Essay --

The curiosity of what our destiny will be and what our future holds has crossed our minds once or twice. Destiny is the conclusion to many life situations we are faced with in our everyday lives, but no one could figure out what their destiny is until the time is right. Antonio from the novel Bless Me, Ultima written by Rudolfo Anaya and Paikea from Whale Riders run through many conflicts trying to seek their destinies. Antonio, must choose to follow her mother’s footsteps of tending the land or become free and wild like his father and older brothers as well as deciding whether or not to follow and walk alongside Ultima, even if she may be evil. Unlike Antonio, Paikea must prove to herself and her grandfather that she is able to lead her tribe out of depression and laziness, even if she may not physically hold the components of becoming a leader. Both Antonio and Paikea are able to find their destinies, but they each have unique and individual experiences of family pressure, spiritual leaders and becoming a leader. While trying to seek their destinies, both Antonio and Paikea have conflicts with a family member who tries to decide their futures for them. Throughout the novel Bless Me, Ultima, Antonio’s parents, Gabriel and Maria Marez, constantly fight to predict what his future holds. Tony struggles between becoming tied to the land and becoming a priest like his mother wishes or becoming free like the Marez blood that runs in his body. Ultima teaches Tony that his destiny will spontaneously appear by itself without the help of his parents when she states, â€Å"A man’s destiny must unfold itself like a flower with only the sun and earth and water making it blossom, and no one else meddling in† (BMU 223). Compared to Antonio having... ...ip skills. Both Pai and Tony mature into wonderful leaders and role models at a very young age. When all the whales are trapped and dying on the side of the beach, Paikea uses it to her advantage and proves to everyone that she is the new leader. Just like her ancestor who founded her tribe, Pai climbs on top of the largest whale and rides off into the ocean. By using good judgement and making smart choice, she was no longer afraid to make the greatest sacrafice for her tribe: â€Å"I wasn’t scared to die† (WR) As Antonio grows in age and maturity, he becomes the gang’s role model, even though he is the youngest of all of them. When practicing how to confess their sins, Antonio’s group of friends decide to pick him because he knew more about religion and life than anyone else. The group confessed their deepest secrets to him as they chant, â€Å"Hail to our Priest!† (BMU 209).