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What is Tony's first reaction to meeting Ultima in "Bless Me, Ultima"?
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When Tony first meets Ultima, he is filled with awe and a profound sense of connection. Despite never having met her in person, he feels an immediate spiritual bond, partially because Ultima was present at his birth and has appeared in his dreams. Her presence introduces a mystical influence in his life, marking the beginning of his journey toward self-discovery and spiritual questioning. This meeting foreshadows Tony's eventual exploration beyond traditional Catholic beliefs.
Tony's first reaction when he meets Ultima is awe. Although he cannot explain it, he immediately feels a spiritual connection to her. Ultima's presence brings a new and otherworldly influence into his life, one he has never dared to contemplate before.
For as long as he has been alive, Tony has been torn between his parents' conflicting visions for his future. Tony's father is a vaquero who feels most at home riding across the open plains. On the other hand, Tony's mother is the daughter of a farmer. She envisions her son taking on religious duties when he becomes an adult. As the novel progresses, Tony begins to question the basic tenets of his Catholic faith.
Thus, the initial meeting between Tony and Ultima foreshadows Tony's tempestuous and eventful journey towards self-discovery and spiritual wisdom. Tony is awed by Ultima when he first meets her because she seems to exude...
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a mysterious oneness with nature. Before her presence, he trembles with excitement and feels the "song of the mockingbirds and the drone of the grasshoppers mingle with the pulse of the earth."
When she came, the beauty of the llano unfolded before my eyes, and the gurgling waters of the river sang to the hum of the turning earth...the pulse of the living earth pressed its mystery into my living blood...the silent, magic powers she possessed made beauty from the raw, sun-baked llano, the green river valley, and the blue bowl which was the white sun's home...
Basically, Tony's yearning desire to live in harmony with nature finds an answering chord in Ultima. The nature imagery that imbues Tony's initial meeting with Ultima foreshadows Tony's eventual rejection of dogmatic theology for a more open faith.
Antonio finally meets Ultima at the conclusion of Chapter One of Bless Me, Ultima. The event seems to be particularly momentous, especially since Antonio must lie in bed and listen to his parents, Gabriel and María, talk about the woman in the kitchen below his room the night before her arrival. Antonio is able to gather some information from this chatter: Ultima is a curandera, or healer, who now lives on the plains of the Ilano and who will be coming to live with the Márez family.
When Ultima arrives the next day, she shakes Antonio's hand, and the boy immediately senses a powerful whirlwind move around him. He impulsively refers to her by her name instead of the more formal address, "Grande," which confirms Ultima's belief that she would be close to the boy. Ultima's arrival ultimately marks a huge shift in Antonio's life.
When Tony first spends time with Ultima he is overwhelmed in her presence. He knows her before he ever meets her. The curandera was present at his birth, and he has dreamed of her before the actual meeting.
When the priest needs assistance in lifting a curse, he sends for Ultima. Tony is with her as she lifts the curse, adn he is overwhelmed. This will start his journey of discovery and the conflicts that go along with it.
How does Tony first react to Ultima in Bless Me, Ultima?
Hello! In 'Bless Me, Ultima,' Antonio (Tony) is the narrator and the main protagonist of the novel. He starts out by introducing us to his family. His father is a Marez and his mother is a Luna. The Marez are vaqueros (livestock herders on horseback) and the Lunas are farmers. Tony has two sisters, Deborah and Theresa, who are older than he is.
Ultima has always held a special place in Tony's heart because he remembers her from his dreams. Here, the child-like account by the grown narrator shows special sensitivity on the part of the author: these Ultima dream accounts lets us see through the eyes of a young Tony. In his dream, he sees his mother, who has just given birth to him. Ultima is the mid-wife presiding over the birth. She wraps up the afterbirth and the umbilical cord and lays the package at the foot of the Virgin Mary's altar. Tony remembers that his mother's brothers were there, and there was green chili, corn, ripe apples, peaches, green beans and pumpkins surrounding the bed. Soon, Tony's paternal relatives arrive on horseback. Their jubilant gunshots and loud voices congratulate Tony's father on the birth of a boy. However, the celebratory mood turns dark when the arriving vaqueros smash the fruits and vegetables around the bed and replace them with a saddle, horse blankets, bottles of whiskey, a new rope, bridles, chapas, and an old guitar. The two sides quarrel: the Luna farmers claim the baby as one of their own, and the Marez vaqueros are adamant that the baby grows up free from the land. Both sides think they should have the afterbirth and umbilical cord to do with as their traditions demand.
It is Ultima who silences the two loud groups of men. She tells them that she herself will bury the afterbirth and the cord and that she alone will know the baby's destiny. To Tony, Ultima is the ultimate legend, larger than life. When he first meets her, he is awed by her and is initially speechless; he is so nervous that he eventually greets her by her name, instead of respectfully addressing her as 'La Grande' as his mother had implored him to do. Ultima is unfazed by the awkwardness of the young boy. She tells Tony's mother that Tony was the last baby she helped Maria birth and so, there would always be a special bond between the two of them.
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