Alex Bujalski

P.7

Bless Me, Ultima: IOP, dreams.

In Rudolfo Anaya’s novel, Bless Me, Ultima, many literary devices are used to create a fascinating piece of literature
that all readers can enjoy, and so rich in context that any reader can be left amazed.

One concept of this book that I find interesting is the way that Anaya uses dreams in his novel.

Dreams allow an author to express what goes on in a characters mind on the sub conscious level in a way that
normal dialogue cannot.

Antonio, only being nine, has been through many traumas in his life, altering his whole perception and his view of
the world around him. On page one Tony explains “I do not mean the beginning that was in my dreams and the
stories they whispered to me about my birth, and the people of my father and mother, and my three
brothers…”All these troubles and more such as which spiritual, mental, and occupational path he must choose
come out through a series of dreams in the novel.

Antonio’s first dream starts with the opening of the novel, when he recalls his own birth. In this dream, Antonio is
flying over the rolling hills of the llano. At his own city, he witnesses a figure aiding in the birth of this child. Once
the cord is cut, his relatives emerge from the shadows and begin the debate of which ritual to abide the afterbirths to,
and ultimately whether the baby is to be a Luna or Marez. The dream ends with the unknown figure claiming that
only she would know his destiny, and she herself would bury the afterbirth.

We later find out that this was Antonio’s birth, and Ultima, being the figure aiding in the birth, was actually present
at Antonio’s birth.

This dream is filled with foreshadowing, and symbolism to match it. For example, the initial conflict between the
mother’s side of his family and his father’s is first exhibited here. They both want different occupational paths for
the newborn, and this later comes back to haunt Antonio when his life is composed of a consistent struggle to decide
which path he will choose, and the fear that the path he will pick will be the wrong one.

In this dream, it is evident that Ultima is a ruling force, with one word “cease!” Quieting all the fighting and debate
happening. She states “I pulled this baby into the light of life, so I will bury the afterbirth and the cord that
once linked him to eternity. Only I will know his destiny.” With no one questioning Ultima, or second guessing
her decision, it is shown that her power, even though fairly unknown, is widely respected.

Antonio’s mother goes as far as later call her “Grande”, meaning grand and powerful one.

Ultima’s burial of Tony’s afterbirth also foreshadows an event later in the novel, when upon Ultima’s death, she
ultimately asks him to be her protégé, and follow her teachings and footsteps, as she is the one that performs the
ritual on his afterbirth.

As the two sides of Tony’s family believe performing their own ritual on the afterbirth will lead the newborn to
follow that path, Ultima used the same tactic to have Antonio follow her own path of understanding, wisdom, and
keeping an open mind. This is not a direct path, and she believes this is the best choice for Antonio, for with all the
knowledge gained on this path, Antonio will be mature enough to make his own decision of what to do.

Such a debate over what burial ritual to abide to symbolizes Antonio’s need for a God that offers deep, fulfilling,
and concrete rituals and ways to connect to the way of God. Antonio lusts for a church that he can participate in and
feel attached too, as well as keep sustained his faith and friendship with God, which parallels having his afterbirths
buried in either the fields of the vaquero or the valleys of the Lunas, which would leave him part of that culture for
as long as there is dirt in the field.
 Alex Bujalski
P.7

The next dream in the sequence begins with Antonio’s three brothers staring across the river to the hills of the llano.
They talk about their fathers dreams, and how his heart has been heavy since coming to his present town. They say
“Father says that the town steals our freedoms, we must build a castle across the river ... His fathers were
vaqueros, and so he expects us to be men of the llano.”When they explain his fathers dream and plan, Antonio is
quick to aid in the fulfillment of this dream. The brothers proceed to chant “You are a Luna … you are to be a
farmer priest for mother!” However when the brothers attempt to cross the river, a witch appears, as well as the
wanderous soul of Lupito, and they are in need of saving. Antonio accepts his role and speaks to the river, saving his
brothers. Behind him his mother is crying, as Antonio is growing up.

This dream foreshadows that once his brothers return, they will leave once again. Antonio ultimately sees in the
future with this dream, a power that only a curandera would possess.

He has seen that there is a power in the river, and while everyone else fears this, Antonio keeps an open mind and
sees the beneficial aspects of the river, and understands its helpful power. This shows that he has a connection to a
power other than the religion he is practicing, and religion is not his only choice.

The waters of this river, which wash Lupito’s wondering soul away, symbolize life without direction, and show
Anotonio that he must pick a role in life, or wander forever with regrets and unfulfilled dreams.

His three older, tougher brothers, cowering and needing Antonio’s help shows that even if Antonio is not going to be
like his brothers, he is still needed and has a responsibility to fulfill, possessing a unique characteristic that is
necessary to save many souls with lost direction, such as Lupito who seeks his blessing and his brothers who cannot
calm the river down themselves.

With the closing of the dream, Antonio’s mother is seen crying as she watches her growing boy. This symbolizes
that Antonio is the last chance to be a Luna, or a soul with direction. Antonio’s mother fears that if he becomes a
Marez like his brothers, they will all be wandering souls, with no one to turn to for guidance and help with anything
that only the unique traits of a Luna can solve.

After this dream, Antonio begins to question the after life, and if God is really forgiving. He wonders if Lupito, as
well as any else that dies with a mortal sin on them, will be forever damned to hell, or to walk the river bottom
alongside Llorona, the evil witch.

