The Presence of Complementary Oppositions in Ultima

A detailed Summary of The Presence of Complementary Oppositions in Ultima

According to the Taoist believes, everything in the universe exists as the Yin Yang relationship. Yin and Yang, the pair of complimentary opposites, merge with each other to form the perfect circle of unity. Ying would not have existed if there was no Yang, and vice versa. The concept of Yin Yang is presented throughout the novel, Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya. By illustrating the presence of the complimentary opposites within both the characters and the natural elements, Anaya effectively conveys the theme of universal unity of the balanced opposites.

An essential pair of natural elements that exists as the complimentary opposites in this novel is the moon and the sea. The moon, with its beams of the mellow light, is often considered to be gentle and mild. Alternatively, the sea, with its violent waves, is frequently anticipated to be wild and reckless. Antonio, in his dream at the end of chapter 11, is confused about whether he belongs to the "salt water of the sea" or the "sweet water of the moon."(120) Here Anaya uses the imagery of two opposite tastes to show the difference between the sea and the moon. Later in the dream Ultima teaches Antonio that "the sweet water of the moonK fill the seas" and "the salt water of th

The fusion of the sea and the moon can also be reflected upon the characters. Anaya intelligently mixes the blood of Marez, the people of the sea, together with the blood of the seemingly different Lunas, the people of the moon, to form the Marez family. Gabriel Marez represents the Marez blood; while his wife, Maria Marez, portrays the blood of the Lunas. The Marez are "exuberant like the land" and as "restless as the sea", while the Lunas are moderate and "quiet like the moon."(6, 41) Through the use of similes, Anaya has effectively and vividly drawn the link from the sea to the Marez and as well from the moon to the Lunas. These similes also present the distinct opposite characteristics of the two bloods. In Antonio's dream at the end of Chapter 11, Gabriel "shout[s]" as Maria "croon[s] softly."(120) The imagery and the word choice immediately point out the fact that in contrast the Lunas are more feminine and the Marez are more masculine. However, interestingly, there are times when Maria proves to be more masculine and Gabriel more feminine. When going to the mass, Maria shows forcefulness when she "leads [her family] with her swift proud walk." (33) As tough a man as Gabriel is, he still "cry[s] because the war ha[s] ruined his dream." (14) Despite the fact that Maria and Gabriel were born purely of the Luna and Marez blood, they still have a bit of each other in themselves. Maria and Gabriel, each having very dissimilar characteristics as a result of the their distinct backgrounds, are able to marry and

Some common words found in the essay are:
Rudolfo Anaya, Lunas Marez, Yin Yang, Maria Gabriel, Virgin God, Llano Anaya's, Ultima Ultima, Maria Virgin, Virgin Ultima, God Virgin, yin yang, god virgin, balanced opposites, moon sea, sea moon, complimentary opposites, dream chapter 11, unity balanced, male female, marez couple, complementary opposites, unity balanced opposites,

Approximate Word count = 1025
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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