Bless Me, Ultima Super RRS

Transcription

1 Brandon Dela Cruz Evan Sentoso Hannah Karimi Iris Wu Bless Me, Ultima Super RRS Title: Bless Me, Ultima Publication Date: 1972 Author: Rudolfo Anaya Nationality: American Author s Birth/Death Dates: October 30, 1937 present Distinguishing Traits of the Author: Rudolfo Anaya, born in New Mexico, is an American writer and educator who has greatly influenced Chicano literature. His mother came from a largely Catholic and farming background, while his father was a member of a group of nomadic herders who roamed the New Mexican plains. Among his seven siblings, Anaya was the only one to attend school, and he eventually graduated from the University of New Mexico. He became a high school teacher and later an English professor at his alma mater. Yet, when he was not teaching, he focused on writing novels. Bless Me, Ultima, his most highly-acclaimed work, is considered an autobiographical account of his upbringing as Antonio, the protagonist of the novel, faces similar conditions and trials in his life. Through his brilliant inclusion of the supernatural, spiritual, and conflicting forces of the world, Rudolfo Anaya remains an influential writer who has developed and shaped Chicano literature. Setting of the Work: The novel takes place during the end of World War II (1940s). The subsequent settings are all located in New Mexico. Llano- Las Pasturas, often referred to as the llano, is significant because it is where Antonio is born and where Tony s father, Gabriel Marez, matures and freely roams the land as a vaquero. Unfortunately for Gabriel, the family moves to Guadalupe because Antonio s mother, Maria, wants her sons to obtain a proper education. She also wants

2 Antonio to become a priest because she highly values religion and purity. The llano represents innocence and freedom. If Antonio stayed at the llano and never moved to the city of Guadalupe, he would have never been exposed to the deaths and other traumatic events that he experiences there. Guadalupe- Antonio s family moves to this New Mexican city because his mother wants him to get a valuable and formal education. Also, Antonio s mother wants him to become a priest and express his Catholic faith. The city of Guadalupe is where Antonio starts to mature through his many different experiences. Although he begins to learn more and discovers the magic of the letters, he loses his innocence as he witnesses several tragic events. The society within this town is what forces specific expectations and rules upon Antonio. Since the town is predominantly Catholic, Antonio feels as if he must conform. However, the various deaths that he witnesses cause him to question his faith and the concept of forgiveness. All of these aspects of Guadalupe are what lead Antonio to find his own destiny and form his own beliefs. The River- Within the river, the Golden Carp exists to only those who believe in it. The city of Guadalupe sits on top of this underground river and when people sin, the weight increases. If people continue to sin, then the city will be flooded by the water of the river. The Golden Carp will then create a new earth. The presence of the river represents another view of religion in comparison to the predominantly Catholic community. Only few people believe in the Golden Carp, and this alternate faith causes Antonio to contemplate his decisions and beliefs. He learns to figure out his own destiny and live his own life instead of following those around him in society. Brief Plot Synopsis: Antonio dreams constantly of his destiny and which side of the family he will lean towards, the Marez or the Luna. When Antonio turns seven years old, his family takes in Ultima, a curandera, to live with them because they are concerned for her old age and greatly respect her. Maria Luna, Antonio s mother, believes that he should become a priest, while his father, Gabriel Marex, wants Antonio to wander the Ilano as a cowboy. Antonio begins to seek understanding in the world after Ultima s arrival. The town is in conflict when war veteran, Lupito, kills the local sheriff; Lupito suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and is not in his right mind when he shoots Chavez. However, the town hunts Lupito down and kills him while Antonio witnesses the entire ordeal. Lupito s death leaves Antonio confused and lost as he tries to figure out the moral ambiguity of the situation. He turns to Ultima for guidance, but she tells him that he must find his own answers. Antonio later attends church and sees a group of boys roughhousing; he flips a boy named Horse, symbolic of his Marez bloodline.

