“Understanding comes with life. As a man grows, he sees life and death, he is happy and sad, he works, plays, meets people - sometimes it takes him a lifetime to gain understanding, because in the end, understanding simply means having sympathy for people.” Rudolfo Anaya, author of the novel Bless Me, Ultima, creates an epic battle between a boy named Antonio and his uncertainties about life, which ultimately reveals his true personality. Through a long and rigorous journey, Antonio discovers, with the help of others, aspects of his life that represent the plot of the novel: the discovery of Antonio's questions and his true identity. Antonio's struggles with religious beliefs, pagan gods, and identity. These struggles lead him to search for answers, with his answers, Antonio is able to syncretize religion, cultures, to find his true identity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay Antonio represents opposing families and cultures, his mother's family, Lunas, and his father's family, the Marezes . The Lunas represent quiet people linked to the land through their agriculture while the Marez are people free to travel and do what they want. Throughout the novel, Antonio is constantly torn between the Lunas and the Marezes. Antonio is constantly trying to figure out who he is. From the beginning of the book, Antonio's conflict is present. This one will be a Luna. . . he will be a farmer and will keep our customs and traditions. Maybe God will bless our family and make the baby a priest. . . Then the silence was broken by the thunder of beating hooves; vaqueros surrounded the little house. . . It's a Marez. . . His ancestors were conquistadors, men as restless as the seas they sailed and as free as the lands they conquered. Throughout the novel, Maria and Gabriel constantly argue about Antonio. Maria and Gabriel cannot deny that one day, when Antonio becomes a man, he will have the choice of being "his mother's priest" or his "father's son." Both parents always insult each other. For example, Maria thinks that the people of Llano are "worthless drunks" and that they are "always dragging their families across the country like vagabonds." His father still questions Tony becoming a priest and a farmer. Even though there are constant arguments in the family, Antonio sets out in search of the answers to his identity. To find the answers, Antonio had to experience both sides of his family. Anaya writes: "But from my father and from Ultima I had learned that the greatest immortality lies in a man's freedom, and that freedom is best nourished by the noble expanse of earth and air and by the sky pure and white. Anaya writes: “I learned to be comfortable in the silence of my uncles, a silence as deep as that of a child. I closely observed how they worked the land, the respect they showed it and how they took care of the living plants. The experiences that Antonio gathers allow him to make his own decisions, to chart his own path. Anaya writes: “So maybe I don’t have to be just Marez or Luna, maybe I can be both,” I said.” His experiences made Antonio realize that there are advantages and disadvantages to being part of only one side of the family. Knowing the disadvantages of both sides of his family, Antonio can choose what he likes. Another problem with Antonio is religion. His mother is Catholic and often imposes her religion on Antonio. However, Antonio slowly begins to doubt..