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Bless Me, Ultima By Rudolfo Anaya

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A traditional Bildungsroman is generally a linear narrative that follows the journey of a male protagonist to maturation as he interacts with his surroundings and culture. Although Rudolfo Anaya’s “Bless Me, Ultima” fits into this definition, in that Antonio, a male protagonist, begins the novel as an innocent boy who by the end of the novel has accumulated wisdom and understanding that allow him to come to terms with himself and his surroundings, it is not a typical Bildungsroman when looking at the context of the novel. “Bless Me, Ultima” explores cultural and religious themes that specifically lean toward Mexican-American culture. Through the use of magic realism, the motifs of religion and death, Anaya transforms the Bildungsroman form

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