Bless Me, Ultima Super RRS

Katherine Lu

Victor Chang

Wyatt Swift-Ramirez

Period 3

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 Author

Rudolpho Anaya was born on October 30, 1937 in Pastura, New Mexico and grew up in a Santa Rosa, New Mexico. His father, Martin, was a vaquero from a family of cattle and sheep herders. His mother, Rafaelita, was from a family of farmers from Puerto De Luna in the Pecos Valley. Anaya grew up with two half-brothers and four sisters. He attended Albuquerque high school and then the University of Mexico to earn his Bachelors of Arts in English and American Literature. During college, he worked as a high school English teacher and in 1966, he married a woman named Patricia Lawless. After writing many books, he was invited to teach at the University of Mexico. After he retired from his position as a professor, he began traveling to places such as China and Mexico.

Setting/Time/Place of Work

Bless Me, Ultima is set in the early-mid 1940’s, about the same time as the latter stages

of World War II. A large portion of the novel takes place in a town named Guadalupe,

which is located in the state of New Mexico. Surrounding Guadalupe is the land named

the llano, which is an integral part in the character of both Antonio and his father

Gabriel. Antonio states “The beauty of the llano unfolded before my eyes, and the

gurgling waters of the river sang to the hum of the turning earth” (1), conveying that the

land is extremely important to his own character and development. Some minor settings are the Lunas’ homes in El Puerto de los Lunas, Tony’s school in the town, and the roads to El Puerto and the town. The Ilano is where Gabriel wants to live, while El Puerto is a place with rich farmland is where Tony’s mother, Maria, wants to live. This is the first conflict that arises between the couple as Gabriel wants to buy the land with “barren, empty hills”, but Maria wants to buy the land “along the river where the land was fertile and there was water for the plants and trees” The Ilano represents the Marez family while El Puerto and fertile land by the river represents the Lunas. Both settings are extremely different and have the characteristics of both independent families. The settings help create the beginning of Antonio’s inner conflict and his quest to find himself.

Brief Plot Synopsis

At the age of seven, Tony learns that Ultima, a curandera (folk healer) is going to live

with his family. His mother Tony and his siblings to treat her with the most upmost

respect because Ultima has played an important part in their lives. However, instead of

addressing Ultima with a formal name, Tony chooses to call her Ultima because theyshare a special bond. Tony dreams about his own birth and the interaction betweenboth sides of his family and the presence of Ultima

On one night, Tony is a witness to the death of Lupito, a man who has murderedthe sheriff out of confusion and frustration over the war. Antonio views his own father as one of the men who likely shot Lupito and is there to view his death in the river. Thisincident begins Tony’s introspective questioning about good and evil in the world andserves as his first real exposure to the adult world.

Tony eventually starts school and feels lonesome at first, but eventually finds agroup of boys that he grows close to. His three brothers come home from the war, which especially pleases his father because his father believes that he can finally livehis dream of moving out west. However, Tony’s brothers choose to live independently from the dreams of their father and choose to follow their own paths.

Tony eventually learns about a figure named the Golden Carp, which interest himgreatly. His friend Samuel takes him to the river and informs him about the tale of theGolden Carp. Although Tony believes that the story has some merit, he struggles withhis own ingrained beliefs of Catholicism. After this, Tony learns that Uncle Lucas, arelative from his mother’s family, is cursed by three witches named the Trementinasisters. After consulting multiple doctors and specialists, the family decides to askUltima for her help in curing Uncle Lucas. With Tony’s help, Ultima cures the man fromhis illness. This causes Tony to question the power of God, as a priest was unable to ridthe evil spirits from Uncle Lucas.

Tony’s friend Cico eventually takes him to see the Golden Carp and reiteratesthe story of the Carp. Tony begins to question his own religion to see if there is a God offorgiveness, something that he believes is lacking in the world. After an event at school,Tony spots Tenorio, the father of the three witches, walking in the snow on his way tokill Ultima. Narciso, the town drunk, wants to stop Tenorio and inform the family, but isfatally struck with a bullet. After this, Tony falls ill and has dreams that further allow himto question the world around him.

As his first communion nears, Tony believes that the communion will serve toanswer most of his questions about life. After he undergoes the process, he exits feelingunsatisfied and filled with unanswered question about the interests of his father and thetrue power of religion in his life. Ultima serves as a mediator to Tony’s wonders as sheinstills notions of independence and optimism into Antonio.

Tony eventually witnesses the death of Florence, which causes him to wonderwhy an innocent soul like Florence could have died in vain. After consulting with Ultima,Tony moves away to his uncle’s farm, where he feels at peace as he learns about theLuna tradition and way of life.

