Chicano Literature on the Basis of Works of Anaya and Salinas Essay

Introduction

Chicano literature substantially shaped the understanding of Mexican American culture, bringing light to the religious, social, and cultural challenges of the twentieth century. In their works Bless Me, Ultima, Memoir of Un Ser Humano, and Un Trip through the Mind Jail y Otras Excursions: Poems, Anaya and Salinas communicated the endeavors experienced by American immigrants with Hispanic heritage. Despite drastically different plots, the three literary pieces are united with the four themes: moral independence, maturation and transformation, the influence of culture on identity, and fragmentation of society.

The Importance of Moral Independence

The theme of thinking independently when it comes to a difficult moral decision is central to the understanding of Bless Me, Ultima. The main character of the novel, Antonio, progresses toward moral independence as he matures spiritually, physically, and personally throughout the plot.¹ Dynamic character, the man develops throughout the book as he struggles to accept the intricate nature of his religion. Eventually, the complex nature of religion, entangled with old rituals and peculiar practices of Antonio’s ancestors inspires him to make his own decisions.² The male’s new identity emerges as his church fails to satisfy his inquisitiveness toward morality and human experience. With the recurring motif of family in the novel, Bless Me, Ultima demonstrates the main theme of moral independence.

Though many of Antonio’s relatives seek to define his professional future, in the end, the man shifts his attention from the wisdom and experience of his family to the guidance through his wishes and perspectives.³ Interestingly, the motifs of the family described in the novel are semiautobiographical which sets a specific cultural context for the story. Similar to his protagonist, Rudolfo Anaya was raised in a cultural tapestry, seeking to find his identity between Catholic home, Spanish heritage, an English-speaking environment.⁴

The theme of moral independence is also incorporated in Salinas’ Memoir of Un Ser Humano and Un Trip through the Mind Jail y Otras Excursions: Poems, where the author discusses the importance of finding true self, facing a number of moral dilemmas.⁵ Both stories teach the audience that morality is subjective, thus, form distinctly for each individual, based on their personal qualities and cultural background.

Maturation and Transformation

The theme of maturation and transformation in the Memoir of Un Ser Humano is close to the topic of moral independence discovered in Bless Me, Ultima. Similar to Antonio, the main character of the story, Raul, is undergoing a spiritual transformation as he matures, evolving during his journeys and depicting the memoirs through a series of fragmented collections of his writings.⁶ The style of the stories is essentially different with Bless Me, Ultima having a defined plot that guides readers’ understanding of the story and Memoir of Un Ser Humano relying on Salina’s musings, sketches, and recollections of his endeavors.

As they mature, both protagonists struggle to find their identity, seeking answers to eternal questions in life. However, Raul’s journey is much different from Antonio’s, shaped by his rebellious social experiences of a hipster-pachuco, drug addict, and revolutionary writer. ⁷ Depicting his transitional phase, Salinas publishes Un Trip through the Mind Jail y Otras Excursions: Poems, where he confronts everything he sees in the California prison, spending 15 years behind the bars.

Unlike in Salinas’ work, Anaya portrays the topic of maturation and transformation as Antonio questions the eternal topics of evil, truth, and forgiveness, coming to Ultima as his guide, signifying the importance of moral independence. In return, Ultima teaches him that it is impossible to fully answer all the philosophical questions on the basis of a single religion or cultural tradition.⁸ To gain in-depth insight into Ultima’s message regarding religion, it is essential to explore the symbolism of the golden carp, a magical ritual that comes against Catholic practices.

The magical fish symbolizes wisdom, moral guidance, and comfort, suggesting that every religious idea offers different but equally important teachings about the world.⁹ Though, at first, Antonio rejects the item in fear of abandoning his devoted spiritual route, eventual acceptance of the carp challenges his initial understanding of life and initiates existential questions about creation.

The Influence of Culture on Identity

Another critical theme that guides perception of Bless Me, Ultima is the influence of culture on identity. In his work, Anaya investigates the difficulties of embracing conflicting cultural traditions, concluding that an individual has full capacity to shape a complex and adaptable identity, getting information from several cultural traditions.

Directly affected by many conflicting cultures, Antonio seeks to find a single, disreputable answer which leads to the major conflict with his parents, rooted in cultural convictions.¹⁰ While his Luna mother envisions him as a priest, the father, brought up in vaquero cultural traditions, sees him riding the llano.¹¹ Another cultural conflict arises between the members of Spanish and indigenous cultures in Antonio’s hometown which later on translates into the tension between the Catholic church and Ultima’s mysticism. The last major opposition is depicted between English-speaking and Spanish-speaking students in the man’s high school.

Based on these conflicts, the author conveys the important message of cultural prejudices that limit an individual’s ability to see the world beyond the premade assumptions. For example, the townspeople judge Narciso’s alcoholism, refusing to take into account his traumatic experience in the war. Unlike his neighbors, Antonio follows teachings of Ultima, avoiding abiding inherent limitations present in following one religion, one cult, or one culture. ¹² To become a better person, the man turns to the Virgin of Guadalupe, a symbol of forgiveness and resolution of cultural conflict in the novel. Seeking to find a forgiving god, Antonio resembles the dark-skinned virgin – imagery of restoring harmonious relationships between the Catholic church and indigenous cultures.

