Antonio's Identity In Bless Me Ultima

Anaya uses the recurring symbol of Antonio’s dreams in order to exemplify the theme of the influence of culture and religion on one’s identity. Bless Me Ultima shows that spirituality comes not from religion, but from wisdom and observation of the land. The antagonist in the book is not always clear, but in the grand scheme of things, evil is the true antagonist of the story. There are times when it seems like God himself is the antagonist. “Everything I believed in was destroyed. A painful wrenching in my heart made me cry aloud, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!’” (Anaya 244). The dreams in this story exemplify Antonio’s transition from a child struggling with his life choices to a man struggling with what is real or important. In this particular dream Antonio is given no comfort from God in his trials. Everything he believed to be true was destroyed by the people in his life who helped him believe. “God forgive him! I screamed. And from the dancing flames there issued a thunderous voice. I am not a God of forgiveness! The voice roared.” (Anaya 173). The Catholic Church teaches that only those who repent and receive punishment for their sins can be saved. …show more content…
While Antonio fears God’s wrath, she is a sign of forgiveness. In his dreams, the Virgin said, “I will forgive Tenorio, a soft voice called. I turned and saw the forgiving virgin. No! No! I cried, it is Narciso that you must forgive! Intercede for him so that he may gain the joys of heaven. Antonio, she smiled, I forgive all.” (Anaya 173). The statue of the Virgin represents the Catholic Church being merged with the culture of those on the llano. What Antonio has difficulty grasping is that according to the Catholic faith, all men have done evil and while some may have done less than others, they are all still guilty. The virgin forgives all, she doesn’t discriminate between those who have done more evil than