Bless Me, Ultima The Journey of a Young Boy Some stories only have one symbol that guides the reader others have many, in the novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya there's multiple symbols that all come back to one, the owl. The owl guides the characters, tells a story, and protects the characters in a time when they are physically at risk. In these ways the owl is like a god it has control over life and death. The owl acts like a guide to the characters as they need it. When Antonio the main character is confused about what choice he should make next, does he become a priest or follow in his dads footsteps and become a Marez, is just one of the many conflicts where the owl appears in his dream and hints towards the correct path. The owl also shows up next to the Golden Carp on many occasions usually moments before something is going to happen. This may be because in reality, “It is the owl that is the spirit of the old witch”(254). The old witch is Ultima. Even if Ultima is a witch she means well and only wants the best for the good people in this story, it is sad that some people can not see that and think that she is the reason for all of the death in their small town. The fact that the owl was Ultima’s soul may be why “I had stood by Ultima and so had my father and Narciso and the owl”(178).
Although this story is told from Antonio’s point of view it is the owl that tells the real story. When the owl is brought up in the story it is obvious that a major event is soon to take place, this happens at Lupito’s death, Tenorio’s death, and even Florence’s death. “I heard it was the call of Ultimas owl. O-OOOOO-OOOO, it shrieked into the wind, dove and pounced on the coyotes”(99). In Florence’s situation he was not a devout christian only because their was nothing that made him feel god was real but when he drowned in the Blue Lake it was obvious that it was a punishment for being unfaithful to god this is something that not even Ultima’s spirit the owl can stop from happening. One of the most important roles that the owl played was protecting its people. It would do anything to protect