In chapter nine, Antonio has yet another dream with his brothers. In this dream they beckon him to enter Rosie's, the
local brothel. Antonio pleads with his brothers not to enter this evil place saying “It is written on the waters of the
river that you shall lose your souls to hell if you enter!” They respond by saying that he will enter too one day, as
he is a Marez, and all men, even priests, must be fulfilled by a woman. Only his brother Andrew, reasons with him,
saying he will wait and enter once Antonio loses his innocence. Antonio pleads “ But innocence is forever”, and is
met with the answer that innocence is lost with understanding, and once you understand you no longer can be
innocent. Ultima then appears, pointing to his birth town, and claiming that is where innocence is found.

This dream foreshadows the effect that the brothel will have on him later in the novel, when Andrew enters the
brothel. Andrew promised to not enter until Antonio has lost his innocence, and is seen in the brothel, suggesting
that Antonio has already lost his innocence.

When Antonio first sees the ladies in the brothel, the first image that pops into his mind is that of his mother
washing herself. He says “No! I cannot enter, I cannot think those thoughts, I am to be a priest!” right after the
image of his mother. This suggests that his intentions of becoming a priest are not his own, but that of his mother,
and her happiness is his main incentive.
 Alex Bujalski
P.7

To add to this, Antonio pleads with his brothers not to enter as well. He claims that entering would lose their souls to
hell. This also shows that his reasons for becoming a priest are for the welfare of others, such as being there to save
his brothers, which he also experienced in a previous dream.

With a strike of lightning, which symbolizes ultimate power and the brightest of the forces, Ultima appears. She
points to his place of birth saying “there in those hills is your innocence.” This suggests that Antonio has lost his
innocence at birth, ultimately gaining understanding after Ultima buried his afterbirths in the hills.

Ultima gives Antonio an answer with no explaination. This is done so that Antonio can continue his quest for
knowledge, and become less reliant on others answers so that he can mature and become capable of picking his own
path.

At this point, Antonio questions innocence, and the theme of whether Antonio is as innocent as his age portrays, is
introduced in this dream.

His next important dream expresses his split world, in terms of the Lunas, Marez, Catholism, and the Golden carp.
His mother exclaims that everyone was saved by the church, and his father responds by calling her statement a lie,
and that Antonio was blessed with the salt water of the sea, not the holy waters of the moon. Antonios father says “It
is the water which makes you Marez, not Luna… that binds you to the pagan god of Cico, the golden carp.”
Antonio proceeds to cry over the pain, and sweats blood. As the calm moon rises, the lake responds with rage and
fury as it kills all, and Antonio feels as if this is the end. Ultima then appears and stops all the rage. She explains
“the waters are one, Antonio … You have only been seeing parts ... and not looking beyond into the great
cycle that binds us all.”

This dream is a great visionary to help the reader understand what Antonio is going through and the internal
conflicts he has to face. He sees both faiths, which both claim to be the one to save him.

With Antonio’s father standing among corpses , he says that the Luna’s are filled with lies. This suggests that
Antonio’s father has been to hell and back, and now among the corpses, knows the truth behind who is saved and
who is not.

Antonio sweating blood symbolizes the hostility and turmoil that keeping a closed mind causes, as well as that if all
are not to work together, the result will be horrendous, as each cannot function without the other.

As Antonio kneels down to pray, Ultima speaks up, and once again with one word “Cease!” She stops all conflict.
This shows that Ultima is still the overruling force, even ahead of the God of the church and the golden carp.

She explains “the waters are one, Antonio … You have only been seeing parts … and not looking beyond into
the great cycle that binds us all.” After this, Antonio is calm once again and ends his dream with “Then there was
peace in my dreams and I could rest”

This shows that the understanding that Antonio has been gaining throughout the novel, finally made sense as he
reaches complete understanding. Ultima, once again being the source of peace, suggests Antonio’s full trust in her as
she rules over everything in his dreams, and provides guidance in the greatest form, which is peace of mind.

The last dream Antonio has in this novel, Is about the three deaths he has witnessed. At first he thinks the three
figures are his brothers, but then discovers that they are actually Narciso, Lupito, and Florence. There are present
with open wounds, and start fighting amongst each other. Antonio goes on to wonder how many more will die.
Antonio desperately shouts “Florence! … is there no god in heaven to bear my burden?” He then sees the priest
pour pigeons blood on the holy alter. Then Cico strikes down the golden carp and its blood runs into the water.
 Alex Bujalski
P.7

Antonio left in total desperation, cries "the magic of Ultima! ". But now Florence points to where Tenorio has
murdered Ultima's owl and Ultima has died in pain. The three figures tell Antonio that they live only in his dreams.

Narciso, Lupito, and Florence fighting represent that conflict is present everywhere, including the after life and any
heaven that is available. This suggests to Anotnio that there will never be complete peace, as everywhere that there
is man, there is violence and conflict.

The pouring of pigeon blood in the altar represents the death of the catholic church and that not even a priest can
revive, as it has been tainted.

Foreshadownig is also present here, when Ultima’s night- spirit is killed and she dies. This happens later in the novel
when Tenorio shoots Ultima’s owl.

This dream ultimately symbolize Anotnios total lost in innocence. The three dead characters say “This is the boy
who heard our last confessions on earth … In his innocence he prayed the Act of Final Contrition for us who
were the outcasts of the town.” This shows that Antonio was a valid ideal for a priest while innocent, however,
once he has lost his innocence, all three of his faiths are killed. This shows that Antonio has matured, and now must
not hide behind the rituals or practices of a faith, but must act in his own way, since all others have failed him.

In entirety, Antonio is still left afraid of religions, and afraid to pick the wrong path in life. Antonio learns much
from his experiences and uses Ultima’s teachings to stay open minded and gain wisdom. As he loses his innocence
throughout the novel, his dreams become more and more violent, detailed, and conflict-based. In the end, however,
Antonio learns that he must go his own path to reach total peace of mind and have the control over his dreams, not
letting his dreams control him.