Context Page: How the conflicting forces in the llano affect Antonio's life Allison
Bless Me Ultima is set in New Mexico, and its setting profoundly affects the book as a whole. New Mexico, though in the United States, has a culture all its own, and hence its name, can in many ways be related more easily to Mexican culture than American. The Chicano culture of where Antonio lives plays a crucial role in his development. Perhaps the most significant way that Chicano culture affects Antonio is through the golden carp, a religious viewpoint that is both extremely intriguing and incredibly contradictory to Antonio's Catholic upbringing. Antonio is very conflicted about the two viewpoints. Ultimately, Chicano culture is what drives the main conflict in the book, which is Antonio's search for what he believes in. This page will analyze how New Mexican Chicano culture and the conflicting forces in Antonio's life affect him and the book as a whole.
1. "Ultima came to stay with us the summer I was almost seven. When she came the beauty of the llano unfolded before my eyes, and the gurgling waters of the river sang to the hum of the turning earth. The magical time of childhood stood still, and the pulse of the living earth pressed its mystery into my living blood." (Anaya 1)
The opening lines of the book foreshadow the main conflict of the entire work- Antonio's struggle to find what he believes in. In this quote, Antonio explains how nature opens up to him when Ultima comes to stay with him. He mentions that "the magical time of childhood stood still", hinting at the huge adult questions that he will have to tackle at such a young age. He also mentions the huge mystery of the earth that ingrains in him when Ultima comes. He is starting to question what he believes in and is looking to the earth for answers. Even though many readers do not notice it at the time, Antonio is already starting to show interest in Native-American beliefs by looking to the earth for some of the answers to life's biggest questions.
2. "She took my hand, and I felt the power of a whirlwind sweep around me. Her eyes swept the surrounding hills and through them I saw for the first time the wild beauty of our hills and the magic of the green river. My nostrils quivered as I felt the song of the mockingbirds ad the drone of the grasshoppers mingle with the pulse of the earth. The four directions of the llano met in me, and the white sun shone on my sole. The granules of sand at my feet and the sun and sky above me seemed to dissolve into one strange, complete being" (Anaya 13)
This quote from Antonio shows the deep connection he feels with nature, and especially with Ultima. In some ways, the connection Antonio feels with nature seems like an even deeper connection than he feels with Catholicism, although he has not yet begun to question his Catholic beliefs with the conflicting opinions of the Native-Americans.
3. "I dreamed about the owl that night, and the dream was good. La Virgen de Guadalupe was the patron saint of our town. The town was named after her. In my dream I saw Ultima's own lift la Virgen on her wide wings and fly her to heaven. Then the owl returned and gathered up all the babes of Limbo and flew them up to the clouds of heaven. The Virgin smiled at the goodness of the owl." (Anaya 14)
This quote is an early suggestion that Antonio is trying to figure out where both Catholicism and Native-American earth-centered beliefs can fit in his life. By dreaming of both in harmony, Antonio shows that he feels a deep connection to both religions.
4. "In the summer the dust devils of the llano are numerous. They come from nowhere, made by the heat of hell, they carry with them the evil spirit of a devil, they lift sand and papers in their path. It is bad luck to let one of these small whirlwinds strike you. But it is easy to ward off the dust devil, it is easy to make it change its path and skirt around you. The power of God is so great. All you have to do is lift up your right hand and cross your right thumb over your first finger in the form of the cross. No evil can challenge that cross, and the swirling dust with the devil inside must turn away from you" (Anaya 58)
New Mexican culture affects everything Antonio does. Although he is Catholic, even his religion is affected strongly by New Mexican culture. Antonio uses religion to handle his fears about the dangers of the llano. This quote shows how the New Mexicans have adapted Catholicism to suit their culture, stating that the whirlwinds are the spirit of the devil. This quote also shows how secure Antonio was in his religion before he discovered the philosophy of the golden carp.
