Bless Me, Ultima: Chapter 9 (Nueve) Summary & Analysis

Antonio dreams about his brothers and Rosie's house of sin. Eugene and León enter, but Andrew says he will wait to enter until Antonio loses his innocence. Antonio wants to keep his innocence, but his mother and the priest say innocence only lasts until one gains knowledge, and when he takes communion Antonio will know about good and evil. Then Ultima appears and says that innocence exists in the llano, among nature.

The brothers argue with their parents about leaving. Gabriel wants them to help him go to California, and María wants them to stay and farm, but they insist that they are men now and must lead their own lives. Gabriel realizes his own restless Márez blood has turned against him and defeated his dream.

Eugene and León leave the next day, but Andrew stays to finish school, and he gets a job at a market. Antonio asks if he wants to become a farmer or a priest, but Andrew says it is too late for him, the war made him grow up too fast. Antonio worries that he is also growing up too fast, and wonders how he can please both his father and mother when their dreams for him are so contradictory. He hopes taking communion will give him wisdom.

Antonio and Andrew race across the bridge but the Vitamin Kid beats them both. The Kid calls Antonio a "giant killer," which makes him remember his dream about his brothers as giants. Samuel crosses the bridge after them, and Antonio asks him where the Vitamin Kid lives. Samuel says the Kid is his brother.

That year the children at school hear that the world will end on a certain day, and they wait for it, arguing about whether it will be by fire or water. They are disappointed when the day passes and nothing happens.

Antonio learns to read and write that year, and the principal tells him that is skipping to third grade next year. He is pleased to have learned the magic in letters. School ends for the summer and all the kids leave joyfully. As he walks home Antonio sees Samuel on the bridge, and Samuel asks him to go fishing. Antonio agrees even though he knows his mother will worry.

They catch some catfish and Samuel asks Antonio if he has ever fished for carp. Antonio says no, because it is bad luck, though he doesn't know why. Samuel tells him a story of the ancient people which he heard from Jasón's Indian. The gods gave the people good land with only one rule – to never eat the carp. Then a great famine came, and finally the people ate the carp. The gods were going to kill them all, but one god argued for leniency, so they turned all the people into carp and made them live in the river.

Samuel whispers the next part of the story, and tells how the one god who had loved the people transformed himself into a carp so he could take care of them. He became a huge golden carp, and he still lives in the river. Antonio is shaken by Samuel's faith in the golden carp, and wonders if he himself has been worshipping the wrong god. Samuel says sometime soon a boy named Cico will show Antonio the golden carp.

Antonio gets home late and his mother is angry, but soon overjoyed that he has skipped a grade. She is sure he will become a priest, and immediately prays to the Virgin.