The golden carp symbolizes the protagonist’s cultural conflicts by addressing his questioning of his faith which led to a series of events that stirs up anxiety and an inner conflict in the main character. Notably, the hero’s internal conflict presents itself when Cico, his friend who believes in the golden carp, asks him “Do you believe the golden carp is a god?” he asked. The commandment of the Lord said, Thou shalt have no gods before me…” (Anaya 106-107). The device present in this quote takes place as symbolism. To emanate, the golden carp symbolizes a moment that utterly changes the hero’s life, introducing him to a novel perspective on how his existence took place. Moreover, the symbolism of the golden carp strengthens the overall argument in the thesis as taking place as a symbol that stirs up the internal cultural conflict in the main character. Subsequently, symbolism signifies itself again when Antonio compares the golden carp to other religious figures of the Catholic faith “‘The golden carp I whispered in awe.’ I could not have been more entranced if I had seen the virgin or God …show more content…
The way in which Rudolfo Anaya utilizes the symbolization of the golden carp, Antonio’s point of view demonstrated in his dreams and the maturation of Antonio’s character all represent the cultural conflict that he encounters throughout the novel. Additionally, Anaya’s novel provides the insight that a cultural conflict does not necessarily have to be caused by interactions in the external world but some of the most major factors that cause the cultural conflict come from the individual’s internal world or his/her way of perceiving the world. Anaya provides a unique insight of this internal world by writing his novel from the perspective of a child. In conclusion, Anaya’s novel sheds light on how culture sustains itself and what happens when a child encounters a cultural and gives an entire novel insight on how humans interact with each other and how culture has a significant impact on human