“Another thing I did that summer was to confirm Cico’s story. I followed the line of water Cico said was drawn around the town, and it was true, the entire town was surrounded by water!” (Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima, 124)

We talked in class how water always symbolizes something in literature, and this obviously means something! But we never discussed what exactly it meant. So I wanted to delve a little deeper into it. In a sense, you could say this story is “waterlogged” (excuse the pun). It seems as though every time Antonio crosses a bridge or is by the river he either crosses into a place far different than where he just came or he learns something new that will change his six-year-old life forever. And there is water everywhere!

In my mental search for other uses of water like this one, Inception came to mind. Every time they come out of one level of a dream state it is through water. In other words, they use water to symbolize this sort of portal between different worlds.

 

Anaya does this same thing. He doesn’t exactly use it to symbolize a different world but a new phase of life or some new knowledge or understanding that has taken place. He uses it as turning points for Antonio. The fact that the water surrounds the entire town where he lives seems pretty significant as well. It’s clear that his mom and dad have certain dreams in mind for their children. The older sons have gone outside this level of the “dream” and have their own dreams now, and they go off to live their own lives. The more Antonio is by the water and the more knowledge he gains the more he realizes he has the choice to fit in this “dream” that has been created or not. I find it interesting that the myth Antonio learns is that the whole city will be drowned into the water surrounding it. Could this be the washing out completely of the parents’ level of the dream? 

And just one more comment...it's my birthday :)