Ultima’s Magic

It is this growing harmony with the earth that will later help Antonio connect with his heritage and the ancient ways of his ancestors. She reassures Antonio that she will always be with him, “when the wind is gentle and the owls sing in the hills” (261). Birth, life, and death are all part of the universe and like Ultima; Antonio too must go through the process. 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 his new enlightenment, Antonio learns to appreciate nature and this helps him develop a spiritual relationship with the plants of the llano.

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 the

human heart” (237). 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). Ultima instructs Antonio that one must give back to the earth what has been taken away. 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). On her deathbed, Ultima explains, “the owl was my spirit, my bond to the time and harmony of the universe” (260). In the future, Antonio will build his own dreams, “out of those things that were so much a part of my childhood” (261). Upon Ultima’s death, Antonio is no longer afraid of death. Narciso had died trying to warn Ultima but few remembered anything good about him. The townspeople do not seek justice because Narciso had been the town drunk and his life seemed worthless, “Because Narciso was the town drunk, nobody cared much” (177).