Bless Me, Ultima Chapters 13-16

By the end of chapter 16 Antonio's innocence is lost. When Antonio goes to Rosie's with Narciso and the woman replies, " Which Marez," (Anaya 164) when Narciso asks to speak with the Marez. Antonio's mother wants him to keep his innocence, but it seems to be impossible. Everyone loses their innocence it is a fact of life, but it is not always a bad thing. Antonio's loss of innocence seems to make him a wiser person. He is already and incredibly mature individual, but after witnessing two deaths and now the incident at Rosie's perhaps Antonio now sees the true colors of the world. Toni's early maturation only helps to strengthen my prediction that Antonio is going to become the male Ultima or "Ultimo" if you will. This is the only one of my predictions that has come true however. It seems that Gabriel will never get to take the family out to California like he wanted which forces him to drink even more, and that is never good. Along with growing up/losing one's innocence the theme of forgiveness is evident throughout the book, but it is most apparent in these chapters. With all this said, don't start thinking I like this book because it has been an absolute chore to read. I will march on against all odds to finish this book.