Bless me Ultima

             Throughout the world one common element of culture is religion. However, not all cultures believe in the same religion. In the book "Bless Me, Ultima," conflict between religious beliefs and what it means to sin are dominant themes in this book. Antonio, the main character, is a young Mexican boy who is raised a Christian but searches for the true meaning of religion when his Christian beliefs fail him several times. To please his mother, Antonio sets out to become the town's priest. When Ultima, a medicine woman, cures a deathly sick man that the priest of the church could not cure using God's powers, Antonio questions his faith in Christianity. Ultima is watched over by an owl that defends and watches over her at night. It saves her on many occasions, so the owl would be considered her savior. Again Antonio's beliefs are questioned when he meets a young boy named Cico who tells Antonio a story about the Golden Carp. The Golden Carp is an ancient god of the valley where Antonio lives. Cico shows Antonio the golden carp in a pond outside of town, and Antonio is so fascinated by the carp he starts to wonder if believing in the Golden Carp would be a better path to chose.
             Ultima is an old woman who comes to live with Antonio's family. She is a medicine woman that cures illness with herbs and plants. She is a highly respected individual in the community. People come to Ultima for help when their loved ones are "cursed." People usually ask Ultima for help once the church has given up on the individual. Antonio can't understand why the church with God's powers could just give up on the individual. He has learned to worship God and all his power, but when Ultima's magic can fix an ailing person and God can't, he gets confused.
             Antonio first questions his faith when Ultima saves Antonio's uncle from an evil witch's curse. A priest came to visit t...

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Bless me Ultima. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 13:58, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/93475.html