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 An
"You foolish boy, God roared, don't you see you are caught in your own trap! You would have a God who forgives all, but when it comes to your personal whims you seek punishment for your vengeance. You would have my mother rule my heavens, you would send all sinners to her for forgiveness, but you would also have her taint her hands with the blood of your vengeance (165-166)" tonio'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. This book is also about this little boy Antonio growing up and becoming a man. Although it only this book took place when Antonio is a boy, he matured a lot during the book. He started out as a little boy who had not experienced things and did not understand life. Throughout this book Antonio sees three people die and learns that everybody, even good people, sins. He learns he must do what he feels is right or he will never find out the truth of his existence. Antonio first questions his faith when Ultima saves Antonio's uncle from an evil witch's curse. A priest came to visit the uncle and said there was nothing he could do, that he was certain to die. The uncle's family asked Ultima if there was anything she could do. She used her herbs and medicines and released the witch's curse from the
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1156
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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