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Bless Me, Ultima: Analysis

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Bless Me, Ultima

81 pages • 2 hours read

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-12

Chapters 13-16

Chapters 17-19

Chapters 20-22

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

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Summary and Study Guide

Bless Me, Ultima is a novel by American author Rudolfo Anaya (1937-2020). Published in 1972 by independent Chicanx publishing house TQS Publications, it is one of the first literary accounts of Chicanx culture to attain widespread acclaim in the United States. The novel is a semi-autobiographical account based on Ayana’s experience of coming of age in post-World War II New Mexico. Anaya explores themes of the Multiplicity within Chicanx Identity , Catholicism, Innocence Versus the Power of Understanding , and Masculine and Feminine Influences on Manhood .

Bless Me, Ultima was awarded the Premio Quinto Sol upon publication, and in 2013, it was adapted into a movie of the same name. Anaya went on to garner other awards for his work, including the American Book Award and a 2015 National Humanities Medal. This guide refers to the 1994 Warner Books edition of the novel.

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The book is divided into 22 chapters, which Anaya titles in Spanish “Uno,” “Dos,” “Tres,” etc. The text is written in English with Spanish words and phrases interspersed throughout.

Six-year-old Antonio Márez, “Tony,” lives in the town of Guadalupe, New Mexico. His mother, María, is the devout daughter of a Catholic farming family, the Lunas, and hopes that her son will one day become a priest and a scholar. His father, Gabriel, is a former vaquero , a cowboy who used to work on the open plain called the llano . Gabriel hails from the Márez family, a family of adventurous wanderers. Gabriel wants Antonio to follow in his footsteps and become a vaquero , even though that way of life is fading. Antonio frets about which dream he will choose, and experiences vivid dreams that reflect his waking dilemmas.

When Antonio is almost seven years old, the elderly healer Ultima and her spiritual familiar, a large owl, come to stay at the Márez home. Ultima has a deep connection to Antonio, having been the midwife at his birth. She quickly establishes herself as his guide and the guardian of his fate. Ultima begins teaching Antonio about his place in the larger harmony of the universe, emphasizing the great power that lies in the natural world.

One night, Lupito, a local man who has been traumatized by war, kills the sheriff during an episode of PTSD. Antonio sneaks out to follow Gabriel as he joins a group of men from town and tracks Lupito to the local River of the Carp. Despite the pleas of Narciso, a local man with an alcohol addiction, the men execute Lupito in a volley of bullets. Antonio witnesses Lupito’s final moments and is traumatized by the experience: He begins to question all he knows about sin, morality, and forgiveness. In particular, he struggles with the idea that God is unforgiving and punishes impure souls with eternal damnation. As he ponders eternal damnation, Antonio becomes preoccupied with preserving the purity of his soul against corrupting influences.

Antonio starts school and is quickly recognized as an excellent student. He enjoys learning, even though some of the white students mock his language and food. He continues to struggle with doubts about Catholicism, but María reassures him that he will experience enlightenment at his First Communion.

As Antonio eagerly awaits communion, a series of trials challenges his faith. He makes a new friend named Cico, who introduces him to a legend about a kindly god who takes the form of a large golden carp. Antonio sees the golden carp in a local creek and feels intensely moved but frets because the Catholic God allows no other god to be worshipped besides himself.

The Márez family learns that Antonio’s uncle Lucas has a deadly illness, having been cursed by the “evil” daughters of local saloon keeper, Tenorio Trementina . After a priest fails to cure Lucas, Ultima brings Antonio along to El Puerto, where she lifts the curse herself by employing Indigenous herbal remedies and magic. Her ritual succeeds, but one of Tenorio’s daughters dies soon afterward, inciting Tenorio’s wrath. Ultima warns that altering fate can have unintended consequences.

Seeing Ultima’s magic succeed where the church failed, Antonio begins to doubt the power of Catholicism. He turns to the legend of the carp but is disappointed to learn that even the golden carp punishes sinners with death. Searching for a more forgiving religion, Antonio finds a connection to the Virgin of Guadalupe .