Though prevalent in Bless Me, Ultima, the influence of culture on identity can also be observed in the works of Salinas. Autobiographical in nature, his memoirs encompass the way his term in the prison and exposure to people from different cultures shaped his understanding of political and social justice. ¹³

With the symbolism of prison bars, the author portrays societal limitations on equality, pointing out the observable flaws of the justice system in the US.¹⁴ The struggle of culture, for Salinas, is also a struggle of white, black, and Hispanic cultures, where the values of the three come against the long-term historical traditions.

Fragmentation of Society

The theme of fragmentation of society is prevalent in all three pieces of the analyzed Chicano literature. In his work Un Trip through the Mind Jail y Otras Excursions: Poems, Salinas creates the image that criminals, captured in the jail with him, are victims of the capitalist society. ¹⁵ Pointing at the fragile fragmentation of society, the author suggests that pressure of social inequality and differentiation of classes forced disadvantaged minorities to commit felonies.¹⁶ In his hard-edged, yet humane confession, Salinas challenges the commonly accepted concept of social justice at that time.

In return, in the Memoir of Un Ser Humano, the writer adopts a different style and tone when approaching the issue of fragmentation of the society, describing his time in jail simply as a transitional period, contributing to the formation of his identity. For some, Salinas’ memoirs almost resemble a historical account of his life, failing to encompass personal endeavors and emotions of the social rebel. ¹⁷ Though the author’s poems definitely capture the mood of the 1960s Mexican culture more vividly, it would be limiting to dismiss the charm of the style used to create the Memoir of Un Ser Humano. Bless Me, Ultima also takes a contrasting approach when dealing with the concept of fragmentation of society, emphasizing the division in terms of ethnicity and religious practices.

Bless Me, Ultima also takes a contrasting approach when dealing with the concept of fragmentation of society, emphasizing the division in terms of ethnicity and religious practices. Set in the 1940s in New Mexico, the novel adopts a thoughtful tone, probing readers to reach tolerance and understanding to overcome societal fragmentation.¹⁸ The symbol of Ultima’s owl represents the force of indigenous mystical tradition which openly recognizes the value of the Catholic faith, teaching Antonio to seek new knowledge while embracing his cultural heritage.

Conclusion

Works of Anaya and Salinas, Bless Me, Ultima, Memoir of Un Ser Humano and Un Trip through the Mind Jail y Otras Excursions: Poems enrich the common understanding of Mexican American culture. An in-depth explanation of the importance of moral independence, the effect of culture on identity, and societal fragmentation shape the formation of identity, individual transformation, and maturity. Though different in style and plotlines, the three literary pieces initiate an insightful discussion about the life of American immigrants with Mexican heritage.

Bibliography

Melendez, Gabriel A. “No Longer Hidden: Bless Me, Ultima and Recent Chicana/o-Latina/o Cinema.” Chirucu Journal: Latina/o Literatures, Arts, and Cultures 1, no. 1 (2016): 39-52.

Mendoza, Louis G. “Memoir of Un Ser Humano: The Life and Times of Raulrsalinas.” In NACCS Annual Conference Proceedings, San Francisco, 2018, 31-40. Arizona: Arizona State University, 2018.

Tidita, Abdurrahmani. “Magical Realism and Intersexuality in Selected 20th Century American Ethnic Novels.” European Journal of Language and Literature Studies 4, no. 11 (2016): 117-127.

1. Gabriel A. Melendez, “No Longer Hidden: Bless Me, Ultima and Recent Chicana/o-Latina/o Cinema,” Chirucu Journal: Latina/o Literatures, Arts, and Cultures 1, no. 1 (2016): 39.
2. Abdurrahmani Tidita, “Magical Realism and Intersexuality in Selected 20th Century American Ethnic Novels,” European Journal of Language and Literature Studies 4, no. 11 (2016): 117.
3. Tidita, “Magical Realism,” 120.
4. Melendez, “No Longer Hidden,” 42.
5. Louis G. Mendoza, “Memoir of Un Ser Humano: The Life and Times of Raulrsalinas,” in NACCS Annual Conference Proceedings, San Francisco, 2018 (Arizona: Arizona State University, 2018), 32.
6. Mendoza, 34.
7. Mendoza, “Memoir of Un Ser Humano,” 42.
8. Tidita, “Magical Realism,” 120.
9. Tidita, 121.
10. Melendez, “No Longer Hidden,” 45.
11. Melendez, 45.
12. Tidita, “Magical Realism,” 123.
13. Mendoza, “Memoir of Un Ser Humano,” 44.
14. Mendoza, “Memoir of Un Ser Humano,” 45.
15. Mendoza, 46.
16. Mendoza, 47.
17. Mendoza, 48.
18. Melendez, “No Longer Hidden,” 45.