Compare and Contrast: the Natural vs. Bless Me, Ultima
Determining the Future
At multiple points in life, people are faced with judgments ranging in difficulty and significance. And every decision could be affected by outside influences which could persuade people to make a choice. Sometimes, one is faced with the choice of which juice to drink in the morning, a very minute decision to make. There are other, more substantial decisions like choosing which college to attend or whether or not it is the right time to buy a home. Depending on the size of the decision and influence, everything that happens in one’s life could be crucial moments that determine the final outcome of one’s life. This was seen in Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima and Bernard Malamud’s The Natural. Both author’s used the main characters to show that one’s future is determined by the choices made throughout life, and the outside influences that guide the choices. Anaya and Malamud use other’s expectations, other’s guidance, and decisions made as significant points that help determine the outcome of the main character’s future.
A main comparison between the two stories was that both of the main characters faced constant expectations on them placed on them. In Bless Me, Ultima, Anthony is the rope in a tug of war between his two families, the Yanez and the Lunas. He is judged by his more rebellious and spirited brothers, who display characteristics of the Yanez vaqueros, and is ridiculed that he will become like his mother (Anaya 68). Also, when he goes to his Luna uncle’s house for a time, he is tried be persuaded into becoming farmers like them, for “he has the feel of the earth in his blood” (Anaya 142). Both families tried to show him how he is more like the other, and both had the expectation of him becoming the next honored person to represent the family. Similarly, in The Natural, Roy is criticized nonstop by the fanatics of the ball club, but only when he is in a slump or having a bad game. But when he is in a great streak and
At multiple points in life, people are faced with judgments ranging in difficulty and significance. And every decision could be affected by outside influences which could persuade people to make a choice. Sometimes, one is faced with the choice of which juice to drink in the morning, a very minute decision to make. There are other, more substantial decisions like choosing which college to attend or whether or not it is the right time to buy a home. Depending on the size of the decision and influence, everything that happens in one’s life could be crucial moments that determine the final outcome of one’s life. This was seen in Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima and Bernard Malamud’s The Natural. Both author’s used the main characters to show that one’s future is determined by the choices made throughout life, and the outside influences that guide the choices. Anaya and Malamud use other’s expectations, other’s guidance, and decisions made as significant points that help determine the outcome of the main character’s future.
A main comparison between the two stories was that both of the main characters faced constant expectations on them placed on them. In Bless Me, Ultima, Anthony is the rope in a tug of war between his two families, the Yanez and the Lunas. He is judged by his more rebellious and spirited brothers, who display characteristics of the Yanez vaqueros, and is ridiculed that he will become like his mother (Anaya 68). Also, when he goes to his Luna uncle’s house for a time, he is tried be persuaded into becoming farmers like them, for “he has the feel of the earth in his blood” (Anaya 142). Both families tried to show him how he is more like the other, and both had the expectation of him becoming the next honored person to represent the family. Similarly, in The Natural, Roy is criticized nonstop by the fanatics of the ball club, but only when he is in a slump or having a bad game. But when he is in a great streak and
Cited: Anaya, Rudolfo. Bless Me, Ultima. New York: Grand Central, 1972. Print. Judd, Orrin. "Review of Bernard Malamud 's The Natural - BrothersJudd.com." Brothers Judd Good Books and Recommended Reading - 27-Mar-11. 23 Mar. 2001. Web. 27 Mar. 2011. . Malamud, Bernard. The Natural. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003. Print. Sylvester, Harry. "With Greatest of Ease." New York Times. The New York Times Company, 26 Aug. 1952. Web. 27 Mar. 2011. .