Antonio loses his naiveté in a series of tragedies. His older brother returns from war experiencing PTSD but soon leaves town again, shattering Gabriel’s dream of moving to California. One day in winter, Antonio witnesses Tenorio murdering Narciso for trying to protect Ultima. Ultima comforts Antonio and continues to teach him about the value of independence, responsibility, and kindness: She urges him to forgive Tenorio and not to seek revenge. Antonio realizes that he has lost his purity and hopes that taking communion will save his soul.

The following summer, Ultima takes Antonio along as she lifts yet another curse set by Tenorio. Soon afterward, a second Trementina daughter dies, strengthening Tenorio’s desire for revenge. The following summer, Antonio’s friend Florence drowns in a local lake. Antonio grapples with the idea that Florence’s soul is condemned to hell due to his atheism and ultimately turns his back on the traditional Catholic ideas of sin and punishment.

Antonio has an apocalyptic dream in which he witnesses the destruction of all three belief systems: the church, the golden carp, and Ultima. He feels like God has abandoned him and doesn’t know how to move forward.

Antonio is sent to work on the Luna family farm in El Puerto to recover. On the way, he discusses religion with Gabriel, who admits that the vaquero lifestyle is dying out and encourages Antonio to look past the old Márez-Luna feud and forge his own future. The experience of working on the farm helps him understand the devout Lunas, and he comes away with the knowledge that he does not have to choose between the two sides of his family.

While in El Puerto, Antonio learns that another Trementina daughter has died and that Tenorio is en route to the Márez family home to kill Ultima. Antonio runs back to Guadalupe in an attempt to warn Ultima but arrives just in time to see Tenorio shoot Ultima’s owl before being killed himself.

Antonio goes to Ultima’s deathbed, where she blesses him in the name of all goodness and appoints him her spiritual successor. She tasks him with burying her owl out on the llano . Antonio fulfills her dying requests by forgiving Tenorio and burying the owl under a juniper tree. He knows that despite the physical location of Ultima’s body, her spirit lies with the owl.

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Home Essay Samples Literature Imagery in Literature

ANalysis of the Plot and Imagery in "Bless Me Ultima"

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Bless Me, Ultima

Rudolfo anaya, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Bless Me, Ultima is an example of Chicano literature, and one of Anaya's primary goal in writing it was to fashion a cultural identity for himself and his community. Much of Antonio 's experience is based on a meeting of cultures and a search for identity among the Spanish, Native American, and English-American societies. Ultima is a symbol of indigenous influences and the supernatural, pre-Christian world, while Antonio's school represents the English-speaking society. The Luna and Márez sides of his family are also a meeting of cultures – Antonio's father is a restless vaquero of the llano, while the Lunas are quiet farmers and Catholics. Tony's religious struggle is also connected to his culture, as he vacillates between Spanish Catholicism and the golden carp of the indigenous people.

The format of the novel echoes this clash of cultures as well, as it is written in English with many Spanish words interspersed, and some characters (especially Antonio/Tony) are referred to by both Spanish and English names. When Antonio resolves at the end of the novel to create a new set of beliefs and dreams, it is clear that Bless Me, Ultima itself represents a fulfillment of that intention. The reading experience mirrors Anaya's own cultural experience, and the novel becomes a tale of Chicano identity.

Language and Culture ThemeTracker

Language and Culture Quotes in Bless Me, Ultima

"It is the blood of the Lunas to be quiet, for only a quiet man can learn the secrets of the earth that are necessary for planting – They are quiet like the moon – And it is the blood of the Márez to be wild, like the ocean from which they take their name, and the spaces of the llano that have become their home."

"And, they still have Tony," Gene said and looked at me. "Tony will be her priest," he laughed. "Tony will be her farmer," León added. "And her dream will be complete and we will be free!" Gene shouted.

"The golden carp," I said to myself, "a new god?" I could not believe this strange story, and yet I could not disbelieve Samuel. "Is the golden carp still here?" "Yes," Samuel answered. His voice was strong with faith. It made me shiver, not because it was cold but because the roots of everything I had ever believed in seemed shaken. If the golden carp was a god, who was the man on the cross? The Virgin? Was my mother praying to the wrong God?

