Article #549-2 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from The Underdogs: A Novel of the Mexican Revolution, by Mariano Azuela

"Limon? What the hell do I care? If I'm bound for hell, Sergeant, I
might as well go there now. I don't mind, now that I've found as good a
remount as this! Look at the cheeks on the darling, look at them!
There's a pair of ripe red apples for a fellow to bite into!"

"I'll wager you know Macias the bandit, lady? I was in the pen with him
at Escobedo, once."

"Bring me a bottle of tequila, Sergeant: I've decided to spend the
night with this charming lady.... What's that? The colonel? ... Why in
God's name talk about the colonel now? He can go straight to hell, for
all I care. And if he doesn't like it, it's all right with me. Come on,
Sergeant, tell the corporal outside to unsaddle the horses and feed
them. I'll stay here all night. Here, my girl, you let the sergeant fry
the eggs and warm up the tortillas; you come here to me. See this
wallet full of nice new bills? They're all for you, darling. Sure, I
want you to have them. Figure it out for yourself. I'm drunk, see: I've
a bit of a load on and that's why I'm kind of hoarse, you might call
it. I left half my gullet down Guadalajara way, and I've been spitting
the other half out all the way up here. Oh well, who cares? But I want
you to have that money, see, dearie? Hey, Sergeant, where's my bottle?
Now, little girl, come here and pour yourself a drink. You won't, eh?
Aw, come on! Afraid of your--er--husband ... or whatever he is, huh?
Well, if he's skulking in some hole, you tell him to come out. What the
hell do I care? I'm not scared of rats, see!" Suddenly a white shadow
loomed on the threshold.

Explanation

Mariano Azuela’s The Underdogs (Los de abajo, 1915) is a foundational novel of the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920), offering a raw, unromanticized portrayal of the conflict from the perspective of the common people—peasants, bandits, and disillusioned revolutionaries. The excerpt you’ve provided captures the nihilistic bravado of Demetrio Macías, the novel’s protagonist, a former peasant turned revolutionary leader whose descent into drunkenness, violence, and moral decay mirrors the broader chaos of the revolution. Below is a detailed breakdown of the passage, focusing on its themes, literary devices, character dynamics, and significance within the novel.

Context of the Scene

This moment occurs later in the novel, after Demetrio Macías has risen from an oppressed peasant to a feared revolutionary caudillo (warlord). His movement, initially fueled by idealism and the promise of land reform, has devolved into banditry, looting, and senseless violence. The scene takes place in a cantina or brothel, where Demetrio, drunk and reckless, interacts with a woman (likely a prostitute) and his sergeant. His behavior reflects his disillusionment with the revolution’s goals and his embrace of hedonism as a coping mechanism.

Themes in the Excerpt

The Corruption of Power and Revolution
- Demetrio’s dialogue reveals his complete abandonment of revolutionary ideals. His repeated dismissals—"the colonel? ... Why in God's name talk about the colonel now? He can go straight to hell"—show his contempt for authority, even his own. The revolution, which began as a fight for justice, has become a self-serving free-for-all.
- His drunkenness and sexual aggression symbolize how power has dehumanized him. He no longer fights for a cause; he takes what he wants, whether it’s money, women, or alcohol.
Nihilism and Existential Despair
- Demetrio’s fatalism is stark: "If I'm bound for hell, Sergeant, I might as well go there now." This reflects the loss of hope among revolutionaries who realize their struggle has no meaningful end. The revolution has become a cycle of violence with no redemption.
- His physical decay ("I left half my gullet down Guadalajara way") mirrors his moral decay. The revolution has consumed him, leaving him a hollow shell.
Machismo and the Exploitation of Women
- Demetrio’s treatment of the woman—objectifying her ("charming lady," "little girl") and flaunting money to control her—highlights the misogyny pervasive in revolutionary culture. Women in the novel are often victims of male violence, reduced to objects of pleasure or spoils of war.
- His threatening tone ("Afraid of your—er—husband ... or whatever he is, huh? Well, if he's skulking in some hole, you tell him to come out") reinforces his brutality and the lawlessness of the revolution.
The Illusion of Brotherhood
- Demetrio’s relationship with his sergeant is superficially camaraderie, but it’s built on shared corruption. The sergeant enables his behavior (fetching tequila, unsaddling horses), showing how the revolution has eroded loyalty into complicity in vice.
- The sudden appearance of the "white shadow" at the end foreshadows violence or betrayal, a recurring motif in the novel where trust is fleeting.

Literary Devices

Stream of Consciousness & Colloquial Speech
- Azuela uses raw, unfiltered dialogue to immerse the reader in Demetrio’s drunken, chaotic mindset. His speech is fragmented, repetitive, and aggressive, mirroring his mental deterioration.
- Phrases like "What the hell do I care?" and "Oh well, who cares?" reinforce his apathy and moral detachment.
Symbolism
- The horse ("remount"): Represents power and mobility, but also the transience of revolutionary gains. Demetrio’s obsession with the horse’s "ripe red apples" (cheeks) is eroticized violence, blending lust and domination.
- Money: The "wallet full of nice new bills" symbolizes plunder, not earned wealth. It’s dirty money, stained with blood and corruption.
- Tequila: A metaphor for escapism. Demetrio drinks to numb his guilt and the meaninglessness of the revolution.
Foreshadowing
- The "white shadow" at the threshold suggests impending doom—likely an assassin or rival. This abrupt, ominous ending reflects the unpredictability of violence in the revolution.
Irony
- Demetrio mockingly references Macías the bandit, not realizing he has become what he once despised. The revolution has turned him into a bandit with a political excuse.

