In Bless Me, Ultima, what else does the golden carp do apart from provoke Tony to question Catholicism?

The golden carp and the symbolic role that it plays in
this excellent novel is of course closely tied up with religion, and so your answer to
this question cannot avoid this. However, I would argue that the existence of the golden
carp does far more than merely provoke Antonio to question Catholicism. It actually
presents Antonio with a rival belief system that offers its own knowledge, wisdom,
guidance and comfort. Let us remember that, in the novel, Antonio looks to Catholicism
to answer his questions, such as why evil exists in the world. When the long-awaited
first communion finally arrives, which, his mother promises Antonio, will answer all of
his questions, Antonio hears nothing but silence. In the context of this novel therefore
it is important that the golden carp and the alternative religion and belief that it
represents is used to symbolise the way in which no one religious tradition is superior
and has all the answers. Every religion has its own different, but equally valid,
"story" of the world and lessons that can be learnt from
it.

This is of course expressed most strongly by the end of
the story, when Antonio realises he does not have to choose one or the other, but can
actually draw from a number of different sources to establish his own identity and
understand the world. Note how in Chapter 22, Antonio realises that the various
competing opposites in his life do not need to be chosen between, but can
co-exist:

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"Take the llano and the river valley, the moon
and the sea, God and the golden carp--and make something new," I said to myself. That is
what Ultima meant by building strength from
life.

Antonio thus is able to
look towards the building of a "new religion" through the existence of the golden carp
and the alternative belief system that it symbolises, "building strength" from the
different elements of his life.