nly emptinessto the God within him, (221) the thousands of questions that push through his mind are still unanswered after his first communion. (221) Gods failure to answer Antonios questions allows Tony to realize the truths of religion and that his answers cannot be answered by God. Used to think everyone believed in God, but now understands that there are many gods. (237) His final dream reveals the death of all the faiths and beliefs, and even the magic of Ultimadies in agony. (244) Now he understands that if the old religion can no longer answer the questions of the children, then perhaps it was time to change it. (248) Furthermore, from his father, Antonio discovers most of the things people call evil are not evil at all; it is just that people do not understand those things and thus call them evil. (248) Most importantly, Tonys wisdom is complete once he is aware that understanding comes with life (248) and that he is seeing only partsand not looking beyond into the great cycle that binds us all. (121)Antonio wants answers to the questions that have been nagging at him since he was introduced to religious ideology. He does not understand why Ultima, a close elderly friend and a curandera or healer, can save his dying uncle from the curses of evil while the priest from El Puerto with his holy water and the power of God cannot lift the curse from him. He wonders whether God really exists or if the Cico's story of the golden carp is true. Bless Me Ultima, is a compelling story that deals with Antonio's family, beliefs, and dreams. Anaya's writing successfully integrates the confusion of a young boy who wants answers to topics over his head with a wonderful story. By weaving three subjects in a continuous pattern the stories tie into each other. Anaya uses many Spanish phrases, which are very effective and bring a real life quality to the book. He also uses dream sequences, which accentuate Antonio's confusion. With such topi...