3 Antonio begins to go to school, but he finds himself outcasted by his differences. He brings a Mexican lunch and cannot speak English, so he finds solace amongst the other outcasts at school. Antonio s brothers, Eugenio, Leon, and Andrew, return home from the war, and their father begins to think about his dream of moving to California. His brothers announce that they are leaving once again, dashing their father s dreams of moving to California, although Andrew stays behind with the family. School ends, and Antonio skips to the third grade because of his academic excellence. He walks home with Samuel, who introduces the story of the golden carp to him, shattering his world. Following his introduction to the golden carp, Antonio discovers that his uncle Lucas has been cursed by the Trementina sisters, Tenorio s daughters. Ultima cures Lucas and they return home. Cico then takes Antonio to visit the golden carp. After Tenorio s daughter dies, he seeks Ultima for revenge and aims to kill her, but fails; Ultima s owl blinds Tenorio in one eye and he leaves. Later, Narciso and Tenorio get in a fight when Tenorio threatens again to kill Ultima. Narciso leaves to warm Ultima, but is shot dead by Tenorio. Antonio witnesses the entire ordeal. Eugene and Leon return and leave again, this time with Andrew. After Antonio s first Communion, he is left feeling rather underwhelmed. He decides to show Florence the golden carp, but finds immediately after that Florence has drowned in the water. Antonio is sent to live with the uncles of the Marez family. Tenorio reveals that he is going to try to kill Ultima again. He shoots Ultima s owl, and Antonio finds Ultima ready to die. Ultima asks Antonio to bury the owl near the juniper tree, and Antonio asks Ultima to bless him. She passes away. Brief Description of Characters: Antonio Marez: Tony is a precocious, religious, and curious young boy who undergoes significant trials and witnesses the harsh realities around him.. As the novel progresses, Antonio matures and questions many things about life and religion. He does not completely understand how sins are forgiven so easily. It is said that he would have a God who forgives all, but when it comes to [his] personal whims [he] seek[s] punishment for [his] vengeance (173). Alongside this, he has to deal with his family s conflicts and his own search for self. Antonio encounters four deaths that change his viewpoints and beliefs drastically. He is also introduced to various religions which only cause more internal conflict for Antonio. He also realizes that he must choose his own path and not necessarily be fully influenced by others, specifically his parents. Ultima: Ultima is Antonio s biggest mentor and an old, wise curandera who is able to heal others. Through her experiences in life, she has a lot of wisdom which she uses to teach Antonio. Ultima knows when to interfere and when to let things go their own ways, which is evident in her relationship with Antonio. When she dies, she says

4 that she was to heal the sick and show them the path of goodness (260). Ultima is very genuine and caring towards those around her. Maria Luna-Marez: Maria is Antonio s Catholic mother who wants him to be priest and is the daughter of a farmer. She also hopes that her three other sons will return home safely from the war. She is a very caring mother, and she is compared to a mother hen [caring] for her chicks (64). She constantly argues with Gabriel because they have different aspirations for Antonio. Gabriel Marez: Gabriel is Antonio s father who wants him to become a wandering vaquero like he once was. Gabriel had been a vaquero all his life (2). His ultimate dream is to move to California with his family. Unfortunately, he is unable to accomplish this because his three other sons decide to live independently. He serves as a foil to his wife. Narciso: Narciso is characterized as the crazy drunk of the town. In reality, Narciso is very sacrificial, genuine, and courageous. The theme of appearance vs. reality is prominent when it comes to Narciso. People often say that he never did anything useful (20). The true motives and personality of Narciso can be seen within his luscious garden. The reason why he became a drunk is because he lost purpose in life once his wife died. Narciso attempts to save Ultima, proving that he is a man of value and of great courage. Lupito: Lupito comes back from the war with a mental illness due to his traumatic experiences. Still disturbed by the war, he cannot control himself, and he eventually came up to where [the sheriff] sat and without warning shot him in the head (17). His death is the first one that Antonio sees, and Antonio wonders if Lupito s death is justified since Lupito has a mental illness. Tenorio Trementina: Tenorio is the main antagonist of the novel. He is never considered a considerate character by the villagers but once his daughter dies, he turns into a savage and is motivated to seek redemption. He becomes a man bent upon destruction (188). He blames Ultima for cursing his daughters and eventually kills her. Trementina sisters (brujas): Just like their father, the sisters are sinister. They dance with the devil when they see Antonio s uncle, Lucas. They screamed like furies and were upon him, attacking him like wild animals (88). The sisters are evil and will do anything to harm others, and the priest even refuses to bury one of the sisters when she dies. Antonio s brothers: Eugene has always been the leader of the brothers, and he is strongly influenced by his Marez blood (66). Contrastingly, Leon is portrayed as a follower because he would not dare to think so far from Eugene s decision and thoughts (67). Andrew liked to be his own man and is portrayed as Antonio s lustful brother who fails to help Narciso warn Ultima of Tenorio s plot to kill her (66).

