In Underdogs, Mariano Azuela portrays the political and historical realities of Mexico and the social dimensions of the civil war. The central theme of war is fortified by themes of power, social class, corruption, justice, morality, and religion.
The novel consists of two main characters, Demetrio Macias and Luis Cervantes, who represent totally different views on the revolution itself.
"The revolution benefits the poor, the ignorant, all those who have been slaves all their lives, all the unhappy people who do not even suspect they are poor because the rich who stand above them, the rich who rule them, change their sweat and blood and tears into gold..."
The significance of the passage provides the reader with a transparent image of the Cervantes beliefs. In this instance, these beliefs capture what the revolution is meant to provide to the community and the individuals within them.
Moreover, Alberto Solis, often considered as Azuela's spokesman in the authors books, illustrated the revolution as a "hurricane", stating, "if you're in it, you're not a man... you're a leaf, a dead leaf, blown by the wind".
Furthermore, what is interesting about this novel is that Azuela incorporates his first-hand knowledge of the revolution into this story. In other words, the novel describes how ironic the situation is for the revolutionary army, which has no political status and has fought for years without even knowing which side of the war they are on. It is obvious that the author, who personally participated in the revolution himself, became disillusioned with it after witnessing what was going on. The band basically pillage, raped, and killed as they pleased in between the battles against the federal government; thus, I consider this book as an anti-war book that exposes some of the real revolutionary leaders and soldiers as less "heroic" than they were made out to be.
Ultimately, I had trouble changing my mood to read this novel because compared to last week's reading, the prose was relatively sparse, and the use of language is very powerful in Underdogs. Especially when someone is about to be shot or when some characters say something right or wrong. As the book advanced, I felt a great deal of bloody violence, uncertainty and senselessness, and how the social justice promoted by the rebellion was leveled by the evil that occurred.
In conclusion, Azuela succeeds in advancing the literary reality of the 21st-century Mexican revolution, prompting reflection on the role of literature as a lens capable of transforming history into a meaningful dimension of the present.
Questions:
Do you like reading books about war? If so, what are the best books to read about this theme?
Hi Chiko, I really liked the quotes you chose for your comment (but please don't forget to write down the page number :) ) In a way, "The Underdogs" could be read as an anti-war book... but as you said, is the dialectical relationship between Macias and Cervantas what creates a more complex picture of the civil war. I know it is hard to read all this violent episodes... but I assure is not the most violent novel about the Revolution (I am actually thinking about "Cartucho").
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