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 count that this is only a seven year old kid, but he is the hero of Rudolfo Anayas Bless Me, Ultima. Tony is valiant, and this courage sometimes reflects his rumly precocious nature. Precocious he is, he still 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 protect the people he love. He shows that he is a "man of the llano" when he "doesnt hold up from a fight" even when confront ed with Horse, the notorious bully (37). Tony also stands up against a mob for Florence everyone wants to punish Florence for "not believing in God" (214) and Tony pushes the pack 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 wanting to "be away from the protection of his mother" (51) in fact, hes so close to his mother that it seems that hes going through Oedipuss Complex. Anaya real does this to increase the impact of Tonys bravery. One 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 reprehend Ultima supercedes his fear and encourages his legs to pick up and run home (255). At trying times, he "stood by Ultima" and "would have slashe d 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 situation (22). The first thing he wonders about when he witnesses Lupitos death is "where was Lupitos person?" (26) , and this shows how deep Tonys thoughts are.