5 Florence : Florence is one of Antonio s few friends from school who drowns in the river near the conclusion of the novel. He is alienated because he is an atheist. When explaining to Antonio that his parents died and his siblings have deserted him, Florence claims that it is God who has sinned against [him] (213). Because he does not share the same Catholic beliefs as his peers, Florence is ostracized, but Antonio understands the reasoning behind his differences. Florence is portrayed as a Christ-like figure when he is punished. Symbols: The Owl: The owl represents Ultima s spirit and the goodness of her heart. Although this animal is commonly associated with witches and darkness, the owl is benevolent and oversees the safety of Antonio. Her protective and free spirit watches over Antonio as he obtains more knowledge and is confronted with challenges such as seeing the Lupito s and Narciso s deaths. When the owl is shot by Tenorio at the conclusion of the novel, Ultima dies along with it, a scene where Antonio reaches an epiphany about the looming presence of the owl. The Golden Carp : The golden carp symbolizes the religious conflict that Antonio suffers through. As soon as he sees he carp, he questions and wonders if there exists another god for him to acknowledge. Anaya includes the symbol of the golden carp in order to discuss the presence of another magical religious figure outside of the ones that Antonio already knows to establish further conflict regarding his religious preference. Antonio questions that there is a new god for him to believe in aside from his Catholic beliefs (81). This ultimately shifts Antonio s understanding of forgiveness and widens his range of religious beliefs; he begins to understand that there is something outside of what he has been taught for the entirety of his life, something aside from the Virgen de Guadalupe and God. The lord of all the waters of the valley, the golden carp, represents an alternative God for Antonio to believe in that stems from pagan beliefs of the native location, giving him a wider range of religions to consider. The river : The presence of the river represents Antonio s innocence. Initially, the water is clear and pure just like Antonio. Once Antonio witnesses Lupito s death, the water is stained by blood. As Antonio sees more deaths, the water only becomes darker due to more blood. At the same time, the river is used for cleansing the soul. The Golden Carp will cause the city to become flooded if the townspeople constantly sin. Virgen de Guadalupe: The Virgin de Guadalupe symbolizes forgiveness and serves as a foil to God s wrath. Antonio refers to her as the queen of heaven and full of quiet, peaceful love (43-44). Since he does not understand why God punished or how He chose to forgive, Antonio turns to the pure, motherly figure that his mother often prays to. At such a young age, Antonio views the world from a simple perspective, unaware that most people and event have multiple layers. He begins to realize that

