Setting
The setting of a story serves as more than a mere backdrop; it breathes life into characters, drives the narrative, and shapes the themes presented. In Mariano Azuela's "The Underdogs," the landscapes and social settings of early 20th century Mexico are not only vivid but crucial to understanding the turmoil of the Mexican Revolution. From the rugged mountains to the vibrant villages and bustling border towns, each setting in the novel underscores the tension, chaos, and contradictions inherent in the struggle for Mexico's future.
The Countryside and Mountains
The novel opens in the rural village of Limón, nestled amid the vast and often unforgiving terrain of Zacatecas, Mexico. Here, readers are immediately immersed in the sights, sounds, and smells of a small, impoverished village. The Federales' incursion on Demetrio's home heralds a sequence of events where the natural and human landscapes are interwoven. "The Underdogs" paints the mountainsides and ravines as characters in their own right—rugged, barren, and veined with enormous cracks, reflecting the harsh realities faced by the revolutionaries. The dry, withering scenery symbolizes the life drained from the countryside by the oppressive forces of the Mexican government.
The trees are not lush but have crags upon which the moon casts its shadows. Everything is dry and withering as if the Federales and the Mexican government have extracted the very life from the countryside to claim it as their own.
As Demetrio and his band navigate these landscapes, the mountains serve as both a refuge and a silent witness to the horrors of war. The trees, which provide cover for the rebel trails, also become a haunting symbol of death when two missing men are found hanging from their branches. The mountains embody the revolution's violence, where bodies of men and horses litter the slopes, "fused" with the earth as symbols of senseless death.
Village Life and Cultural Heritage
The small villages along the revolutionary trail, including Limón, are steeped in the indigenous ways of the American Indians. In these rural settings, the past is preserved through ancient medicinal practices and the simplicity of life. When Demetrio is wounded, he is treated by an old woman named Remigia, who employs traditional healing methods, such as using a freshly killed pigeon to draw out his injury. These scenes vividly illustrate the American Indian heritage that persists despite the tumultuous backdrop. The villages, with their natural beauty and humble resources, reflect an enduring cultural identity amid the chaos.
The other woman in the village describe plant leaves and other methods of treating ailments, which fills in the American Indian heritage in this part of Mexico and how it survives.
Yet, the presence of the Federales threatens this fragile existence, as they pillage resources and impose terror on the villagers. The revolutionaries, while ostensibly fighting for these people, often partake in similar acts of plundering, highlighting the complex nature of the struggle and the blurred lines between oppressor and liberator.
The Road to Guadalajara: Bars and Brothels
Following the revolutionaries’ victories, the journey to Guadalajara introduces readers to a contrasting segment of Mexican culture—the bars and brothels that epitomize both celebration and excess. These establishments become temporary respites where the rebels revel in their triumphs, yet they also reveal the darker, more unruly side of the revolutionary spirit.
The revolutionaries are fighting for the poor, and yet in these bars their appetites are ravenous and out of control.
The bars highlight the irony of the revolution: fighters for the poor indulging in the spoils of victory, unable to reconcile their newfound power with their ingrained poverty. The debauchery and bravado displayed by...
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characters such as La Pintada, who famously rides a horse into a bar, underscore the blurred morality and disillusionment overshadowing their victories. It is a world where bravado masks vulnerability and the future remains uncertain.
The Cyclical Nature of Conflict
The novel’s structure emphasizes the cyclical nature of conflict, as demonstrated by Demetrio’s journey. Beginning and ending in Limón, the unchanged landscape serves as a metaphor for the static nature of the revolution’s achievements. Despite his rise from chief to general, Demetrio finds that the struggles of his village remain unchanged, and his motivations are as inscrutable as the landscape he has fought to defend. His resignation to the momentum of the revolution is poignantly illustrated when, upon returning home, he throws a stone down the mountainside, watching it tumble downward—a metaphor for the inexorable pull of war that continues to shape his destiny.
The novel’s cyclical structure denies a sense of progress that signifies the defeated aims of the revolution.
Even as Demetrio nears the end of his journey, achieving victory at places like La Bufa and reaching the symbolic town of Juchipila, his story concludes where it began. The revolution’s promise fades, leaving behind a landscape littered with broken ideals and unfulfilled dreams.
From Wealth to Desolation
The novel contrasts the revolutionaries' humble origins with the opulence they encounter and often scorn. In Moyahua, Demetrio’s refusal to allow his men to raid Don Mónico’s mansion highlights the moral complexities of their cause. He recognizes the futility of simple wealth transfer without systemic change. However, the night spent in a dingy abandoned building conveys the ongoing struggle against corruption and inequality, a reminder that the revolution’s ideals often clash with harsh realities.
Instead of looting the house, Demetrio runs Don Mónico and his family off their property and has the house burned to the ground.
Finally, the border town of El Paso represents the shifting loyalties and fractured resolve of some revolutionaries. As Cervantes escapes here, abandoning the cause he once championed, it highlights the personal and political betrayals that pepper the revolutionary landscape, leaving comrades bereft and the movement fractured.
In "The Underdogs," setting is more than a physical locale; it is a reflection of the internal and external battles fought by characters driven by ideals, yet constantly challenged by the harsh realities of their world. The novel masterfully conveys the inextricable link between the rugged Mexican terrain and the tumultuous journey of its people in pursuit of identity and justice.
