Cultural Identity and Spiritual Quest
In the era of globalization, where cultures interact and interpenetrate, literary works that describe the spiritual quest of a person at the center of these processes are of particular interest. For example, the semi-biographical novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, who is rightfully considered the ancestor of Mexican-American literature (Chicano), is the spiritual inspirer of all representatives of this national minority who feel oppressed by the need to search for their identity. The distinctive features of such a searching personality are dynamism and instability. As a result of the blurring of ethnic boundaries, the process of cultural interaction forms a personality that belongs simultaneously to two cultures and does not entirely belong to either one.
The narrative in the novel is told through the eyes of a teenager, Mexican-American Antonio, who lives with his Spanish-speaking Catholic family in Guadeloupe, a small town in New Mexico, US. The time of action is World War II. Antonio was seven years old when Ultima, an old and wise woman, a long-time friend of their family, moved into their house. She is a “curandera”, a healer who can cure a disease using her knowledge of medicinal herbs and ancient methods of healing, and knows how to cast curses on witches. With her arrival, the teenager’s life changed forever: he realized that the old woman would change his fate.
Conflict of Beliefs and Spiritual Awakening
Tony’s spiritual quest is not always easy. He tries to reconcile within himself the Catholic teaching about good and evil with the pantheistic ideas of the Ultima. The old woman teaches that everything created, including plants and animals, is part of the all-pervading, omnipresent sacred spirit. Tony, in the process of growing up, must try to overcome this complex contradiction and decide what he believes in, what position he takes.
Further, these contradictions become even more complicated when the boy discovers the beauty and greatness of the pagan myth of the golden carp: “I was probably more shocked than if the Blessed Virgin or the Lord God himself suddenly appeared in front of me.” (Bless Me, Ultima 28:40). Torn between Catholicism, pantheism, and local myths, the teenager is close to finding his own faith.
Family Expectations and Cultural Duality
Additionally, Tony is drawn into the conflict between his parents. Each of them has its own position, its own beliefs. The mother is a devout Catholic, born into a family of farmers who have lived in the river valley for many centuries; their roots are deeply ingrained in the land. She passionately wants her youngest son, Tony, to become a priest. However, Antonio is unsure whether he will fulfill his mother’s wish, which is shared by numerous relatives on her side. He is also close to the beliefs of his father, a free cowboy.
Gabriel Mares’ ancestors are ever-wandering, freedom-loving inhabitants of the plains. He does not share his wife’s religious views – in principle, he holds a low opinion of all priests. Like any teenager, Tony has to withstand the pressure of his parents’ expectations: “Here we live, as it were, between the river and Llano. So, I think, which one will I choose for myself?” (Bless Me, Ultima 29:18). These contradictions torment him, as evidenced by his constant disturbing dreams.
The conditions of the multicultural environment in which Antonio grows up, as a representative of the Chicano, become fundamental in this process of self-identification. Tony is at the crossroads of Mexican and American cultural traditions, but he understands that his path is a harmonious combination of different ideas: Mexican and American, Catholic and pagan. It can be concluded that a person in a multicultural environment, who loses a sense of integrity and exclusivity of perception, is still able to overcome limitations and appreciate cultural diversity.
Work Cited
Bless Me, Ultima. Directed by Carl Franklin, performances by Luke Ganalon and Miriam Colon, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2012.