6 people s actions and feelings cannot be merely labeled as good and evil. This forgiving figure represents his innocent and blissful thinking and even a sense of young hope. Rosie s house: This brothel represents the lust that resides within men. It also signifies sin within the novel as Antonio s brothers enter. Their sins haunt them, and they always ask Antonio for his help in his dreams. Eugene tells Antonio that the Marez men need women, and Leon says that a woman will complete him. On the other hand, Andrew says he will only go in once Antonio loses his innocence. Motifs: Dreams: Throughout the entirety of the novel, Antonio has a series of prophetic dreams that reflect on his feelings regarding his situation. While at the beginning of the novel Antonio s dreams concern mainly himself and his destiny as either a Luna or Marez, they eventually expand beyond simply himself. His first few dreams talk about his brothers and family members trying to convince him to become a priest, regardless of his own decisions. However, as he experiences things such as the golden carp and Virgin and the fourth deaths, he realizes that there are greater things to acknowledge aside from just himself. He considers religion and whether or not God exists, and if he does, which god to believe in. Antonio thinks about major themes within the novel such as his eventual loss of innocence and religion, marking his maturation throughout the novel. The motif of dreams is used ultimately to denote Antonio s growth as he begins to think about things outside of himself and his family to the townspeople, religion, and the moral ambiguity that exists outside of simply black and white. Death: There are fourth deaths in the novel that Antonio witnesses: Lupito, Narciso, Florence, and Ultima. The deaths in the novel are mentioned as a way to show Antonio s reactions and ultimate maturation. Lupito, a war ravaged veteran suffering PTSD, shoots and kills the sheriff and dies in the river. Antonio is exposed to moral ambiguity for the first time as he contemplates whether or not Lupito s destination will be heaven. The next death was Narciso s when Tenorio ambushes him and shoots him. Antonio struggles here with religion; he begs for Narciso to be forgiven by God and Virgen de Guadalupe, but neither truly fulfill his wishes. He tries to adapt the religions for his own desires, but begins to understand that there is no absolute truth. Later, Florence dies after drowning in a lake. Antonio begins to pray, but realizes that religion would not solve the issue; Florence was an atheist. It represents his understanding towards religion and his developing considerations for people outside of himself and his family. Ultima dies last after having her owl die from Tenorio s gunshot. Antonio matures and begins to make his own decisions and seeks a healthy balance between all the various conflicts in his life. Archetypes:

7 Mentor: Ultima takes on the mentor role in the novel as she guides Antonio through his internal struggles regarding his family, religion, and identity. She guides him through his turmoil be it after he witnesses a death or after being introduced to a new religion. Although she ultimately dies at the end of the novel, she has taught Antonio to find internal strength and to determine his own identity aside from his bloodline. Initiation: Once Antonio matures at the end of the novel, he realizes that he is in control of his own life. After Ultima is killed, he understands he is the only one responsible for choosing his destiny and beliefs as he approaches adulthood. Devil figure: Tenorio, father of the three witches, acts as a devil figure who seeks vengeance against Ultima. After the death of his first daughter, he accuses Ultima of being a witch and killing his daughter. Though she successfully disproves him, he ultimately kills her owl, which kills him. His intentions to protect his family may be justified; however, he overlooks the fact that his own daughters are evil and blames another for their wrongdoings. In this sense, Tenorio embodies this satanic character, especially in the scene where he murders Narciso. Allusions: Garden of Eden : The Garden of Eden is alluded to when Narciso s garden is being described. Although the town is very bland and dry, Narciso s garden is full of color and life. Ultima and Antonio are unable to grow the plants that Narciso has in his garden. Also, when Antonio eats the carrot, he throws it up, which is symbolic of the forbidden fruit. Noah s Ark : When the Golden Carp floods the land surrounded by a ring of water in Antonio s dream, it can be associated with Noah s ark. The land is filled with sinners who cause it to be flooded. In the story of Noah s ark, God makes Noah build an ark that is filled with animals. Later, God tells Noah to leave the ark because God plans to flood earth to get rid of the people who sin. ` La Llorona: La llorona is alluded to by Antonio s brothers in his second dream. This Mexican folklore about a woman who cries and wails for her children who she had killed is described as being present in the river that Lupito s blood has stained. This allusion signifies how Antonio s brothers who have all left for the war cannot live out their parents dreams, which leaves Antonio as the last hope. The woman s crying voice is supposed to be calling Antonio to help save the final remnants of their parents ambitions. Themes: 1-Quest for Understanding A man s quest for understanding may be fulfilled through his experiences that challenge him to question his inner beliefs.

