Cultural Identity
The mother and father have conflicting traditions between each other; the mother is a daughter of farmers, and is from the fertile valley, and the father is a vaquero, a free-thinker, and roams the llano. Antonio must learn from Ultima that reconciling these two will be difficult, and that he must choose his way sooner or later, and make his own decisions. Various other conflicts that occur within the novel include the Spanish and indigenous cultures, which is pronounced through Ultima's folklore and the Catholic church, as well as between Spanish and English speakers, which is clearly justified because Antonio's family is Mexican, and the language the family has been raised to speak is Spanish, while English is the predominant language in the United States.
Moral Independence
This is a major symbol of his growing up and maturity throughout the novel. After understanding the story of the golden carp and believing in the forgiveness and everlasting spirits of the Catholic church, he feels that both are too conflicting and could exist, but not harmoniously with each other, and with this, he feels the need to make his own decisions. The church cannot exactly explain his most pressing questions about morality and human existence, and this upsets Antonio. Ultima is the one to teach him about moral independence, because she teaches him questions that he must answer himself, these questions involving evil, forgiveness, truth, and the soul. All his life he has believed God had the power to answer these questions, but Ultima wants him to realize that not all questions can be answered, and that he must contemplate and respond for himself.