Bless Me Ultima Essay
Religion defines many people’s daily lives and the way they conduct and present themselves. It serves as a pillar which they lean upon in their times of confusion and need, and as a light to guide them through dark times. However, as some people go through life, events can alter or completely reshape their religion and beliefs, causing them to become completely different people. In Rudlofo Anaya’s Bless Me Ultima, Antonio is a young boy whose faith is repeatedly challenged by life’s circumstances, the actions of people around him, and his ever changing relationship with God. Antonio’s once unshakable Catholic beliefs are morphed by his experiences into a mix of beliefs comprised of his new understanding and knowledge.Originally, Antonio unquestioningly believes in the Catholic faith and its unlimited supremacy, and does not dare second-guess it. Observing the actions of the priest at El Puerto, Antonio wonders why he does not fight the evil brujas, since he has “the power of God, the Virgin and all the saints of the holy mother Church behind him” (85). Antonio cannot conceive of any force being stronger than that of the church and God, therefore when the priest won’t put the
power of God up against the brujas, Antonio is baffled. In Antonio’s mind, the priest should have no trouble at all with the brujas, since their powers are nothing compared to all the strength manifested in the priest by the Church. Antonio believes the power of God is so potent, that “all you have to do is to lift your right hand and cross your right thumb over your first finger and form the sign of the cross. No evil can challenge that cross” (55). The strength of God is so real However, as he grows up and is exposed to events that challenge his beliefs, his faith is shaken to a point where it can no longer return to what it was before. When he sees evil repeatedly triumph over good, he questions God’s love and ability to know all and see all, considering that “perhaps God was too busy in Heaven to worry or care about us” (187). He no longer sees God as an all-powerful force that will always take care of him and guide him through difficult times. Just as a person may grow away from another when they feel neglected, Antonio begins to slowly pull farther and farther away from the traditional beliefs that he had nurtured in his heart for so long when he feels as if God does not reciprocate the faith and love he gives to him. He further doubts the might of God when he first sees the golden carp, and thinks of how and magnificent to Antonio, that he believes that even a makeshift sign of God is enough to ward away the devil. No evil can so much as come near to match the presence a sign of God can exude, much less challenge it. Holding strong to the beliefs that he has been taught, when exposed for the first time to the idea of a God different from that of the church, Antonio claims, “‘[he is] a Catholic, […] [he] can only believe in the God of the church’” (107). His faith in God and His ways are so strong that he chooses the “right” way—to tell the truth that he cannot believe in any other God besides the God of the church—rather than denyi
Some topics in this essay:
Church Antonio,
Márez Luna,
Holy Communion,
God Virgin,
Similar Antonio,
Religion Religion,
Originally Antonio,
Ultima Antonio,
God Antonio’s,
Puerto Antonio,
power god,
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antonio believes,
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“the power,
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god church antonio,
“the power god,
god besides god,
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Approximate Word count = 1348
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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