8 Witnessing Lupito s murder by the town mob begins Antonio s questioning of God s forgiveness and sin. Although he knows that Lupito shot the sheriff, he also considers Lupito s war sickness. His first exposure to death causes him to look beyond the singular perspective of good and evil. The death sparks Antonio s inner questioning about morality and wonders if he will go to hell (25). At this point in the novel, Antonio does not realize that God s authority is out of his control, but he starts to lose his innocence. Tenorio s murder of Narciso presents a challenge to Antonio because he cannot comprehend why someone with good intentions would be killed. He cannot accept the concept that evil is victorious, and he initiates a conversation with God in his dream asking him to forgive Narciso. Though Antonio has gathered more knowledge from school and the guidance of Ultima, he still only views God s power in terms of what he thinks is moral. God says Antonio cannot ask for a god who forgives all, but when it comes to [his] own personal whims..to seek punishment (173). Confused and shaken, Antonio further questions his beliefs in God and tries to decide who deserves to be forgive Ultima s death marks the pivotal moment when Antonio learns to accept death and to remember Ultima s wisdom in his own life. Despite Ultima being such an important figure in his life, Antonio is able to cope with her loss because he knows she would not want him to be weakened but to be strengthened. His questions about God, sin, and forgiveness are left unanswered at the conclusion of the novel, but he is able to learn that these tragic deaths and experiences can teach him to be a stronger and better individu Antonio realizes that he should appreciate the time he had with her and always focus on the positive side of life, as Ultima would say to take life's experiences and build strength from them, not weakness (261). Antonio is able to find solace and decide for himself and for Ultima to move on and mature. 2- Appearance vs. Reality When society has a predetermined image of someone, they neglect to understand the person s true character and his struggles throughout life. After Lupito kills the respected sheriff of the town, the mob of men are determined to kill Lupito for revenge. Lupito becomes insane after being scarred from fighting in the war, causing him to kill the sheriff. While he has committed an immoral action, his character should not be merely judged by the crazed man that remains of his post-war self. Narciso describes the amiable relations they had with each other, remembering that Lupito is a man filled with goodwill.the mob of men are determined to kill Lupito, screaming that He is an animal! He has to be shot! (19). However, the men fail to see that Lupito is a man who has been transformed into a state of mental

9 and emotional instability and became deranged because of the effect the war had on him. Narciso, who knew of Lupito's true self before this change, is able to sympathize with the man who helped in the war and was unjustly punished with losing his sanity. On the surface, Narciso is widely regarded as the town drunkard. However, his genuine character reveals a highly courageous and caring figure. Known for drinking and rowdiness around others, Narciso s true character is dismissed by his faults. Yet, Cico shows Antonio the beauty of Narciso s hidden garden that is teeming of life, which correlates to Narciso s underlying rich, vigorous, yet hidden nature. Evident in the scene where he tries to warn Ultima in the snowstorm but is killed by Tenorio, Narciso is exemplified to prove this disparity between appearances and reality. His bravery is disregarded by the townspeople, but his obsession with alcohol overshadows his reputation. This theme is also developed through the classmates judgment of Antonio s friend, Florence. All of the children and the teachers judge him for being an atheist. He is ridiculed and ostracized because of lack of his beliefs in a predominantly Catholic school. However, Antonio understands the reasoning behind Florence s choice not to believe in God. He explains to Antonio that it is because My mother died when I was three, my old man drank himself to death...and my sisters are whores, working at Rosie s place (195). Florence s true character is neglected because the other schoolboys do not have the knowledge of his deceased parents and harsh upbringing. He believes that God has sinned him and cannot comprehend why any god would be this cruel to him. The appearance of his character seems to be that he does not believe because he is different, but the reality is that what he has struggled through and endured has shaped his perspective on religion and not merely conform. 3-Clash of Cultures Caught between two opposing cultures, a person will strive to find a healthy balance in order to strengthen his identity. At the onset of the novel, Antonio has a dream that reflects on the stress between two opposing cultural forces that guide his destiny. He is forced to pick between becoming a priest as a Luna or wandering the Ilano as a cowboy to fulfill either of his parents dreams. The dream has Antonio watching his birth as Ultima aids his mother, Maria Luna. The two families begin to fight over what he will become and which family he will follow until Ultima takes away his afterlife and buries it, claiming that only she will know his destiny. This demonstrates his initial struggle to find what he is meant to become and is only further strengthened by his mother s incessant begging for him to become a priest.

