Good and Evil in Bless Me Ultima

The conscious of children is based on the influence of their surroundings; their notions of good and evil are the result of the moral atmosphere they breathe. In the novel Bless Me, Ultima the main character Antonio is exposed to good and evil. He is young and never really was exposed to evil since he is always home and safe away from it. Antonio is affected by the actions of good and evil throughout the book. The first time Antonio encountered evil was Lupito’s death. “I turned and ran. The dark shadows of the river enveloped me as a race for safety home…The horror of darkness had never been so complete as it was for me that night.” (pg. 22) Home is seen as the safest place for Antonio. He knows he is going to be comforted by Ultima or his mother and it’s the first place he thinks of going. Lupito is playing the part of evil. That is how Antonio sees is because all the men in town are after him” I prayed that he would listen to Narcisco and that the angry and frustrated men on the bridge would not commit moral sin” (pg. 21) Although Lupito is part of “evil” in the novel, Antonio doesn’t want anything to happen to him. Antonio is very religious and is why he doesn’t want anything to be done. He doesn’t want the men to sin and believes that God will forgive what Lupito did after all.

The Second important encounter is when Florence dies. “It was a warm day. I felt the sweat cold on my face and arms. The sun Glistened on the wide waters of the lake.” (pg.239). Antonio knows something is wrong when he sees the other boys screaming and shouting. At this point Antonio has confronted evil many times but this is an important event. After other occasions he has matured quite a bit and is growing into understanding life a little more. “It is god who has sinned against me!’ his voice thundered, and we fell back in horror at the blasphemy he uttered.” (pg.213)Florence for a while is seen as evil. He was one of the people who in a way corrupted the way Antonio