Bless Me, Ultima

These chapters illustrate another season of change in Antonio’s life. Returning to school, he notices that his friends are acting differently, and he is keenly aware that “something good [has] ended” (223): The time of childhood is drawing to a close. Ultima encourages him to make this change “a part of [his] strength” (245). With this final transition, Antonio enters the return stage of the hero’s journey, in which the hero comes back home transformed and uses his newfound power to help others.

At the Tellez exorcism, Anaya introduces more cultural background, specifically delving into the colonization of Comanche territory by the Spanish. He acknowledges the influence of Indigenous history on Chicanx culture, and the importance of respecting the original owners of the land. By treating the corpses of the Comanche men with disrespect, Tellez’s grandfather made his descendants vulnerable to Tenorio’s curse. Ultima once again intervenes to restore harmony to the Earth by carrying out a respectful death ritual for the wandering spirits.

Antonio undergoes yet another trial when he witnesses the drowning of Florence. He assumes the role of the priest one final time and tries to bless Florence, but it’s no use: Under Catholic belief, Florence’s soul is condemned because he died a nonbeliever. The idea that his good-hearted friend will be punished for eternity drives Antonio further away from the church’s ideology.

Antonio’s final dream conveys how trapped he feels, as violent imagery shows the destruction of the altar, the golden carp, and even Ultima. He feels that all three belief systems in his life have failed him but is told that “the germ of creation lies in violence” (244). This quote suggests that all of the tragedies Antonio has witnessed are not in vain. The alternating times of violence and peace he’s experienced are both part of the cycle of life, which in turn is just a small part of eternity. Antonio realizes that he has already persevered past tragedy and will continue to do so.

In Chapter 20, Antonio ponders the influence of his parents and Ultima in shaping him into the man he is becoming. This highlights a key shift in his mindset. Rather than agonizing over the choice between one lifestyle and another, he knows that many sets of values can coexist within him without any one fully defining him. He showcases this duality by going to work with the Lunas while affirming his identity as a Márez.

In Chapter 22, Gabriel acknowledges that the vaquero way of life is dying out, as is the farming tradition of the Lunas: Though Antonio can learn from the past, the past is not enough to sustain his life. Antonio asks whether a new religion can be created from the influences of the existing belief systems. This question reflects the way his future will be informed by his past and the cultures that have shaped him but will ultimately be under his control. The acknowledgment of the influences of the past, combined with the desire to create a better future, mirrors aspects of the Chicanx movement in the 1960s, which influenced Anaya’s writing.

Gabriel tells Antonio that “we fear evil only because we do not understand it” (248). This is why Ultima encourages empathy over vengeance, and why she accomplishes such miraculous victories over evil—by understanding it, she neutralizes its power. Knowing this, Antonio lets go of his need for revenge on those who have hurt him. He accepts Tenorio’s death not as an act of karma but as the restoration of the universal harmony for which Ultima also had to die.

By the time Tenorio kills Ultima, Antonio has matured enough to address María “for the first time […] as a man” (259). He doesn’t grieve his lost innocence anymore because he knows that his strength comes not from naivete but from his lived experiences. He has learned about “the magical strength of the human heart” (249) that will carry him through all hardship.

As the novel ends, Antonio is grief-stricken but at peace because his time with Ultima has brought harmony to his soul. His identity is an amalgamation of the influences of his loved ones and his own free choice. He understands Ultima’s death as part of the endless cycle of eternity, and he no longer fears evil because he has the wisdom and empathy to accept what he cannot understand. His decision to bury her owl on the llano before attending her funeral at church illustrates the resolution of his religious conflict. He has not chosen between Catholicism and folk traditions. Instead, he holds space in his life for both belief systems, and both providing comfort and guidance.

After burying Ultima’s owl, Antonio completes the return portion of the hero’s journey. He is now the master of two worlds, understanding both the worldly and the religious, the masculine and the feminine, the farm and the llano. He is ready to take what Ultima has taught him about open-mindedness, empathy, and mercy and use it to perpetuate “all that is good” (261) in the world. He has conquered his fear of death and gained the power to live freely, the final step in the return.