Good And Evil In Rudolfo Anayas Bless Me Utiima - 1116 Words

Revenge is often a prominent element present in numerous plots. Characters like Heathcliff or Chillingworth have sought retribution in the strongest ways against those who have wronged them. In Rudolfo Anaya’s novel Bless Me Ultima the concept of revenge also plays a hefty role. Through the eyes of Antonio, a young boy who starts making inquiries about the world, the audience can make a connection between the forces of good and evil. In order to show that life is more complicated than the two categories, Anaya uses the contrasts of the characters Ultima and Tenorio in a battle of revenge to show that the line between good and evil does not always exist. In the novel, the character Ultima was overall considered good by Antonio; however,†¦show more content†¦(Anaya 134). Ultima takes the saying â€Å"eye for an eye† quote quite literal. That being said, this goes back to Antonio’s grasp on forgiveness. If Ultima was purely good, she would not have taken revenge on the Trementios. She played the part of karma herself, which then spiraled into more hate between Ultima and Tenorio. In contrast to Ultima, Tenorio is often regarded as evil without the need for much thought. After murdering Narciso, Tenorio did not receive a kind penalty for his actions. The townspeople simply dismissed Narciso’s death because he â€Å"was the town drunk† so he â€Å"had died during one of his drinks† (Anaya 177). Due to this character, Antonio realized that life is not always fair. From Antonio’s perspective, Tenorio did not deserve forgiveness for killing Narciso. Antonio became biased for obvious reasons; however, he overlooked the justification for Tenorio’s forgiveness. Like Narciso, the deaths of Tenorio’s daughters were left unpunished. Tenorio was also described as â€Å"an evil man† by Antonio’s mother before his character was properly introduced (Anaya 89). Despite labeling him that, an explanation for why he is evil is never provided by her. Tenorio was called evil, but for what reasons? Is it just simply because he is in a family of witches? While his actions can register as wicked, his intentions for revenge against Ultima are regarded as good. Ultima was responsible for why â€Å"Tenorio’s daughter died† because of â€Å"Ultima’s