The Good, the Bad, and the Ultima: Dialogue and Perspective in Anaya's Novel Anonymous 10th Grade

One of the lesser known, but still important, quotes from the Star Wars Enterprise is attributed to the Supreme Chancellor, speaking to Anakin Skywalker. He says, “Good is a point of view, Anakin” (Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith). In context, the Supreme Chancellor is trying to bring Anakin to the Dark Side of the Force, and this quote completely true. In Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya, the author uses a dialogue between father and son to explain how good and evil are based on perspective, through the use of magical realism, symbolism, and diction.

agical realism is laced throughout the novel, however it takes a particularly unique side to the debate between good and evil. Antonio has continuously expressed a curiosity towards what is good and what is evil in this world, and he is constantly asking for perspectives. “I think most of the things we call evil are not evil at all; it is just that we don’t understand those things so we call them evil” (Anaya 247). Antonio's father has seen Ultima’s magic, and while he can not find it in himself to completely believe, he has to see it for what it truly is. It is much harder to interpret good and evil from a magical stance, but it also makes the analysis easier to...