Bless Me Ultima - Dreams Essay

Words: 1337
Pages: 6
Open Document
Symbolism in Dreams

In Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima, the author uses Tony's dreams as a way of displaying various symbols. Three symbols that are used often are weather, water, and the Golden Carp. Weather is used to represent conflict. Water represents cleansing, and rejuvenation. The Golden Carp symbolizes religion and Tony's beliefs. Because dreams are a not an exact mirror of reality, they become the perfect tool for introducing symbolism. The author uses the dream as a way to access the recurring themes of the book.



Weather affects the lives of everyone. When the weather turns foul, it makes life more difficult. Stormy weather in Tony's dreams represents the conflict in his life, and the lives of those …show more content…
He talks about his brother's livers, " They cried in such pain for release that I took their livers from the hook and cast them into the raging, muddy waters of the River of the Carp. Then they rested, and I rested." ( Anaya 235) This quote shows that because Antonio can not stop his brothers from their reckless wondering he instead casts their livers in to the river. This rejuvenates his brothers because it gives them a new look on life. Because Tony did this he was able to clean his brother from these thoughts of wondering. Through out Bless Me Ultima the author shows the reader how water can symbolize cleanliness, and rejuvenation by becoming an icon for life

and peace.

Through out all of Tony's dreams the most significannot symbol is the Golden Carp. The Carp stands as a symbol of Tony's strong belief, and the power of religion in the everyday lives of normal people. An example of this is when Tony's mother and father are arguing in his dreams about who Tony really is, "It is the water that binds you to the pagan god of Cico, the golden carp!" (Anaya 120) This quote shows how in Tony's life basically revolves around the golden carp. In this quote it shows that Tony's mother wants her son to be drawn to the carp because she knows the religious power that it has. The carp, in this quote, represents the Luna family because of their strong sense of religion. Another example of the Golden Carp's symbolism is when Tony is in
Show More

Related Documents: Bless Me Ultima - Dreams Essay

Theme Of Dreams In Bless Me Ultima

Kayla K. Lopez Mrs. Segovia English Literature 12 March 2017 The Dream of Antonio Marez Dreams may have different meanings. The dream can be an outcome of a situation or event taking place in your life. Instances that occur in our everyday life have a way of coming out in our subconscious thus appearing in our dreams. It can also be self turmoil or our repressed feelings. The book was written in the 1960s meaning that it was a time of innovation. Where the old was being criticised and there was…

Words 1434 - Pages 6

Antonio's Dream In Bless Me Ultima

The purpose of Antonio’s dream in “Bless Me, Ultima”, by Rudolfo Anaya, is that there is redemption or second chances for all people. The reader can identify this purpose, by the authors use of repetitive diction associated with fire, imagery of the golden carp, and symbolism. Antonio’s family is catholic, and catholics believe in atoning for their sins. When you pay for your sins you are no longer held accountable. Throughout the dream the author uses the word fire. Fire has a positive connotation…

Words 401 - Pages 2

Bless Me Ultima Research Paper

At the heart of every family tradition, there is a meaningful experience. In the book, Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya, Antonio Marez Luna was raised from a traditional- Hispanic background of religion and agriculture. His parents, Maria Luna and Gabriel Marez, come to form their distinct backgrounds and conclude that their son, Antonio, will carry his destiny around one parent’s customs. The similarities these two parents have is wanting to have their beliefs and customs to be passed down for…

Words 966 - Pages 4

Bless Me Ultima Research Paper

Bless me Ultima is about a little boy who finds himself caught in three different lives. His father urges him to explore the world and embrace freedom, while his mother wishes for him to become a priest. “I had seen beauty, but the beauty had burdened me with responsibility.”Throughout his dreams and hardships, such as being bullied by his peers, losing a close friend and his brother's disobedience, Ultima and her owl remain a compassionate and protective presence. A young child reaches adulthood…

Words 1670 - Pages 7

Change In Bless Me Ultima

into who we are in the future. In Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, the author, uses death to bring change, plus other symbols to convey the idea that death brings change to people and helps them transform into who they become in the future. The main deaths of Lupito, Narciso, Florence and finally Ultima bring change to many people. For Antonio, the main character, this causes him to evolve into a true man in the future. Throughout the novel, Bless Me, Ultima, when there is a death that Antonio…

Words 990 - Pages 4

Over-Thinking In Anaya's Bless Me Ultima

carves a child and for Antonio, his imagination is at a higher level. Imagination is connected to dreams. Dreams are what makes a child curious and can build into experiences. Over-thinking in a child can lead to stress and it effects dreams by turning them into to nightmares. In Anaya’s Bless Me Ultima, young Antonio was influenced by the people around him early in his life that showed in his dreams and they brought internal conflict due to the fact of the pressure he had from his parents Maria…

Words 1391 - Pages 6

Analysis Of Bless Me Ultima By Rudolfo Anaya

Bless Me Ultima” by Rudolfo Anaya is about a six year old boy name Antonio (Tony) and his journey with Ultima, a curandera. Maria and Gabriel, Antonio’s parents, both have different dreams for their son. Gabriel wants Tony to be a “free thinker”, one who travels and goes where life leads him. However, Maria wants Tony to be a priest. Ultima’s relation to the family is that she was Maria’s mid-wife and aided Tony’s birth. Throughout the book, it is clear that Ultima is the only one who is aware of…

Words 870 - Pages 4

Bless Me, Ultima Literacy Essay

Bless Me, Ultima The Journey of a Young Boy Some stories only have one symbol that guides the reader others have many, in the novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya there's multiple symbols that all come back to one, the owl. The owl guides the characters, tells a story, and protects the characters in a time when they are physically at risk. In these ways the owl is like a god it has control over life and death. The owl acts like a guide to the characters as they need it. When Antonio the main…

Words 642 - Pages 3

Epiphanies In Bless Me Ultima

we grow, like Antonio in bless me ultima, we start to realize that the people and things around us are not always what they seem to be. We start to realize that when we see certain things and they change us. We start to question life and start to look for answers. These clear intuitive moments of perceptions are called epiphanies and throughout the course of Bless me Ultima they play an enormous role in the growth of Antonio. Within the first two chapters of Bless me Ultima we realize that Antonio…

Words 747 - Pages 3

Essay on theme Bless me ultima

just given to you while you read a book. There can be plenty of themes and they are all seen throughout the book. Theme is different from subject. A subject could be simple like “love”. Theme must be stated in a sentence. While I was reading “Bless me Ultima” by Rudolfo Anaya, I found plenty of themes throughout the book, but when i was finished with the book I realized that a very good theme would be, “having faith in something will help get through the roughest times in life.” I chose this theme…

Words 763 - Pages 4