Bless Me, Ultima

by Rudolfo Anaya

Start Free Trial

Discussion Topic

Symbolism and Perception of Ultima's Owl in Bless Me, Ultima

Summary:

In Bless Me, Ultima, Ultima's owl symbolizes wisdom, protection, and a connection with nature. It reflects Ultima's dual nature, embodying both her wisdom and her capacity for vengeance. To Antonio, the owl represents a protective and spiritual presence, providing comfort and guidance. While the owl is seen by some townsfolk as a sign of evil due to superstitions about witches, its positive connotations of peace and spirituality outweigh these fears for Antonio and Ultima's allies.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is the significance of Ultima's owl in Bless Me, Ultima?

The appearance of the owl serves to articulate and symbolize Ultima's special understanding of/with nature.

Antonio learns many lessons from Ultima, one of the most important being that nature has a power and should be respected. Humans are a part of a larger circle of being.  

To Tony she says, “You have been seeing only parts . . . and not looking beyond into the great cycle that binds us all.”

Ultima's owl arrives with Ultima at Antonio's family's house, symbolizing the idea that Ultima is bound with nature. As an active character, the owl protects Ultima and the family and watches over them. Though Antonio initially is disturbed by the owl (because witches/brujas have been known to take the shape of owls), he quickly comes to realize that Ultima's owl is a protective presence. 

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

In Bless Me, Ultima, what connotations are attached to the owl?

The owl in Bless Me Ultima is seen from the beginning as an entity...

Unlock
This Answer Now

Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

attached to Ultima, thecurandera who comes to live with the family at the story’s start. She is a traditional healer and a source of comfort and protection for the protagonist Antonio. When she arrives to live with Antonio’s family, so too does the owl. It also visits Antonio in his dreams. Like Ultima herself, it is a source of comfort and security.

A connotation is generally a feeling or idea, something abstract, that a word invokes. In the case of the owl, it usually connotes a sense of peace or protection. The owl typically warns Antonio of upcoming changes or events, such as the death of the town’s sheriff in the beginning. During this episode, it soothes him when he is fearful, as in the following passage:

Between my gasps for air and my sobs I stopped and listened for its song. My heart was pounding and my lungs hurt, but a calmness had come over the moonlit night when I heard the hooting of Ultima’s owl.

As Antonio calms down in this scene, he realizes that the owl was with him the entire night, and the “terrible, dark fear that had possessed [him] was gone.” When he gets back to the house, the reader finds out that Ultima knows what happened that night without having been there in person. The owl as a link to her soul and as a source of peace for Antonio is strengthened here. It is present to watch over him when Ultima herself is unable.

The owl as a connotation of spirituality and peace is seen as well in Antonio’s first dream about it:

In my dream I saw Ultima’s owl lift la Virgen on her wide wings and fly her to heaven. Then the owl returned and gathered up all the babes of Limbo and flew them up to the clouds of heaven.

The Virgen smiled at the goodness of the owl.

The owl delivers others to heaven, including la Virgen herself, patron saint of the town. Like Ultima, it is a guide to the spiritual and a source of peace and good.

Some people in the town do have negative superstitions about the owl, seeing it as a sign of evil, witches, curses, and the like. These connotations are present in the novel, but they are fewer. The goodness of the owl in relation to Ultima and Antonio outweighs these negative associations, invoking a sense of peace, spirituality, and protection.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

How does Tony view Ultima's owl in Bless Me, Ultima?

In Chapter One, Tony regards Ultima's owl as a special presence that has been sent to watch over the family.

Even though owls are said to portend evil, Tony feels that Ultima's owl will be different. He deeply believes that this very special owl which sits in a juniper tree outside Ultima's window will not be a bruja or a witch. When Tony's father makes no move to shoot the owl, Tony is further reassured about his assessment of Ultima's owl.

So it is that when he sleeps on the first night of Ultima's stay, Tony dreams wonderful dreams about the owl. In his dream, he sees the owl as a good and protective presence. The owl takes both the Virgin of Guadalupe (the patron saint of the town) and the babies in Limbo to heaven.

In Roman Catholic theology, The Limbo of Infants is a theory about the fate of unbaptized babies. Accordingly, when babies die without the benefit of baptismal dispensation for original sin, they can theoretically end up in a state of Limbo. In Tony's dream, he sees Ultima's owl bringing all the infants in Limbo to heaven. Ultima's owl is a benign, rather than an oppressive or virulent, presence.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Why is Tony disturbed by Ultima's owl in Bless Me, Ultima?

Tony is initially disturbed by the owl because they have never had an owl so close to the house. When Ultima arrives, the owl arrives as well and hoots in the night. The strangeness, novelty and surprise of this disturb Antonio and his sisters. 

Antonio mentions that brujas have been known to take on the form of an owl. However, when Antonio's father does not go out to shoot the owl, Antonio quickly he realizes the connection between Ultima and the owl. 

As Ultima had come into the house to join the family, the owl too had come to serve a positive purpose.

"Its song seemed to say that it had come to watch over us."
Approved by eNotes Editorial