Bless Me Ultima - Tony :: essays research papers

Blood becomes the river. The human race dies and only the "she-goats and the he-goats" remain (176). The lake "cracked with laughter of madness" and the "ghosts stood and walked upon the shore" (120). Who dares dream such gruesome images? Only Antonio Marez. He argues with God and the Virgin Mary. He commutes with the dead the dead asks him for blessings. Just who is this Tony person You might not confide that this is only a seven twelvemonth old kid, but he is the hero of Rudolfo Anayas Bless Me, Ultima. Tony is valiant, and this courage sometimes reflects his curiously precocious nature. Precocious he is, he compose is in constant mental ambivalence.When I say Tony is brave, I dont mean that he fights demons or kill dragons, but rather that he stands for what he believe is right and he is not afraid to go to extreme measures to cheer the people he love. He shows that he is a "man of the llano" when he "doesnt run from a fight" even when confronted with Horse, the notorious bully (37). Tony similarly stands up against a mob for Florence everyone wants to punish Florence for "not believing in God" (214) and Tony pushes the crowd away and refuses to give Florence the penance that Florence does not deserve. Although Tony knows that he will be given the "Indian torture" (214), he still speaks up for his friend. Anaya often presents Tony as a dependent character, never lacking to "be away from the protection of his mother" (51) in fact, hes so fold to his mother that it seems that hes going through Oedipuss Complex. Anaya actually does this to increase the impact of Tonys bravery. ane might expect Tony to stay in his undercover bushes when Tenorio is standing so close however, when Tony hears that Tenorio knows the way to kill Ultima, the thought to warn Ultima supercedes his fear and encourages his legs to blame up and run home (255). At trying times, he "stood by Ultima" and "wo uld have slashed out to protect Ultima" (138).Oftentimes, Tonys bravery reflects his curious and precocious nature. For example, he runs to the bridge where the criminal Lupito hides because he is curious about Lupitos property (22). The first thing he wonders about when he witnesses Lupitos death is "where was Lupitos nous?" (26) , and this shows how deep Tonys thoughts are.