Ultima and I continued to search for plants and roots in the hills. I felt more attached to Ultima than to my own mother. Ultima told me the stories and legends of my ancestors. From her I learned the glory and tragedy of the history of my people, and I came to understand how that history stirred in my blood.

"The atomic bomb," they whispered, "a ball of white heat beyond the imagination, beyond hell - " And they pointed south, beyond the green valley of El Puerto. "Man was not made to know so much," the old ladies cried in hushed, hoarse voices. "They compete with God, they disturb the seasons, they seek to know more than God Himself. In the end, that knowledge they seek will destroy us all - "

There seemed to be so many pitfalls in the questions we asked. I wanted answers to the questions, but would the knowledge of the answers make me share in the original sin of Adam and Eve? "And if we didn't have any knowledge?" I asked. "Then we would be like the dumb animals of the fields," Florence replied. Animals, I thought. Were the fish of the golden carp happier than we were? Was the golden carp a better God?

I closed my eyes and concentrated. I had just swallowed Him, He must be in there! For a moment, on the altar railing, I thought I had felt His warmth, but then everything moved so fast. There wasn't time just to sit and discover Him, like I could do when I sat on the creek bank and watched the golden carp swim in the sun-filtered waters. God! Why did Lupito die? Why do you allow the evil of the Trementinas? Why did you allow Narciso to be murdered when he was doing good? Why do you punish Florence? Why doesn't he believe? Will the golden carp rule - ? A thousand questions pushed through my mind, but the Voice within me did not answer.

"Ay, every generation, every man is a part of his past. He cannot escape it, but he may reform the old materials, make something new --" "Take the llano and the river valley, the moon and the sea, God and the golden carp – and make something new," I said to myself. That is what Ultima meant by building strength from life. "Papá," I asked, "can a new religion be made?"

"Bless me, Ultima --" Her hand touched my forehead and her last words were, "I bless you in the name of all that is good and strong and beautiful, Antonio. Always have the strength to live. Love life, and if despair enters your heart, look for me in the evening when the wind is gentle and the owls sing in the hills. I shall be with you --"

Bless Me, Ultima

by Rudolfo Anaya

Bless me, ultima essay questions.

What tensions are created for Antonio in his life because of his parents’ different backgrounds?

Because Antonio’s mother is a Luna and his father is a Marez, Antonio is born into a ready conflict between the two families. While his mother hopes that he will become a priest, a hope that is shared by Antonio’s Luna uncles, his father hopes that he will become a vaquero like the Marez. This tension between the families is highlighted by the conflict that arises at the moment of Antonio’s birth and causes him a great deal of anxiety about his purpose in life. Although Antonio does not want to disappoint either of his parents, he must eventually choose his own path.

Is the novel a romance, a fantasy, or a realistic life story? Why?

The novel contains elements of all of these types of stories. It is a very realistic life story because it follows the growth of its young protagonist as he deals with real life issues. It is also based on the author’s actual childhood. At the same time, the novel contains many elements of fantasy and magic, with the myth of the Golden Carp, the good magic of Ultima, and the black magic of the Trementina sisters. Finally, the novel is also a romance novel because it is centered on the relationship between Antonio and Ultima and traces their development and growth. Therefore, although the novel is, at its center, a realistic coming-of-age story, it still contains all of the romance and magic of the myths that it describes.

What are the events in the book that change Antonio’s life the most? What are they and why are they so important?

The deaths of Lupito, Narciso, and Florence are significant life-changing events for Antonio. The death of Lupito is particularly significant because it is the first death Antonio has witnessed, and it inspires his first questions about sin, death, and morality. Although these experiences are the most obvious choices, the novel also contains other experiences which could be read as being equally life-changing. Antonio’s first experience with the Golden Carp is very important because it helps him to develop a new faith and begin to question the restrictions of Catholicism. Similarly, Antonio’s presence when Ultima lifts the curse from Uncle Lucas provides Antonio with his first clear insight to the world of magic and pagan healing. Finally, Ultima’s death and Antonio’s burial of the owl can also be read as a crucial life-changing experience because of Antonio’s eventual understanding that he must follow his own path in life.

