In the novel, while Tony sleeps, he has many dreams that change his spiritual and personal views of life. The dreams take place during times that Tony is troubled and they give a hint of what happens later in the novel. Tony's fourth dream occurs during a time when he is struggling with his brothers growing up and wanting to leave the llano for good. In the dream, Tony's three brothers, Eugene, Andrew, and Leon are going into Rosie's, a place of sin, dangerous thoughts,

Ultima plays the most prominent role in Tony's development and maturity into manhood. When she takes him with her to cure his uncle Lucus from the Trementina sisters' curse, he has to sacrifice some of his own personal well being to help a loved one. By taking him with her, Ultima shows that she completely trusts Tony to deal with her magic. Tony is honored and humbled that he is able to act as a cuaderna and cure the ill with magic. This act helps him make tremendous progress in his transition into the adult world. During the cure, Tony feels his uncle's pain as the evil is brought out of him by Ultima's magical powers. " 'Dios mio!' were his first words, and with those words the evil was wrenched from his interior. Green bile poured from his mouth, and finally he vomited a huge ball of hair. It fell to the floor, hot and steaming and wiggling like live snakes." ( ) As Tony follows Ultima in her magical cures, he starts to wonder if maybe his destiny is to follow in her footsteps. Ultima has many attributes that Tony admires, such as how she's in tune with nature. Ultima can feel the prescence of the river and the quiet harmony of the llano. She shares this spirit with Tony and it helps guide him through his difficult times. "The prescence was immense, lifeless, yet throbbing with its secret message." Ultima helps Tony be unafraid of the river's prescence, and help him have a deeper appreciation for the beauty of the llano. Ultima protects Tony spiritually and physically. She gives him advice and wise words about the destiny that only she knows. Ultima's most important guide for Tony however, is her owl. Inside the plain brown owl, is the wonderful spirit of Ultima. The owl watches Tony as he witnesses Lupito's death, and follows him on his way home to make sure he gets there safely. The owl protects Ultima from Tenorio when he wishes evil on her, and she in turn protects Tony from his harm. The owl is magical because inside it is Ultima's spirit. The owl and Ultima keep Tony safe and wary as he matures from childhood into manhood.

The novel has many sections that deal with magical realism as it relates to Tony's maturation. Tony's many dreams that predict his future are filled with magical circumstances. This magic affects Tony's outlooks on life and helps him become a man intellectually and emotionally. Another magical agent contributing to his development, are his religious beliefs. Throughout the book, he struggles with his faith in God, and starts to doubt what he's been told since he

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lucus Trementina, Leon Rosie's, Ultima Tony, Lies Antonio, Golden Carp, Rudolfo Anaya, Marez Luna, God Lupito, , Ultima Tenorio, golden carp, water moon, magical elements, ultima's magical powers, faith god, adult world, magical realism, filled magical, evil world, tony's maturation, baptized holy water, holy water moon, mentally spiritually,
Approximate Word count = 1695
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)