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Through Antonio facing the challenges of childhood, Rudolfo Anaya portrays the theme that maturing comes with difficult lessons and experiences.

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Ultima tells Antonio that childhood is a mystery.

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Ultima tells Antonio that childhood is a mystery.

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“The magical time of childhood stood still, and the pulse of the living earth pressed its mystery into my living blood” (1).

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Antonio is learning that as you grow up you have to become independent.

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Antonio is learning that as you grow up you have to become independent.

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“He will be alright," Ultima said. "The sons must leave the sides of their mothers," she said almost sternly and pulled my mother gently”(65).

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Tony is releasing that he's growing up and is learning to accept it.

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Tony is releasing that he's growing up and is learning to accept it.

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“Ultima's cure and the golden carp occupied my thoughts the rest of the summer. I was growing up and changing. I had plenty of time to be by myself and to think and feel the magic these events contained” (122).

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Antonio is experiencing the hardships of growing up. 

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Antonio is experiencing the hardships of growing up. 

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”My own mother had said that losing your innocence and becoming a man was learning to sin. I felt weak and powerless in the knowledge of the impending doom”(130).

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Antonio is maturing through moments he has experienced.

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Antonio is maturing through moments he has experienced.

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“The strengthening of a soul, the growing up of a boy is part of his destiny, but you have seen too much death. It is time for you to rest, to see growing life. Perhaps your uncles could best teach you about growth-" (244).

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Tony is releasing he's starting to become more manly through his actions

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Tony is releasing he's starting to become more manly through his actions

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"'Take them to their room,' I said to my mother. It was the first time I had ever spoken to my mother as a man; she nodded and obeyed"(259).

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Ultima is reassuring Antonio that it's okay to grow up

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Ultima is reassuring Antonio that it's okay to grow up

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"life is filled with sadness when a boy grows to be a man. But as you grow into manhood you must not despair of life, but gather strength to sustain you- can you understand that" (257).

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Antonio has learned that life has obstacles, such as growing up but, you have to overcome them

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Antonio has learned that life has obstacles, such as growing up but, you have to overcome them

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“And that is what Ultima tried to teach me, that the tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength that resides in the human heart” (261).

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Through the learing how to deal with life as it goes on Antonio face the good and bad of growing up. When he first started to experience the time of maturing he felt "weak and powerless in the knowledge of the impending doom”(130).After he excepted the fact that growing up is hard but it's something everyone has to go through he realized that "the tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength that resides in the human heart” (261).