Bless Me, Ultima

1. Antonio is a young boy struggling with his cultural identity, when his grandma Ultima comes to live with him. Antonio's mother, being devoutly Catholic, doesn't enjoy the presence of Ultima and her healing powers. Antonio, however, takes a liking to Ultima and her remedies. Antonio finds himself in a struggle between following the path of faith, or following the path of land and nature like his grandma. He spends much of his time with Ultima learning the ways of the land. Antonio learns that his grandma has a spirit animal attached to her; an owl. When Ultima's owl is shot, Antonio realizes his grandma will too die. Knowing this, he buries the owl in the earth so that his grandma will always be a part of the land.
2. The theme in Bless Me, Ultima is the influence of culture on your decisions and your identity.
3. The tone in Bless Me, Ultima is seriousness.

-"They will burn sulfur instead of holy incense."

-"I had been afraid of the awful presence of the river, which was the soul of the river, but through her [Ultima] I learned that my spirit shared in the spirit of all things" 
- "'Hell, Andy,' Gene said softly, 'we can't build our lives on their dreams. We're men, Andy, we're not boys any longer. We can't be tied down to old dreams-'" 
4. Magical Realism, Foreshadow, Symbols, Imagery and Similes are all literary devices used in Bless Me, Ultima.
-Magical Realism: Bless Me, Ultima is an example of magical realism. It contains evidence of the supernatural with witchcraft, and the owl representing Ultima's soul.
-Foreshadow: All of Antonio's dreams are examples of foreshadow. 
-Symbols: Ultima's owl is a symbol of her soul. The Golden Carp represents an alternative religion for Antonio.
"The orange of the golden carp appeared at the edge of the pond. . . . We watched in silence at the beauty and grandeur of the great fish. Out of the corners of my eyes I saw Cico hold his hand to his breast as the golden carp glided by. Then with a switch of his powerful tail the golden carp disappeared into the shadowy water under the thicket."
Imagery: "The magical time of childhood stood still, and the pulse of the living earth pressed its mystery into my living blood."
"There in the land of the dancing plains and rolling hills, there in the land which is the eagle's by day and the owl's by night is innocence. There where the lonely wind of the llano sang to the lovers' feat of your birth, there in those hills is your innocence"
Similes: "There are so many dreams to be fulfilled, but Ultima says a Man's destiny must unfold itself like a flower, with only the sun ad earth and water making it blossom, and no one else meddling in it."