Bless Me, Ultima and the Issues That Infringe Anaya's Right to Free Speech

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Bless Me, Ultima
The world has come a long way in its embrace of free speech. In many countries of the world, free speech is still a contentious issue, and both citizens and journalists often find themselves at the mercy of their government for speaking out. However, some countries seem to have already embraced free speech and included it in their constitutions. As Sen (175) indicates, in most democracies of the world, free speech is a guarantee issued by the constitution. However, even though this is the case, how often do these countries abide by the same laws or principles? Does every person feel free to speak their mind? What if someone in a position of power does not like what someone has to say? These are questions that come to mind when one engages with Rudolfo Anaya’s novel “Bless Me, Ultima.” The novel shares the story of a young boy named Antonio Marez, who was born and raised in New Mexico in the 1940s. As Antonio grows up, he is introduced to a world that transforms him differently. First, he grows up in a Christian family that seeks to ensure that he becomes a Christian. However, when his family decides to help an old man by the name of Ultima, Antonio’s life takes a major shift as he starts to grapple with questions that he knows his parents may not be willing to answer. Through this novel, Anaya engages the reader on several matters that reveal some of the deepest fears many people have. Therefore, provided herein is an essay that discusses some of the issues that have been challenged but that happen to infringe on Anaya’s right to free speech.
One of the greatest Spanish philosophers and writers, Miguel de Unamuno, once said, ‘faith which does not doubt is dead faith’ These words reign true in Antonio’s life, who grows up questioning and doubting his religion. Often, religion is presented as unquestionable and hence the distinguishing aspect of every religion in the world. As explicitly indicated by Mani (157), religions often “implicitly believe that their god is paramount, their prophet his sole messenger, their religion the only path, and their people the chosen ones.” This approach to religion often leads to people distinguishing themselves from others and, to a great extent, considering those not prophesying as serving a lesser god or evil. Anaya’s novel appears to be attacking this approach to religion, and he does so by presenting Antonio’s doubts about his faith. Though he has grown up in this faith, he appears to question it and doubt its power. At one point, Ultima admits that the ‘power of the church’ and the ‘power of the doctors’ had failed in their pursuit to heal his uncle (Anaya, 99). He continues to ask whether “there was more power inUltima’s magic than in the priest,” and this brazen approach to question faith could be among the issues that people happen to disagree with Anaya. In sharing such a thought, Anaya is simply embracing the wildness of his thoughts and displaying the same. He is simply making use of his freedom to express himself to showcase his journey in faith and how doubts often mar it. Therefore, there is indeed no pr...