Tony is eventually faced with danger as he has to run home on his own to warnUltima about Tenorio, who is seeking to murder Ultima to avenge the death of hisdaughters. Tenorio eventually understands that the owl is Ultima’s soul and shoots it,effectively ending Ultima’s life. Before she dies, she requests that Tony bury her owl bythe Juniper tree.

Brief Description of Characters

1. Antonio Juan Marez y Luna is the protagonist of the novel and is about sevenyears old at the beginning of the story. His life is relatively peaceful and simplebefore the events of the novel take place, but his is an inquisitive young boy ashe questions many of the things around him. He grows close to Ultima and wasthe last child that Ultima delivered out of his mother’s womb. According toAntonio, Ultima “unfolded the llano before [his] eyes, and the gurgling waters ofthe river sang to hum of the turning earth” (1). Antonio continues to question boththe merits of religion and the struggle between good and evil in the world.Although he is a steadfast believer of Catholicism in the early years of his life, hegradually learns to accept that other figures like the Golden Carp may also beviable options for his faith. He also struggles with the familial expectations thathis parents have placed on him. He starts to lose his innocence after the death ofLupito near the river and is further affected by the deaths of Narciso andFlorence.

2. Ultima is a curandera, or folk healer that is invited to live in Antonio’s house. Asshe lives with him, she serves as a motherly figure that takes care of Antonioboth physically and emotionally. She is described as having “made beauty fromthe raw, sun-baked llano” (1). She guides Tony through his coming-of-agejourney and teaches him about the world and moral lessons from theexperiences that Tony has. She rids the town’s citizens of illness and curses andalso directly challenges Tenorio, showing her bravery. As she lies dying, shestates “I accept my death because I accepted to work for life” (260), showing hercommitment to others before her own interests. An owl represents her soul.

3. Maria Luna is Tony’s mother and places high expectations on her youngest son.She is a devout Catholic and believes wholeheartedly in her religion and is seenconstantly praying to religious figures. She also wants Antonio to become a priestas “there had not been a Luna priest in the family for many years” (31). She alsobelieves that “the world would be saved if people turned to the world” (31). Maria is a representation of the fertile and prosperous lands in El Puerto and along the river. Mariaserves as an influence on Antonio that adds to his own internal struggle to figureout who he wants to be in the world.

4. Gabriel Marez is Tony’s father and a vaquero of the Marez family. He is adescendant of cowboys and does not see religion as very important in his life.His holds on to the dream of “gather[ing] his sons around him and mov[ing]westward to the land of the setting sun, to the vineyards of California” (15).He desires to be free, but sacrifices his dream for the best interest and love for his family. He is involved in the death of Lupito and also serves as a major factor for both Antonio’s confusion and maturity.

5. Andrew, Eugene, and Leon Marez are the three older brothers of Tony whohave returned from the war. They decide that they do not want to follow theirfather’s dream of moving west and want to follow their own paths in life. Eugeneis the youngest but “had always been the leader” (69). Leon, who is the oldest,“always took cues from Gene” (69). and Andrew is the most independent of thethree. Andrew is Tony’s second oldest brother who “liked to be his own man”, which is probably why he stayed behind with the family when Eugene and Leon left to work in other places (66). He mostly appears at Rosie’s and accompanies Tony to school. He is indirectly responsible for Narciso’s death because he refused to leave Rosie’s, go home, and warn Ultima.

6.Tenorio Trementina is the villain of the novel and serves as an antagonist torival Antonio. He is described as evil and associated with the devil because of histhree daughters, who are witches. He “sneaked around while we lingered atRosie’s house, and had waited to ambush Narciso under the juniper tree “ (176).He seeks revenge on Ultima for turning the town on his family and killing his daughters.

7. Trementina Sisters are the daughters of Tenorio who are witches and castcurses on the people in the town. They are characterized as “these fireballs werebrujas on their way to their meeting places… they conducted the Black Mass inhonor of the devil, and the devil appeared and danced with them” (90). Thesisters curse Uncle Lucas.

8. Narciso is the town drunk and carries this reputation throughout his life. He isdescribed as a “big and wild man; he drank and cursed like most men do, butwas a good man” and “few people remembered anything good about Narciso”(185). Although Narciso carries the reputation of the town drunk, he tries to saveUltima by warning her about the impending arrival of Tenorio. However, he isshot and killed as he tries to save her life.

9. Lupitois a minor character who only appears in the beginning of the novel and Tony’s dreams. He is the first act of violence that Tony experiences. Tony acts as a priest to Lupito in his final moments and has dreams about his spirit. Lupito killed the town sheriff and in return, the men of the town shot him like a “wild animal” (18).

