The theme of moral independence is well elaborated in this book. The author of the book have emphasized on thinking independently in relation to moral decisions in the story. Antonio reflected moral independence in his decisions throughout the story making him develop and mature through such moral decisions. Antonio is faced with difficulties of his life experience and the religious aspects leaving him in a dilemma. He therefore decided to make his own decisions pertaining to the situation irrespective of religious aspects and his own life experiences. He was frustrated by the fact that the church failed in giving solutions to the issues of human experience and immorality.
Ultima therefore played a crucial role in guiding Antonio by learning the essence of moral independence in the novel. Ultima helped in teaching Antonio that most complex questions in life cannot be solved depending on religion of cultural traditions alone. Antonio was faced with many questions relating to forgiveness of the evil, the soul and the truth which he could only answer for himself other than depending on religion or culture. He used to believe that the solution to all his problems was the communion ritual but he later realized that communion ritual could not solve all his problems. Ultima therefore taught him to think and make decisions for himself in relation to moral independence in his life and arriving at his own reasonable conclusions.
This book also shows the influence of culture on the identity of individuals. The book shows the difficulty in reconciliation of various cultural traditions .Anaya suggested that several cultural traditions enables an individual to forge a more adoptable and complex identity. Antonio experienced a lot of difficulties in answering questions due to the conflict of many cultures that faced him. These questions haunt Antonio due to the clash of many cultures. Antonio was faced with a very powerful conflicting force between his parents where the mother wanted him to become a priest while the father on the other hand wanted Antonio to ride the llano. Each of the parents were deeply rooted in their own cultural convictions making them difficult to agree on a single decision regarding the life of Antonio. Antonio was faced with conflict between the indigenous and the Spanish culture making him difficult to make choices pertaining to his code of conduct in the society. This also exposed Antonio to difficulties in pronunciation between the Catholic Church and Ultima’s mythical folklore Antonio was also faced with a conflict at his school whether to speak Spanish or English.
In relation to symbolism, the Golden Carp was used to symbolize the magical religious order which was not connected to the norms of Catholicism. This therefore offers the brand of comfort, moral guidance and wisdom. The carp therefore shows that each traditional religion contains valid lessons relating to the world. Antonio abandoned the carp where he later recognized that it was useful for him in making his own personal decisions concerning various aspects of life. This also helped him in avoiding the cultural conflicts which hindered him from making reasonable decisions.
Symbolism was also shown through the use of Ultima’s Owl to represent religious mysticism and the life force. The song of the owl symbolize the way Ultima comforted Antonio and the protective power of the magic. The killing of the owl destroyed the life of Ultima by causing her death. Antonio buried the owl to symbolize the death of Ultima.
The virgin of Guadalupe gives a symbol of understanding, forgiveness and resolution of the cultural conflicts. The dark skinned Virgin shows the reconciliatory aspects relating to the European Catholic Church and the Antonio’s homeland culture. Antonio used to seek forgiveness from the virgin in times of frustrations and troubles.
In conclusion, the author have used the aspects of culture and morality in order to determine the decisions made by the Antonio in relation to various cultural aspects. The book therefore contains aspects of cultural identity which influence difficulties in decision making due to the challenge of dilemma. The theme of moral independence is therefore clearly elaborated in this book. The author have also described the role of family and the religious institutions in shaping the future of Antonio.
Works Cited
Anaya, Rudolfo A, and Robert Ramirez. Bless Me, Ultima. Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, 2007. Print.