10 Even throughout the duration of the novel, Antonio is constantly being begged to become a priest by everyone around him for their own benefit. When his three brothers return home from the war, they decide that they do not want to stay in Guadalupe but instead want to travel the country. Riddled with guilt, they come to the conclusion that it would be fine even if they left because Antonio could fulfill their mother s dream by becoming a priest. His brothers put the weight of becoming a priest on his shoulders causing him further emotional turmoil; not only does he have the weight of fulfilling his mother s dream, he also must support his brothers, even if it is not what he truly desires. He is caught between being the Luna that everyone wants him to be and the Marez that his father wants him to be and struggles under the weight of societal expectations. As Antonio is struggling to find his destiny, Ultima tells him he is not just a Marez or Luna, but he is both. He is not shackled to just one destiny; there is no clear cut definition between cultures. Instead, because Antonio was born to both a Marez and a Luna, he can integrate qualities from both lifestyles into his own in order to become more comfortable with his identity. 4-Search for Identity In the search for one s identity, a person may encounter challenges to his original beliefs; however, his individual experiences and perspectives can shape his true identity. Antonio s Catholic faith is undermined when he witnesses Ultima s magical healing of Uncle Lucas. Antonio is puzzled by the fact that God was not able to save his Uncle Lucas from the evil curse of the Trementina sisters and remarks that Ultima s cure...occupied my thoughts the rest of the summer (123). Ultima s magic that is not permitted and largely condemned in religion is able to save Uncle Lucas, while the doctor fails to cure him, which confuses Antonio as he wonders why God s power, which is supposed to be absolute and omnipotent, fails in this case. Furthermore, the Golden Carp causes Antonio to question his Catholic faith in a single god. After looking into her bright, clear eyes, he says that he understood her truth (121). Seeing the beautiful golden carp in his dream and listening to the stories that his friends, Samuel and Cisco, narrate ignite Antonio s wonder if there could really be more than the one god he has learned about in Catholicism. Through his sighting of the golden carp, he invites the idea and possibility that there exists gods beyond his initial accepted belief. Through Antonio's struggles to understand the various religions, Anaya illustrates that a person might face challenges to their original beliefs and search for identity. In the end, Antonio tells his dad that a new religion can be made (247). He takes all the experiences he has seen and learned from and decides that they all have their flaws

11 and strengths. His conclusion illustrates his maturity and development into a man who is open-minded and curious of the world around him. At the conclusion of the novel, Ultima s death, instead of weakening Antonio, causes him to find his true identity and pursue a life that is representative of a Marez and Luna. Memorable Quotes: The magical time of childhood stood still, and the pulse of the living earth preseed its mystery into my living blood (1) Life is never beyond hope (96) The smallest bit of good can stand against all powers of evil in the world and it will emerge triumphant (98) You know that a witch cannot walk through a door so marked by the sign of Christ! (133) Perhaps the llano was like me, as I grew the innocence was gone, and so to the land changed (168) You are growing and growth is change. Accept the change, make it part of your strength (245) Because in the end understanding simply means having sympathy for people (248) Ultima said to take life s experiences and build strength from them, not weakness (261) I think most of the things we call evil are not evil at all; it is just that we don t understand those things and so we call them evil. And we fear evil only because we do not understand it (262) To the child it is natural but for the grown man it loses its naturalness-so as old men we see a different reality (263) Bless me, Ultima (276) Always have the strength to live (276) Distinctive Characteristics of the Work: Bless Me, Ultima is a bildungsroman that tracks Antonio s spiritual and educational development in his youth. In this Chicano novel, Anaya integrates the English and Spanish language and culture, and it portrays the barriers of the clash of both these cultures. The supernatural forces, magical realism, myths, animism, and Christianity are all included to show the wide range of beliefs that the New Mexican people have and the impact of each belief on Antonio. By incorporating aspects of his own family and background, Anaya has skillfully crafted an autobiographical account of the struggles of his own upbringing.