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Allusions
Chapter 1 (Uno)
Explanation and Analysis—The Beginning:
In Bless Me, Ultima, Anaya employs the techniques of frame story and flashback simultaneously to establish the narrator’s perspective and set the tone for the book. Antonio opens the novel by situating the story in his own past, framing it as a reflection on events that shaped his life:
Let me begin at the beginning. I do not mean the beginning that was in my dreams and the stories they whispered to me about my birth, and the people of my father and mother, and my three brothers—but the beginning that came with Ultima.
Anaya introduces the frame story here as Antonio addresses the reader directly, explaining that he is returning "to the beginning" to recount the most important moments from his childhood and adolescence. By explicitly framing the narrative as being both retrospective and centered around Ultima, Antonio establishes his role as both participant and observer. This structure invites the reader to understand the events not only as they happened, but also through the lens of Antonio’s later perspective. They get to see both his childlike view of things and the more mature reflections of his older self.
The use of flashback also places the narrative focus on Ultima’s arrival, rather than on Antonio himself. Because Antonio is able to shape the story as he tells it, he uses the flashback structure to explain that Ultima’s arrival was the true starting point of his journey toward adulthood. By contrasting this "beginning" with the stories of his birth and family history, Antonio emphasizes that Ultima’s influence is what truly defined his character. Although there are—as he tells the reader here—other "beginnings," it is Ultima's arrival that really "begins" things for Antonio.
Related Themes:
