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Adults often think that more experience means being wiser. However, children know a lot that adults do not know. By growing up, adults lose many of the traits of children as reality forces them to change. However, children are not constrained by social norms while adults are surrounded by rules and regulations that allow them to be pure and creative. Their child-like innocence is the foundation of discovery, which leads to progress. In his ‘Bless Me, Ultima’, Rudolfo Anaya covers this theme beautifully. In the novel, Tony’s youthful innocence drives him to adapt to radical changes while still cherishing his traditions, illustrating how youth enables society to move forward.
Tony’s genuineness that comes from his innocence gives him the courage to challenge old traditions and societal norms that hinder his society from progressing. He does not accept his discriminatory society and seeks unity. His lack of knowledge makes him confused about his identity, including his religion. While Tony’s religion is Catholic, he stops “the punishment [the other Catholics] would impose on [Florence]” who is an atheist; Tony stands up for his values against vengeance and “[is] not afraid” (213). When others show discrimination against Florence because he has different beliefs from them, Tony stands up for what he thinks is right. Tony’s genuineness that stems from his innocence frees him to follow his own internal compass; he does what he believes to be the right thing and is not swayed by how other people may judge his actions. By defying the vengeance that is believed to be righteous, he tries to stop people from seeing Florence as a stereotype, but instead see him as their equal.
Not only does innocence drive Tony’s candor, but also his youthful curiosity helps adults view the world with a wider scope, revealing his innocence, and providing tolerance that enables social progress. Tony’s curiosity gives him a new perception of different religions. By asking his father about “his willingness to send [him] to his [uncles]” since he “[does] not understand”, he makes his father realize that “it is time [for him and his wife] to give up the old differences”; his father acknowledges that Tony “[does] not have to be just Marez or Luna” and “can be both” (246). As Tony continues to discuss with his father, he seeks to make “a new religion” that is “different from the religion of the Lunas” because “it [is] time to change” when “the old religion could no longer answer the questions of the children” (248). Tony does not hesitate to ask questions when he has something that he does not understand; his curiosity-driven questions force his father to reflect on his life and give him a new perspective. His curiosity makes him eager to enrich himself with knowledge, eventually helping his father to learn and progress, while many adults are reluctant to learn new things and leave their comfort zone.
Summing up, one of the themes we can see in Rudolfo Anaya’s ‘Bless Me, Ultima’ is that innocence catalyzes social progress. Its main character, Tony, does not let social norms frame his identity and instead forge his own path, following his own principles and values. His innocence inspires adults to see the world differently. A child’s naivety has the power to alter and carry his society to a new destination when their identity is trapped in stagnation.
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