Bless Me, Ultima: Part 2

     As you might be able to guess from the fact that I am posting my second blog now, I am really enjoying this book. Halfway through, it still seems like a series of anecdotes rather than one cohesive novel, but I am looking forward to some rising action beginning soon. I hope there will be something exciting at the end, and I am feeling fairly optimistic.
     An interesting theme that has become more defined in the second quarter of the book is the questioning of religion. At first, I thought this book was a strongly Christian book. After all, Antonio's mom spends hours at a time praying, and Antonio seems like a dedicated boy as well. However, despite everything, I am beginning to think that Anaya is steering the reader away from religion. I am not suggesting that he has no religious views, but I am starting to see some parallels between Bless Me, Ultima and The Grapes of Wrath. Both seem to share a theme about the natural goodness of people, regardless of what exists beyond life. Antonio is starting to see that God did not heal his uncle, but Ultima did. Like I said before, the ideas of forgiveness and gentleness have always appealed to Antonio more than the idea of a supremely powerful God. I think Anaya is suggesting that regardless of our beliefs, we should be kind and generous to other people and be grateful to those who help us.
     One thing about this book that I am having trouble understanding is the doubt that Anaya allows us to feel about Ultima. Why did Antonio discover the metal cross lying on the ground? Why did Ultima make voodoo dolls of the three girls, and why did one of them shrivel up and die when the girl died too? Why did Antonio compare Ultima's power, which was like a whirlwind, to evil power? Basically, Anaya creates a great deal of doubt as to whether Ultima is actually a witch. However, perhaps I do know the reason for this. Maybe Anaya is saying that it doesn't matter what Ultima is. What matters is that she is gentle and kind and saves many lives. Challenging her to walk through a door with a cross on it, and being ready to murder her depending on the result, is silly. People should be judged by their tangible actions on earth. Personal beliefs about an afterlife should not affect how we treat people.
     I suppose I can't possibly discuss this group of chapters without mentioning the Golden Carp. The Golden Carp is an enormous, beautiful fish that is told to be a god in disguise. I think this story supports the message that I have gotten from reading this book. The Golden Carp chose to be a fish so it could watch over the people, whom it loved. This contrasted sharply with the opinions of the other gods, who had wanted to kill them all. The idea of the Golden Carp conflicts with Antonio's religion, and I think this shows that our specific beliefs do not matter as much as our personal morals and actions. Also, the Golden Carp, like Guadalupe, is gentle and forgiving.