Antonio is elated that he will soon make his first holy communion. He expects that the event will provide him with understanding and the world will then make sense to him. Catechism lessons intensify his conviction that communion will provide answers to his questions.
The pressures of change on the people are dramatized through apocalyptic interpretations of the detonation of the atomic bomb. Folk responses to the bomb link knowledge and destruction, and portend humankind's demise.
Gabriel's view of the dust storms and the plains expresses a regard for nature and its ways. Antonio learns that humans are part of nature and must assume responsibility for their actions, especially those that degrade nature. Anaya is expressing here aspects of the land ethics of New Mexican Chicano/as. The elders' views on the bomb, seasonal disturbances, and knowledge reveal many superstitious beliefs that inform them how the world operates. Antonio struggles to make sense of the world around him and is confused by the competing modes of knowledge that surround him. He wants to know which is the true view of the world.
Antonio's discussion with Florence makes him aware of the rational limitations of Catholicism. He realizes that he may share in Original Sin by virtue of his desire for more knowledge. Antonio is moving closer to the realization that he too has his own dark side.
When the priest punishes Florence, Antonio realizes that life is not necessarily fair. The angelic Florence is truly an atheist and an existentialist, and Antonio worries about his friend's soul. Ironically, just before he is to make his first holy communion, Antonio commits to showing Florence the golden carp as a means of giving him some higher meaning in life.
Antonio's first communion with God leaves him unfulfilled, and his faith in the power of God continues to diminish. He begins to realize that there are no absolute answers to his questions.
The episode with the group of kids causes Antonio to suddenly realize that Florence truly believes that he has not sinned. Antonio incurs the wrath of the other kids because he tries to protect Florence, and, in the process, he learns that he cannot be their priest. This incident provides him with a deeper understanding of the role of a priest and moves him closer to a decision regarding his own destiny.
