Bless Me, Ultima: Part 3

A lot happened in chapters 13-16. The biggest event, I would say, is Narciso's death. However, what struck me the most about this section of the book are Antonio's thoughts and dreams about God. At the very beginning of the chapter, Antonio wonders why the golden carp chose to punish sinners just like Antonio's christian God. He wishes for  a god that would forgive everyone. However, I remember thinking frequently that the book seemed a bit contradictory, because it preached about universal kindness and forgiveness but still condemned some characters as evil and deserving punishment. However, in Antonio's dream this exact issue is addressed. God and Antonio's favorite angel, Guadalupe, talk about forgiving Tenorio as well as Narciso. God says to Antonio "You would have a God who forgives all, but when it comes to your personal whims you seek punishment for your vengeance" (Anaya 173). I thought that this was a very significant quote. It is easy for people to say, theoretically, that we should forgive and love everyone, but when it comes to actual practice, it becomes very difficult. In Antonio's case, it is difficult for him to forgive Tenorio, who killed Narciso and swears that he will kill Ultima. Perhaps Anaya is trying to say that nobody is perfect, and we can't judge others harshly without expecting to be judged ourselves. In addition, if we believe strongly in something, we must also believe consistently, even when it is difficult. It is easy to preach forgiveness if you or someone you care about has done something bad, but it is difficult to preach forgiveness to people who have hurt you. Yet, like Antonio, you must either forgive both or forgive neither, or else be a hypocrite.
I have felt bad for Tenorio throughout the book, because everything he has done has been to save his daughter from death. And I can't help but wonder whether Ultima is in fact responsible for the death of Tenorio's daughters. She did create the voodoo dolls of them, after all. And if Ultima is responsible for killing Tenorio's children, is she really any better than they are? Antonio wants to see Tenorio punished for hurting Narciso, and Tenorio wants Ultima punished for hurting his daughters, so it is hard for me to condemn Tenorio and not Antonio. I wonder if Anaya was trying to make Ultima and Tony represent good and Tenorio represent evil, as it seemed at first, or if he deliberately made the situation open to interpretation. After all, very few things in life are black and white the way they often are in books and movies.
Another interesting aspect of the book is Andrew's role in everything. Is Anaya condemning Andrew for giving in to temptation, or suggesting that society is too harsh on people like him. Perhaps Andrew could have saved Narciso, but there was no way for him to realize the gravity of the situation. He obviously felt very guilty after. Antonio was shocked to see his brother at Rosie's, and blamed himself because he thought he must have somehow lost his innocence. However, I don't think Anaya was trying to say that Andrew was a bad person because he was at Rosie's. I think that he was just trying to show that everyone does things like that sometimes, and so it is silly to judge each other so harshly. The idea of being more forgiving and open-minded continues to be a theme throughout the novel.