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Key Facts

fuli title • Bless Me, Ultima author - Rudolfo A. Anaya type of work • Novel

genre Bildungsroman (coming-of-age story); magical nealism language English, witli Spauish words and phrases throughout time and place written ■ 1960s, Albiiquerque. New Mexico datę of First publication • 1972 publisher • Quinto Sol Publishers

narrator Antonio as an adult, recounting a fewyears of his cliildliood

point of view • The novel is wrinen exclusively from Antonio’s first-person point of view.

tonę • For the most part. the narrator’s tonę is serious and lyrical. witli simple, poetic language used

to depict Antonios weighty philosophical stmggles. Tlie tonę of the novel generally matches the

mood of its maili cliaracter.

tense Past

settings (time) Mid-1940s. during and after World War II settings (place) • Guadalupe, New Mexico, and its surrounding aiea protagonist - Antonio

major conflict • As Antonio moves from cliildliood to adolescence, he mes to reconcile liis parents’ and his community's conflicting cultural traditions; Antonio s goal is independent thought and action: he smves to make his own morał decisions and to accept responsibility for their conseqiiences. rising action • After Ultima arrives to stay witli Antonio’s family, Antonio witnesses the murder of Lupito, a local mail. He also experiences moimting anxiety over going away to school and leaving his motlier.

dimax • Ultima cures Lucas s illness, presumably caused by Tenorio’s daughters, whom he saw participating in a satanic ritual. By curiiig Lucas, Ultima incites Tenorio s ragę, and Tenorio vows to kill Ultima.

falling action Antonio goes to school and builds friendships there. Tenorio. still angry witli Ultima, kills tlie pet owi tliat guides her in her magie healing. When the owi dies. Ultima dies as well. Slie asks Antonio to bury tlie owTs body.

themes • The importance of morał independence; tlie influence of culture on identity motifs Dreams; family; learning and education; tolerance and understanding symbols • The golden carp; Ultima’s owi; the Virgin of Guadalupe foreshadowing - Antonio’s dreams; Ultima's comments about tlie funire