The Real Mexican Revolutionaries

“The Underdogs” -Mariano Azuela

The Real Mexican revolutionaries

The historic novel, The Underdogs, showcases the tumultuous socio-political realities spreading rampantly during the early twentieth century in Mexico. War, the main theme in this story, is supported by themes of power, social class, corruption, justice, morality, and religion.   The author, Mariano Azuela, seems to struggle to when attempting to unite the widening gap between his ideals for the revolution and the poor uneducated rural Mexican people that are thought to be carrying out this distant and almost unrealistic intangible goal.
Originating from a small ranch in Limon, Demetrio Macias was a lower class indigenous outlaw. His popularity grew due to his accumulating victories in battles against the federalists.   He rose to become a celebrated leader after his zealous and brave military skill during battle earns him pointless victories. They are pointless for the revolution and indirectly weaken and deviate Mexican society further from progress. The revolutionary leader fights along a group of low ranking indigenous peasants that are criminals fleeing persecution. They are all fugitives who do not mind the thrill of gunfights and sabotage. Idealism goes down the drain, and the brutal behavior that was once their motivation for revolution is now their very own behavior. Their intentions are undeniably motivated by lazy selfish individualistic gain and not for collective good and progress of Mexican people.
The true goals of the revolution are embodied by only one of Macias’s soldiers, Luis Cervantes. He is the only individual who is honestly fighting to improve the oppressive circumstances of the Mexican laymen. Luis Cervantes was originally an outspoken journalist for the federalist side, but unexpectedly changes his beliefs and begins to sympathize with the enemy’s ideology and purpose.   He joins Macias’s ranks and immediately is labeled a curro trying to serve as a spy for the...