonio goes through a life changing journey. ... Antonio works very hard by running ten miles to save Ultima. He is attacked by Tenorio but still he runs to save Ultima. ... My heart was pounding, my lungs burned, and in my side there was a continuous stabbing pain" (Pg. 243, Bless Me, Ultima). ...
In the novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya the character Ultima represents good through her healing, her fight against evil, and her teaching and guidance. Ultima displays her act of goodness when she cures Maria's youngest brother, Lucus Luna. ... "noticed three wax-covered dolls on Ultimas shelf one seemed to be bent over in pain." Ultima is fighting the three evil witch daughters with witchcraft of her own. ... Ultima takes Antonio to gather herbs and teaches him about their healing properties. ...
Bless Me, Ultima I enjoyed reading Rudolfo A Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima because it show the many different religions and beliefs people have and the conflict they deal with in everyday life. ... Ultima is a close friend of his family and helps deliver Antonio. They believe there is a tie between him and Ultima. And that Ultima can see his future. ... When Ultima's owl dies and soon after Ultima dies Antonio understands it is up to him to figure these things out. ...
Bless Me Ultima Essay What does Anaya have to say about good and evil in Bless Me Ultima? ... Cry's from Ultima's owl warn him sometimes. ... Ultima comes in to the story at the very beginning. ... When he went out with Ultima to pick herbs he learns to say thank you to the earth and bless the plants that he takes from the good land. ... Just like Ultima said " Good will always overcome evil". ...
Decisions From The Heart In Rudolfo Anaya's novel Bless Me Ultima, the main character, Tony, is torn between his mother's wish for him to become a priest and his father's wish for him to be a vaquero. ... "I bless you in the name of all that is good and strong and beautiful, Antonio. ... 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. ... Ultima's final blessing to Antonio in chapter 22 clarifies bless me, ultima's moral standpoint. ... Ultima was really buried here. ...
In Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me Ultima, Antonio has encountered many events in his life that taught him a great deal. ... When Tony goes to stay with his uncles in El Puerto in Chapter 22, on page 237 he says, " The rest of the summer was good for me, good in the sense that I was filled with its richness and I made strength from everything that happened to me, so in the end not even the final tragedy could defeat me. And that is what Ultima tried to teach me, that the tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength that resides in the human heart." ... Ultima would always ...
The book, "Bless me, Ultima", by Rudolfo Anaya, has been described as part of the magical realism genre in literature. ... In "Bless me, Ultima", we can find evidences that support this definition, for example, Ultima's magical powers as a curandera, her ability to manipulate the forces of good and evil through the casting of spells and the lifting of curses, and Antonio's dreams that enable him to see the past and predict future events. ... The owl represents Ultima's spirit, as Anaya explains: "Again the owl sang; Ultima's spirit bathed me with its strong resolution"...
Throughout the book Bless Me Ultima, religion remained one of the major themes. The thing that intrigued me most about this book was the internal struggle Antonio dealt with in regards to the two different religions. ... A few other instances involving Ultima's owl led me to believe she was part witch. ... This confused many people in the llano, and it even confused me at the beginning. ... This was very interesting and forced me to think about different religions and sets of beliefs. ...
Bless Me,Ultima Criticism, the art of judging with knowledge, consists of specific tasks in which one must take in account certain elements as they differentiate a fine work of writing, opposed to a superfluous piece of work. Rudolfo Anaya, the author of Bless Me Ultima, presents important elements such as the use of symbolism, dealing with internal struggles, and the use of characterization. ... The frequent use of symbolism keeps me, the reader, pondering as well as interested in the book. A major symbol in Bless Me Ultima is Ultima's owl. ... Antonio and Ultima are seen as the tw...
