While innocence may sometimes seem like a desirable state, the lack of innocence is most often about intelligence and maturity. In Rudolfo Anaya's novel, Bless Me, Ultima, the main character, Antonio Mariz, loses his innocence through experiences of the harsh realities of the world, which force him to face his beliefs despite his young age. Through his first encounters with death, conflicts with faith and problems with family and friends, Antonio rapidly matures while facing injustice and conflict. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay As a child, Antonio is quickly stripped of his worldview when he witnesses the deaths of Lupito and Narciso. When Lupito is killed by the city's angry mob, Antonio is introduced to the presence of injustice and violence. He immediately understands that the death was an act of suicide on Lupito's part when he was “shooting to draw [the crowd's] fire” (Anaya, 22). Antonio must deal with the fact that, for some, death might be an easier path than living life. He previously thought life was easy-going and rational, but the mob mentality that dominates Lupito's destiny shows him that there is often no voice of reason among men. He quickly begins to question the humans' ways as they appear to be crueler than he expected. The death of Narciso, a dear friend, is another blow to Antonio's precious childhood. Different circumstance, this death is caused by revenge rather than as an act to preserve justice (as in Lupito's case). Antonio is shocked when he realizes that Narcissus died “to do good” (170). As a Catholic, Antonio was taught that killing another man is an unforgivable sin that would send someone to hell. However, when Tenorio blindly kills Narciso, out of anger for his daughter, Antonio must face the fact that God's laws are not always followed and that evil lurks in the shadows. Because of this, he begins to wonder why evil prevailed over good, leading to a religious stalemate with his faith. This case forces Antonio to grow and mature enormously, as he struggles to accept the evil that escaped without punishment and left Narcissus dying in his hands. The shock of Tenorio's iniquity reintroduces him to man's bloodthirsty tendencies, as he had already witnessed with Lupito. Deprived of his innocence at an early age, Antonio is already forced to face the guilt, suffering and mourning that accompany cruel injustice. Another cause of Antonio's loss of innocence is his constant questioning of his own religion. The deaths of Lupito and Narciso make him begin to doubt the reliability of God and His actions. When Lupito dies, Antonio fails to draw the fine line between who will be punished when he asks Ultima, "Will [Lupito] go to hell?" (25). In practice, Catholicism clearly defines the difference between good and evil, but in reality Antonio cannot discern whether Lupito is to blame for his mental state, or whether the mob is for killing a criminal, or even whether his father is to be in the crowd. Antonio learns that what the Church has taught him has no responsibility until it takes the form of a concrete experience. When he asks for forgiveness from Narciso in a dream, God responds by saying only if "[Antonio] also asks for forgiveness from Tenorio", the murderer (173). Antony is completely perplexed and shocked as to why God should treat good the same as evil. In his search for answers, Antonio begins to accept new belief systems, trying to stay (247).