What is the importance of dreams in the novel? Which dream is the most important to Antonio is his questions about life?

Antonio has several dreams throughout the novel, each of which highlight his particular anxiety or obsession at the time. His dreams provide key insights into his character because they allow the reader to mark the development of his character; his early dreams are concerned with his future and the conflict between the Luna and the Marez while his later dreams are apocalyptic and concerned with larger issues of morality. The most apocalyptic dream is also perhaps the most important dream in terms of Antonio’s questions about life. In this dream, everything in the world is destroyed in horrific bloodshed, and the Golden Carp decides to give new birth and new purity to the world. Although Antonio is still fearful of sin and religion, this dream gives him new hope for a world of sinners.

What will Antonio become when he grows up? A priest? A vaquero? Why or why not?

Antonio’s future is not clear because, at the end of the novel, he has finally decided to choose his own path. Instead of adhering to the beliefs of his mother or the desires of his father, he will fulfill Ultima’s encouragement to follow his heart. With this in mind, it seems likely that Antonio will probably become a writer. At his birth, he reached out to the pen and paper, an action which, according to Ultima, will result in him becoming a man of learning. Whether or not this means that Antonio will become a priest as well is uncertain. Considering his questions about religion and morality and his anxieties about sin, it seems as if the life of a priest is not for him. However, no matter what he decides to do when he becomes an adult, the most important thing is that he has learned to make his own path.

What is the significance of Antonio discovering Andrew’s presence at the brothel?

Andrew’s presence at the brothel undercuts Antonio’s view of his brother in several ways. First of all, Antonio makes a clear connection between sin and the brothel. Andrew’s presence in the den of sin ruins Antonio’s idealized view of him, particularly since he had always denied the idea that Andrew would keep company with prostitutes. Secondly, Andrew refusal to leave the brothel indirectly leads to Narciso’s murder at Tenorio’s hands. If Andrew had not been blinded by his lust and had accompanied Narciso, Narciso’s death could have been avoided. Antonio cannot help but blame his brother for the second death of the book. Finally, Andrew’s presence at the brothel undercuts one of Antonio’s dream in which Andrew promised not to enter the brothel until Antonio had lost his innocence. Since Andrew has entered the brothel, Antonio must assume that he has also lost his own innocence.

How does the novel demonstrate the conflict between the doctrine of the Catholic Church and the pagan beliefs of the Golden Carp?

This tension is highlighted by the roles played by several characters in the book. Ultima, a figure that clearly corresponds to pagan beliefs and New Mexican myth, is set in opposition to Father Byrnes, the strict priest who upholds Catholic doctrine. Over the course of the book, both characters strive to teach Antonio their individual crafts, with Ultima introducing him to herbs, plants, and the presence of the river, and Father Byrnes teaching Antonio his catechism. Antonio’s mother, a devoutly Catholic woman, is determined to make Antonio into a priest and is set in conflict with Antonio’s father, who worships the earth and the sky as a true vaquero. The character of Florence is also extremely significant in emphasizing this conflict between religion and paganism. His insistence that a compassionate God cannot exist in the world sets Antonio at odds with his own Catholic upbringing and desire to help his friend find faith.

What is the significance of Antonio’s age in the novel? How would the novel be different if he were older?

The novel is presented as a coming-of-age story in which the protagonist grows and develops as he experiences the tragedies of life. Another important theme of the novel is the question of sin and morality and the loss of innocence. At the beginning of the novel, Antonio is only six years old and very much a child in terms of understanding and innocence. Over the course of the novel, however, Antonio is exposed to events that force him to lose his innocence: the death of Lupito by the river, Narciso’s murder by Tenorio, Florence’s accidental drowning, and Ultima’s death. Antonio must learn to reconcile this loss of innocence in order to become a man and follow his own path in life. Eventually, he is able to overcome his anxieties and realizes that a life of faith and a life of action are not mutually exclusive. Because this loss of innocence is a crucial element of the novel and Antonio’s development as a character, the novel would not be as successful if he were older. Antonio’s older brothers are already beyond this age of self-awareness, and it is important that Antonio is both self-aware and susceptible to change as an individual.

