Emotional Reactions

First Response:

I loved this book. The story is one of a six year old boy who through the novel debates his beliefs, his plans for the future, his outlook on life, and "loses his innocence." Although the age of six may be a bit young, realistically, for a boy to be debating such complex issues, Anaya uses this age as a backdrop for a young person's first acceptance of the Catholic Church. Some say that this young age makes the book unbelieveable and therefore difficult to relate to. I, however, believe that if a person is going to accept a book whose entire theme is one with such mystic ties, he has to for the time being, simply accept all that the book says without trying to make it real. In order to enjoy the novel one has to suspend disbelief.

For myself, Antonio's search for spiritual satisfaction and his greater quest for knowledge is one that I have experienced, and am currently experiencing. For me this makes the novel even more believeable.

Overall, this novel is one that I enjoyed. I believe that despite its slight faults it is an novel which most poeple would enjoy.

Second Response:

Bless Me, Ultima is a novel which deals with many complex issues. It is seen through the eyes of a very young boy. There are many funny childish scenes in the novel where Antonio, the protagonist, and his school mates are playing together; in fact, beating each other up. Most of the novel, however, is about Antonio's conflicted feelings about religion and his family. There are many dream sequences in the novel in which his fears are vividly described. I felt that the conflicts Antonio was dealing with were very interesting in themselves; however, it seemed entirely unrealistic for a boy of age six to eight (when the book ends he is eight) to be dealing with such complex emotions. The way we hear Antonio's thoughts, he sounds like a grown man in deep contemplation. For example, "But from my father and Ultima I had learned that the greater immortality is in the freedom of man, and that freedom is best nourished by the noble expanse of land and air and pure, white sky. I dreaded to think of a time when I could not walk upon the llano and feel like the eagle that floats on its skies: free, immortal, limitless." All this is coming out of an eight year old boy. It's a little hard to swallow isn't it? Then again this novel is one of pure mysticism, it is hardly a realistic portrayl of life, and if you read it with that in mind it does not really matter how young Antonio is. The only thing that matters is the quality and meaning of his thoughts.