Ultima's Magic
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya is a story about the maturation of a young Mexican-American boy, Antonio M'arez, who is struggling with many questions about his destiny, life and death, and good and evil. Ultima who comes to live with Antonio becomes his caretaker and his teacher. Antonio learns there are powers in the world that differ from his beliefs in the Catholic faith through Ultima's wisdom. Ultima explains to Antonio "that the tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength that resides in the human heart" (Anaya 237). Ultima shows Antonio how to experience the magic of life with his heart and not with his eyes. For the first time, he sees the river not as something to be feared but as a source of life. This new outlook of the river is evident in the quote, "I had been afraid of the awful presence of the river, which was the soul of the river, but through her I learned that my spirit shared in the spirit of all things" (15). The river is both creative and destructive in nature. It is this new magical way of seeing the river that will help Antonio understand many of the events that occur in the novel. As Antonio deepens his understanding of the river and the forces of nature tha
It is this spiritual connection with the earth that helps Antonio understand "that the tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength that resides in the human heart" (237). Like the owl, Ultima is headed to "a new place, a new time" (260). Ultima explains that he had died trying to help a friend and that was honorable. At the end of the novel as Ultima is dying, Antonio again understands "that the tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength that resides in thehuman heart" (237). Ultima instructs Antonio that one must give back to the earth what has been taken away. It is this growing harmony with the earth that will later help Antonio connect with his heritage and the ancient ways of his ancestors. Ultima taught Antonio to see the magic in Narciso, just as she had taught him to see the magic in the river and all that surrounded it. In his new enlightenment, Antonio learns to appreciate nature and this helps him develop a spiritual relationship with the plants of the llano. Ultimately, it is his teacher and friend, Ultima, which teaches Antonio that life is a cycle and that understanding oneself brings peace and harmony. In the novel, Bless Me, Ultima, Antonio learns about his relationship with his universe. She reassures Antonio that she will always be with him, "when the wind is gentle and the owls sing in the hills" (261). Antonio learns that his future is tied to his past and that his destiny will be guided by an understanding of his heritage and "the magical strength that resides in the human heart" (237). He had an inner goodness that had been hidden by his use of alcohol. The river of life is never ending like the river that binds the llano to Guadalupe.
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