Significance in the Novel

This scene is pivotal because it:

Marks the climax of Demetrio’s moral decline. He is no longer a revolutionary; he is a drunken tyrant.
Exposes the revolution’s failure. The ideals of land, liberty, and justice have been replaced by greed, lust, and nihilism.
Sets up the novel’s tragic ending. Demetrio’s self-destructive behavior foreshadows his eventual betrayal and death, reinforcing Azuela’s message that revolutions often devour their own children.

Broader Historical & Literary Context

Mexican Revolution (1910–1920): A complex conflict with multiple factions (Zapatistas, Villistas, Carrancistas, federal forces) fighting for land reform, democracy, and social justice. Azuela’s novel demythologizes the revolution, showing its brutality and futility from the perspective of the underclass.
Literary Movement: The Underdogs is a key work of the Mexican Revolutionary Novel and an early example of modernist literature in Latin America. It rejects romanticism, instead using realism and naturalism to depict the harsh realities of war.
Influence: The novel inspired later Latin American writers like Juan Rulfo (Pedro Páramo) and Gabriel García Márquez, who also explored power, violence, and disillusionment in their works.

Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters

This excerpt encapsulates the novel’s central tragedy: the revolution, meant to liberate the oppressed, has instead corrupted them. Demetrio’s drunkenness, misogyny, and defiance are not just personal flaws—they are symptoms of a broken system. Azuela forces the reader to confront the ugly truth behind revolutionary myths: that power without principle leads only to destruction.

The "white shadow" at the end is not just a narrative device—it’s a metaphor for the revolution itself: a looming, faceless force that will consume everyone, regardless of side. In this way, Azuela’s novel remains painfully relevant, a warning about the dangers of unchecked violence and the cost of forgotten ideals.

Questions

Question 1

The sergeant’s role in this exchange most fundamentally serves to:

A. underscore the systemic complicity that enables Demetrio’s moral dissolution, transforming institutional loyalty into a mechanism of shared corruption.
B. provide a contrasting voice of restraint, subtly critiquing Demetrio’s excesses through passive-aggressive compliance.
C. highlight the absurdity of military hierarchy in a lawless context, where rank is performative rather than functional.
D. illustrate the banality of evil, framing the sergeant as an unwitting accomplice to Demetrio’s crimes.
E. function as a narrative device to expose Demetrio’s paranoia, since the sergeant’s actions are ambiguously motivated.

Question 2

The "white shadow" at the threshold is most thematically resonant with which of the following interpretations?

A. A spectral manifestation of Demetrio’s repressed guilt, externalizing his psychological fragmentation.
B. The inevitable consequence of revolutionary nihilism, where violence begets formless, impersonal retribution.
C. A literal assassin sent by the colonel, confirming the passage’s focus on political betrayal over existential themes.
D. The revolutionary collective unconscious, a silent witness to the movement’s moral bankruptcy.
E. A supernatural omen foreshadowing Demetrio’s redemption through suffering, inverting the passage’s tone.

Question 3

Demetrio’s repetition of "What the hell do I care?" primarily functions as:

A. a rhetorical appeal to the sergeant’s shared disillusionment, fostering camaraderie through mutual apathy.
B. an ironic undermining of his own authority, revealing his awareness of his diminished agency.
C. a defensive mechanism to preemptively dismiss any challenge to his dominance.
D. a linguistic embodiment of the revolution’s ideological vacuum, where defiance replaces purpose.
E. a performative display of machismo, masking his latent fear of irrelevance.

Question 4

The passage’s treatment of money ("wallet full of nice new bills") is most aligned with which critical perspective?

A. Marxist: the bills symbolize the reification of revolutionary ideals into commodified spoils, exposing the movement’s co-optation by capitalist logic.
B. Freudian: the money represents a sublimated erotic drive, displacing Demetrio’s unresolved Oedipal conflicts onto material conquest.
C. Existentialist: the cash is an absurd prop in a meaningless transaction, highlighting the futility of human agency.
D. Postcolonial: the "new bills" signify the neocolonial exploitation of rural Mexico, where wealth is extracted rather than earned.
E. Formalist: the wallet serves as a narrative chekhov’s gun, its contents destined to trigger the plot’s climax.

Question 5

Which of the following best describes the relationship between Demetrio’s physical decay ("left half my gullet down Guadalajara way") and his moral state?

A. A synecdoche for the revolution’s self-cannibalization, where bodily ruin mirrors the consumption of its own ideals.
B. A naturalist determinant, framing his corruption as an inevitable product of environmental degradation.
C. A redemptive metaphor, suggesting his suffering purges him of guilt.
D. A grotesque caricature, reducing his complexity to a cautionary tale about hedonism.
E. An intertextual allusion to Dante’s Inferno, positioning Demetrio as a modern-day glutton in the ninth circle.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: A

Why A is most correct: The sergeant’s actions—fetching tequila, unsaddling horses, enabling Demetrio’s exploitation of the woman—are not merely passive but actively complicit. His compliance transforms institutional roles (sergeant to colonel) into a network of corruption, where loyalty to the revolution’s original ideals is replaced by shared participation in vice. This aligns with Azuela’s critique of how systems perpetuate their own decay through collective acquiescence. The sergeant isn’t just following orders; he’s co-constructing the moral void.