Esly Ramos

AP English and composition

Period 1

Innocence altering religious perspective

Main characters usually display emotional maturity and wisdom. However, in the novel Bless me
Ultima, Antonio, who is the protagonist, is merely a young boy who has not had many experiences in his
life. The innocence that he portrays in the novel alters the perspective that the reader gets, since the
novel is portrayed

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has on the entire book is that the

events that happen in the novel seem to be more realistic than they actually are, and that his state of
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being gullible gives the reader another perspective on fictional stories and legends that pJesent

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themselves in the novel, along with the developing doubt of the church God.

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To start off, Antonio is naturally getting into situations that include witchcraft and curandera

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practices. Due to his innocence, his perspective might be skewed in that the story can be considered to
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be an exaggeration to the extent that the reader will never know. This is because when small children are

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telling stories of what they have experienced, it is usually the case that events might seem extraordinary
to them, while they are in fact, bland and uneventful. Antonio's perspective shapes the entire meaning of
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the novel because it is difficult to tell if some of the events, such as the curse lifting of Antonio's uncle
Lucas is real. Lucas' curse lifting is extremely significant in the novel because it is the first time that the
reader sees the powers that Ultima has. Even though Antonio appears mature for his age, the reader

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starts to question the accuracy of Antonio's account, and that takes away from some of the magical
realism that is seen in the novel.

To continue, along with the enhanced 1tffl8y.n,1;-af

innocence that Antonio has, he is more narve
than most people due to his age. This means that he is going to believe many of the legends and such
that people are going to tell him. An example of this would be when Antonio first learns about the
golden carp, and then goes on to actually see the golden carp himself. This shapes the meaning of the
novel because when Antonio describes his experience with the carp, the reader himself questions ifthe
church God is real. The fact that Antonio believes so much is beneficial because the reader gets the
entire legend exaggerated and in the detail that makes the fish actually seem godlike, even more than the
church God.

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To conclude, innocence and being gullible are perceived as being characteristics -....
that are not
=desirable. In Bless Qe Ultima, when Antonio presents these characteristics,

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his account becomes more

iabIe, while at the same time emphasizing the theme of questioning one's God and rtire religion.