5. "We watched in silence at the beauty and grandeur of the great fish. Out of the corners of my eyes I saw Cico hold his hand to his breast as the golden carp glided by. Then with a switch of his powerful tail the golden carp disappeared into the shadowy water under the thicket." (Anaya 120)
Antonio's first experience seeing the golden carp is as conflicted as it is magical. It is immediately very obvious that Antonio has a deep connection with the philosophy of the golden carp. However, he does not know what this connection he feels means in relation to his Catholicism.
6. "I walked away from that haven which held the pond and the swimming waters of the golden carp feeling a great weight in my heart. I was saddened by what I had learned. I had seen beauty, but the beauty had burdened me with responsibility..."Am I to believe the story?" I asked. I was worried. "Antonio she [Ultima] said calmly. "I cannot tell you what to believe. Your father and your mother can tell you, because you are their blood, but I cannot. As you grow into manhood you must find your own truths-""
This statement, the challenge to find one's own truths, is a huge thing to burden a six year old with. But Antonio is determined to figure out what he believes in. The conflicting forces of his town's culture force him to make this decision very early.
7. "We drove past Rosie's house and I thought about the sins of the town and how the golden carp would punish the sinners. He would drown them in clear, blue water. Then we passed the church and I thought about God's punishment for sinners. He casts them in the burning pit of hell where they burn for eternity...but why had the new god, the golden carp, chosen also to punish people? The old God did it already. Drowning or burning, the punishment was all the same. The soul was lost, unsafe, unsure, suffering- why couldn't there be a god who would never punish his people, a god who would be forgiving all of the time?" (Anaya 143)
This quote truly encapsulates the confusion Antonio feels while trying to figure out what he believes in. His conflicting viewpoints- traditional Catholicism and the Native-American belief in the golden carp- have made it very difficult for him to decipher what he believes in, and left him feeling like gods are only there to punish.
8. "I clung to him like his guardian shadow, staying just far enough behind so that he would not see me. I wanted no one to see me, and the storm swirled its eddies of snow around me and obscured me from the world. I had seen evil, and so I carried the evil within me, and the holy sacraments of confession and the holy eucharist were far away. I had somehow lost my innocence and let sin enter into my soul, and the knowledge of God, the saving grace, was far away. The sins of the town would be washed in the waters of the golden carp..." (Anaya 175)
In this quote, we see Antonio trying to make sense of all the "evil" that he has seen. He is once again worried about God's punishment, but he seems to be trying to figure out which God to believe in. He is trying to use the two religions he has been introduced to- Catholicism and the Native-American golden carp philosophy, to find meaning in all he has seen on the llano.
9. "It was peaceful under the juniper tree. The snow continued to fall dense and heavy, but the wind was still. The tree's huge, dark branches offered protection, like a confessional"
In this quote, Antonio makes the comparison of the juniper tree to a confessional. This simile shows that Antonio has started to view nature almost as a church. He still has his Catholic viewpoints- but the New Mexican nature has also shaped what he believes.
10. "Perhaps God is too busy in heaven to worry or care about us...sometimes...I went alone to church and kneeled and prayed very hard. I asked God to answer my questions, but the only sound was always to whistling of the wind filling the empty space." (Anaya 196)
In this quote, Antonio expresses his belief that God is not listening to him because he has not punished Tenorio. At the beginning of the book, Antonio was sure in his faith as a Catholic. But, as Antonio has discovered Native-American beliefs and seen many horrible things on the llano, he has started to doubt what he once was so confident in.
The river is a very important symbol in Bless Me Ultima, and it is one way that Antonio's surroundings strongly affect his beliefs. http://www.nature.org/cs/groups/webcontent/@web/@newmexico/documents/media/new-mexico-gila-river.jpg
This is an image of the golden carp, which plays a central role in Antonio's search for what he believes in. http://tigerlillykitty.deviantart.com/art/Bless-Me-Ultima-Golden-Carp-331933394