Let us remind ourselves of what happens in these first
three chapters: Ultima is brought to the house, and as Antonio watches Lupito dying, he
hears Ultima's owl with him and senses her presence alongside him. It is Ultima that
carries him back to his house and gives him something to make him sleep. As he reflects
on his experience of the night before, he asks Ultima what happened the night before,
expressing his insatiable curiosity. The main think that Ultima teaches him, therefore,
is in how she answers his questions. Note what she
says:
"A
curandera cannot give away her secrets," she said, "but if a person really wants to
know, then he will listen and be patient. Knowledge comes
slowly--"
This in a sense is
the kernel of Ultima's teaching of Antonio in these chapters. There is so much he
doesn't understand about Ultima and how she works her magic, but at the same time,
Ultima is trying to encourage him to be patient and accept that knowledge only develops
slowly over time. Of course, we see this process in action over the rest of the novel as
Antonio matures and develops and he learns from Ultima.
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