Explain the myth of the Golden Carp and explore its significance in Essay

Explain the myth of the Golden Carp and explore its significance in Antonio' spiritual coming of age in Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima - Essay Example Antonio feels difficulty to lead a life in between the conflicts of his father’s and mother families, namely, the Marez and the Juans. These conflicts, along with his mother persuasion to make him a Catholic priest and his father’s wish to join him with the Marez, wild and untamed vaqueros, also poses several questions in Antonio’s mind and seeks answers to all these questions with the help of Ultima, the Curandera—the traditional folk healer. An overview of the novel clearly brings out the role of myth which predominates from the beginning to the end. The purpose of the study is to unveil the significance of the myth of golden carp on Antonio and explore its significance in Antonios spiritual coming of age. Among the different myths used in the novel, one can see that the myth of the golden carp plays a decisive role in determining or guiding the story. â€Å"The myth of the golden carp is certainly the most significant myth used in the novel, particularly because it helps to elucidate Antonio’s increasing anxiety and eventual acceptance of the differing religious beliefs that he encounters† (Bless Me, Ultima Study Guide). The role of the minor myths on the novel also is not negligible as they help the readers to have glimpse of Mexican –American culture. When tracing the origin of the myths, it leads us to Aztec Mythology of Mexican-American culture which supported polytheism. Antonio had to meet many different kinds of myth all through the novel and each had a dominant influence in his character formation. The myth of the golden carp brings new perspectives to Antonio when he identifies it as different from Catholicism. The myth of golden carp was takes substance from the Aztec legend according to which, â€Å"there were four ages of the world or â€Å"suns† before the present world, each of which was destroyed by an individual