What is the role of women in the novel? Is the strongest character male or female?

The culture of Latino communities is patriarchal in nature, with men existing in the positions of power. Corresponding to that expectation, women do not place a hugely active role in the novel. Antonio’s mother urges him to become a priest, but she does not have any power in the community or even the power to decide her son’s future. Antonio’s sisters are even more passive in the book; unlike Antonio’s brothers who are very strong characters, his sisters are involved in very little of the plot. All of the important events in the novel (the death of Lupito; the murder of Narciso; Florence’s drowning; the discovery of the Golden Carp) take place with limited or no female presence. The only exception to this rule is Ultima. Over all, Ultima is the strongest character in the book, and she ultimately teaches Antonio the most about life and the path to follow in his future. She also has the most power in the book and is able to use magic to lift curses and reinforce balance. Ultima’s strength as a character is perhaps due to her position as a curandera. Although she is important in the community, her skills and power her from the rest of the town and ensure that she can never truly fit in with everyone else. In order for her to have power and exist as a strong female character, it seems that Ultima must lead an isolated existence.

What scene in the novel forces the readers to question Ultima’s true nature? Why is this scene important?

Readers are forced to question Ultima’s true nature in the scene when Tenorio and his mob accuse Ultima of witchcraft. They agree to test Ultima by placing a cross of needles above the doorway and seeing if she is able to pass through; if she cannot, they reason, she must be a witch. Ultima successfully passes through the doorway, but Antonio notices that the cross has fallen on the ground. It is unclear whether or not Ultima was truly able to pass through the doorway when it is marked with the holy cross. This realization forces Antonio to question the dichotomy between good and evil. Ultima performs good deeds, but she is still accused of being a witch. At the same time, Tenorio takes evil actions but cannot be blamed for seeking to avenge the deaths of his daughters. Antonio must ultimately conclude that a good person is one who acts according to the spirit of Catholicism, not necessary the person who upholds the law of Catholicism.

Bless Me, Ultima Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Bless Me, Ultima is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

how do the babes of limbo serve as a metaphor for antonio’s dilemma

Ultima’s owl takes up residence near Antonio’s home. Although owls are said to be a disguise taken by brujas, or witches, Antonio dreams that the owl carries the Virgin of Guadalupe and all the babes of Limbo to heaven. Is Antonio in Limbo? Does...

The events of Bless Me, Ultima take place in the middle 1940s, during and immediately after World War II. How, if at all, is the war or this particular moment in history significant to the story the novel tells?

Although World War II does not play a large role in the events of the novel, it is extremely significant in the way that it shapes certain characters. As the novel opens, the Marez family is incomplete because Leon, Eugene, and Andrew are all...

After Antonio recovers, he sits with Ultima and listens to stories about the old days in Las Pasturas. She talks of Narciso's youth and how he turned to drinking after he lost his young wife to diphtheria. The family friends from Las Pasturas tell...

Study Guide for Bless Me, Ultima

Bless Me, Ultima study guide contains a biography of Rudolfo Anaya, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Bless Me, Ultima
• Bless Me, Ultima Summary
• Character List

Essays for Bless Me, Ultima

Bless Me, Ultima literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Bless Me, Ultima.

• Antonio's Syncretism Through Education in Bless Me Ultima
• The Journey to Independence
• Hope and Understanding: Comparing Life of Pi and Bless Me, Ultima
• The Good, the Bad, and the Ultima: Dialogue and Perspective in Anaya's Novel

Lesson Plan for Bless Me, Ultima

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Bless Me, Ultima
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
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Wikipedia Entries for Bless Me, Ultima

• Introduction
• Creation and purpose as an autobiography
• Historical context
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• Literary interpretations