10. Florence is Tony’s friend who is an Atheist. He has suffered greatly in life and

thus does not believe that God exists because “[His] mother died when [he] was three, [his] old man drank himself to death and [his] sisters are whores, working at Rosie’s place“(206). He is shunned by his classmates because of his choice of religion and eventually drowns in the river. However, Tony is the only one who reaches out to him, listens to his story, and tries to understand religion from his point of view. Florence plays a central part in Tony’s religious journey.

11. Cico and Samuel: Samuel introduces Tony to the golden carp. He tells Tony the story behind the carps in the river and is also Vitamin Kid’s brother. He also believes, “that the sin of the people would weigh so heavy upon the land that in the end the whole town would collapse and be swallowed by water”, the legend of the golden carp (118). Cico believes that the golden carp is a better god than Tony’s God because it is not selfish and jealous of other idols, like Tony’s God. Cico tells tony that “people, grownups,and kids, seem to want to hurt each other” (117). Like Florence, they also offer another aspect to Tony’s religious journey.

12. Tony’s friendsHorse, Bones, Red, Abel, and Vitamin Kid are all a part of Tony’s friend group at school. Horse and Bones are one of the older and tougher guys who bully others. Although they may seem hardened and unfeeling, they are actually very sensitive. This can be seen when Florence’s body floats to the surface and Horse acts like a “frightened animal” and Bones “would not come near” and threw up (240). They are all multifaceted and are immature,

which allows Tony to enjoy his own childhood when he is with him. Vitamin Kid is Samuel’s brother who always races Tony across the bridge and wins. Eventually, Vitamin Kid grows up, stops racing, and “walks with Ida” (223).

Symbols

Golden Carp:The golden carp parallels Christianity and Catholicism. The stories and ideas the golden carp embodies allow Tony to combine culture with religion. Although he is conflicted about believing in the carp because it is a pagan god, it gives him hope of justice and benevolence in the world. He is first introduced to the golden carp by Samuel and Cico. As Tony witnesses more violence and dreams, he starts to wonder why God is so unjust and unforgiving. This is further supported by Tony’s dream about the beach and the carp. He wonders what the world would be like if the heavens were ruled by the Virgin of Guadalupe and the golden carp. He relates the Virgin to the golden carp because they are both just and forgiving, unlike God.

Ultima’s owl: Ultima’s Owlis a symbol for Ultima’s soul and wisdom. The owl also serves as a guarding for the Marez home as it attacks Tenorio when he comes to the house to try tokill Ultima. The owl represents Ultima’s connection with nature and its beings, as hersoul literally lies within another living animal. When Tenorio shoots the owl Ultima alsodies because her spirit lies with nature.

La Virgin de Guadalupe: Sheis a symbol of unfaltering forgiveness. Tony continuously views the Virgin as a religious figure who forgives extensively, which contrasts with a punitiveGod. As Tony undergoes change, he looks to the Virgin when he needsreassurance that all will be fine. She is involved in Antonio’s personal struggle and represents a figure that constantly forgives all. Antonio struggles with this aspect of forgiveness because he believes that not all people should be forgiven for their actions.

River: The riverrepresents both death and innocence. The river, which provides fertile landto the farmers that need it, is tainted by the deaths of characters like Lupito andFlorence. Because of this, the river is associated with dark and evil events to Tonybecause it has been tainted by the townspeople. The river also acts as a cleansing tool,as the legend of the Golden Carp states that if the sins of the town become overbearing,the Golden Carp will flood the town and rule the new world.

Rosie’s House: Rosie’s House is a symbol of man’s sexual desires, lust, and sin. Throughout the novel, Rosie’s house is mostly associated with sin and Tony’s brothers. In Tony’s dream, all of his brothers enter Rosie’s. Eugene says that Tony is a Marez and Marez men need women. Leon says that all men are delivered a woman that completes them. Lastly, Andrew says that he will not go into Rosie’s until Tony loses his innocence. In addition, Tony’s brothers are always begging Tony for help in dreams because they are sinners. For his whole life, Tony has been told that sexual desires, especially Rosie’s place, are evil.

Motifs

Dreams: In Bless Me, Ultima, Anaya uses the motif of dreams to follow Antonio’sjourney as he loses his childhood innocence and faces confusion as he matures. Thewater imagery in his dreams exposes Antonio’s struggle to differentiate himself from theclashing identities of his family. Additionally, the appearance of the Golden Carphighlights the internal conflict that Antonio feels as he questions his own religion. Thisrelates to Antonio’s priestly behavior in that he wants a forgiving god yet wants topunish certain people. Antonio’s brothers constantly appear in his dreams, calling for hisname and asking for forgiveness, but he is unable to help them, paralleling his inabilityto alter their decisions in reality. The circles of death and decay, destruction andregeneration represent Antonio’s internal struggle to maintain his innocence from theharsh reality in his mind.