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Motifs
Definition of Personification
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the... read full definition
Chapter 1 (Uno)
Explanation and Analysis—When Ultima Came:
In this passage, the author uses personification and metaphor to show the transformative effect of Ultima’s arrival in Guadalupe. Looking back on his childhood from the future, Antonio reflects on how Ultima’s presence opens his eyes to the beauty and vitality of New Mexico:
When [Ultima] came the beauty of the llano unfolded before my eyes, and the gurgling waters of the river sang to the hum of the turning earth. The magical time of childhood stood still, and the pulse of the living earth pressed its mystery into my living blood.
The personification of the llano and river in this passage imbues the natural world with agency. It’s as though when Ultima arrives in the Márez home, the landscape also becomes a character Antonio lives with. Her presence brings Antonio’s attention to things he has always taken for granted. The llano "unfolds" and the river "sings" when she’s there, as if consciously responding to Ultima’s presence. She provokes a sense of heightened awareness in Antonio, one that makes him feel as though the landscape is aware of him too.
The metaphor of the earth’s "pulse" pressing "its mystery into [Antonio’s] living blood" demonstrates the deep connection he gains to the natural world through Ultima’s teachings. By personifying the earth and giving it the power to “press its mystery” into his character, Anaya is suggesting that Ultima’s influence enables Antonio to recognize the magical and historical potential of his surroundings. The phrase "pressed its mystery." as it’s used here, also describes an intimate transfer of knowledge or power from the earth to Antonio through Ultima. She's a conduit that helps him to access his magical potential.
Related Themes:
Chapter 8 (Ocho)
Explanation and Analysis—Restless, Seeking:
In this passage, the author uses personification and a simile to highlight the restless nature of Antonio’s Márez lineage. Andrew explains to Antonio that his desire to leave the river valley and avoid the quiet life of a farmer stems from their father Gabriel's side of the family:
[...] [T]he Márez blood in us that touches us with this urge to wander. Like the restless, seeking sea.
Andrew’s personification of the “Márez blood” as something that "touches [them] with this urge to wander" gives the boys’ ancestral lineage agency and suggests it actively shapes their behavior. The brothers supposedly have the influence of two bloodlines affecting their personalities: the peaceful, hardworking Lunas influence of their mother and the wandering, adventurous Márez side from their father. Andrew’s attestation that the Márez men all inherit a deep, almost physical need for exploration is something he’s heard since early childhood, as has Antonio. Andrew is absolving himself of responsibility for wanting to leave by saying he can’t help it; his longing to wander is inescapable and rooted in his identity.
The simile comparing the Márez blood to the "restless, seeking sea" further underscores the Márez’s ceaseless drive to find a life that exceeds their current circumstances. The sea, which is constantly changing and moving, mirrors the Márez men’s innate need to explore the world and to embrace uncertainty.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Blood of Spring:
In this dense passage, the author uses personification, a metaphor, and an idiom to convey the unsettling influence of spring on both the natural world and on Antonio’s Márez brothers. Antonio explains, warily:
The lime-green of spring came one night and touched the river trees. Dark buds appeared on branches, and it seemed that the same sleeping sap that fed them began to churn through my brothers. I sensed their restlessness, and I began to understand why the blood of spring is called the bad blood.
Spring is not just a time of year in this passage – in his memory it was a living force that "came one night” and changed everything in Antonio’s world. In Antonio’s mind, spring is just as actively interacting with the landscape, moving through the world and “touching the river trees” with its “lime-green” presence. Spring is dynamic and alive, influencing the world around it deliberately and “churning” the “sap” of men and trees alike. Nothing escapes its influence.
The metaphor of "bad blood" as Anaya uses it here also connects the natural world's transformations to the internal changes happening to Antonio’s brothers. Just as the sap "churns" within the trees, the changes of spring awaken a sense of restlessness in León, Andrew, and Eugene. This metaphor links the hormonal upheavals of early adulthood to spring’s energy of change. Spring and their bodies are both a force of renewal and a source of disruption and uneasiness.
Moreover, the idiom "bad blood" refers to the traditional association of spring with heightened emotions and tension after the quiet of winter. Antonio’s observation here that the spring always comes with restlessness aligns with the idea that the season “churns” the blood. The blood of spring is too full of potential to be contained in a normal way, making people behave erratically.
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Chapter 10 (Diez)
Explanation and Analysis—Smallest Good:
Ultima explains to Antonio that goodness has an inherent strength that always allows it to triumph, even in the face of overwhelming evil like Tenorio's family's witchcraft. In this passage, Anaya uses hyperbole and personification to intensify the weight of Ultima’s lesson, as the curandera says:
The smallest bit of good can stand against all the powers of evil in the world and it will emerge triumphant.
Ultima’s spiritual tradition treats good and evil as though they were living beings, able to deliberately influence the lives of humans. Here, her personification of good and evil as forces that "stand" and "emerge" creates the mental image of an active struggle between these two beings. By transforming abstract moral concepts into a hero and a villain who can fight each other, Ultima is making the lesson feel accessible and impactful to the childish Antonio. By giving good and evil these human-like qualities, Ultima also strengthens the idea that Antonio has a part to play in this battle. In her version of events, Antonio can fight on the side of “good” to “stand against all the powers of evil.”
The hyperbole in describing "the smallest bit of good" as capable of defeating "all the powers of evil" shows that Ultima believes goodness has immense potential to change things. Her deliberate exaggeration is an attempt to make Antonio see the significance of even the smallest virtuous acts. She is teaching him that moral courage is always worthwhile, no matter how futile it may seem.
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