Bless Me, Ultima: Essay

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Bless Me, Ultima: Essay Have you ever had a strange dream that seems to have little or nothing to do with your life? It turns out that dreams are very symbolic of what you're thinking, of your memories, or of your fears, but may not have anything to do with the actual image or feeling in the dream. Instead they might be about things or feelings you associate in your mind to be the same as this image or feeling. In the novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rodolfo Anaya, a young boy named Antonio living with his family in the small town of Guadalupe, New Mexico in the 1940's experiences many dreams and nightmares that have to do with his life but aren't always exactly what he has experienced or thought about. Instead, the dreams incorporate other thoughts and images that are unrelated to, but are symbolic of the main idea of the dreams. In one particular nightmare, Antonio finds himself stuck between three worlds: that of his mother's hopes, his father's dreams, and the mysterious golden carp. In Antonio's nightmare, his mind uses its own symbolism to portray images and thoughts that relate to the conflict in his life about religion, to his many fears, and to his trust and admiration of a character called Ultima. In Antonio's nightmare, many themes are present that relate to a conflict in religion. In his nightmare, Antonio's parents are arguing over what Antonio's religion and way of life should be like. Antonio's mother portrayed standing on the moon with the holy water of the church, wants him to become a priest and respect the one and only God. His father, portrayed standing on the barren shore of the lake, wants him to let the llano and the will to wander like the water of the sea control his life. Also, the mysterious golden carp, portrayed swimming in the lake with the people it has saved from the evil Mermaid of the lake, is not trying to persuade Antonio to be a
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