Transformation In Bless Me Ultima - 1980 Words

Bless Me, Ultima is a transformative novel truly represented by the series of events that Antonio experienced. Throughout the story, Antonio was forced to transform from a boy to a man after the severity of tensions of opposites in his life caused him to question everything he had ever known. Antonio reflected upon battles of opinions in his own household, religious differences, and stepping outside of his cultural upbringing for the first time. When Antonio witnessed an extreme amount of death, the sight of the golden carp, and the magical healing powers of Ultima he began to question his Catholic roots and potential participation in the priesthood. When God failed to respond to Antonio s consistent questioning, he was no longer†¦show more content†¦Never. It was frightening to think of missing mass on Sunday, then dying and for that one mortal sin to go to hell forever. (Anaya 199-200) This phrase specifically shows the complexity in which Antonio thinks about the commandments of religion at such a young age, especially in the aspect of questioning what is happ ening after death. Aside from the constant death, introducing Antonio to the golden carp is the primary reason behind his questioning of Catholicism and just gods in general. When Antonio sees the carp for the first time his world collides. We see this specifically when he says, Swear by the cross of the Church that you will never hurt or kill a carp. This statement alone combines both Catholicism and Paganism. He presents us with the verbiage of the cross in his Church, along with the golden carp that he physically saw and was told to never harm. At this point, he is struggling to understand how he is supposed to believe in a God he cannot see, when the golden carp is a visual form of a miracle, happening right in front of his very own eyes. We know that Antonio is beginning to question his faith and future as a priest when he says, If I had not seen the golden carp perhaps I would not have believed him. But I had seen too much today to doubt him. (Anaya 116) and I wondered if God was aliveShow MoreRe latedBless Me Ultima Loss of Innocence820 Words   |  4 Pagesto a big, grown adult? What problems do we face? Who helps us decide our future? In Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, Antonio Mà ¡rez must forward on the way to his own moral self-sufficiency. Antonio is put into the center of many distressing events which cause him to grow up faster, and lose his innocence. Antonio has many questions about spirits, god and beliefs. To get his answers, he must undergo a transformation. To attain maturity, you must have a loss of innocence. For example, when a kid findsRead MoreLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 PagesKnowles (1959) To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (1960)[30] Dune, by Frank Herbert (1965)[33] The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton (1967)[34] A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin (1968)[35] I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou (1969) Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya (1972) The World According to Garp, by John Irving (1978) The Discovery of Slowness, by Sten Nadolny (1983) Bright Lights, Big City, by Jay McInerney (1984)[36] Ender s Game, by Orson Scott Card (1985)[34] The Cider House Rules