Introduction
Revolution by people in a country has negative effects. The effects are mostly felt by women as they are the most affected during a revoltion.Revolution is good sometimes especially when people are fighting for their rights. Although sometime it can be used to demand for people’s right or address a problem in a country, it is not a recommended method of demanding ones right. This is because the effects are more than the benefits. Take for example during revolution women are raped, children killed, houses destroyed, crops burnt down and properties destroyed. All these are the effects of revolution. During revolution, innocent people are killed while others are forced to join rebels. Therefore, revolution is a bad method of fighting for people’s right in a country.
The Underdogs novel by Azuela focuses on the effects of the revolution in the people of Mexico and Mexico as a whole.Accorrding to the novel people go to revolution for several reasons. Some go for revenge; others run away from the law, while others joined revolution to seek for a better life. Women normally suffer most during revolution. This is because during the revolution, they are raped, beaten and even down treated. Fighting takes away the lives of many people. Children, men and women are killed. In Mexico, continued fighting claimed the lives of many men. This left the women becoming widows and children becoming beggars. Towns in Mexico were destroyed making their population to look for refuge elsewhere. Many homes were destroyed leaving mothers crying for their daughters who were abducted to war. Wives suffer because their husbands were taken away.
Azuela uses different characters to bring these effects of the revolution in Mexico. She uses and compares different characters through their behaviors, acts and their attitudes towards the revolution.
Solis when talking with Demetrio could be seen as if he likes the revolution. When asked what he thinks about revolution. He answers that the revolution is beautiful. This suggests that he is for the idea of revolution. As compared with Demetrio, both of them like revolution. Demetrio was a sergeant who used to carry his gun every now and then. At the start he fights to bring change to Mexico at last he seems to have lost focus. It is said that at the beginning, Demetrio Macias and his men fought against several injustices but later these men seem to be having their personal interests. They destroy properties looted and killed many people.Althogh both of them seem to like the revolution, Solis is somehow different as he sees the method of handling as rudeness. He does not like looting and use of excessive force. For example, when Demetrio commands women to bring food to them, he does not like it.
Luis Cervantes is another character who at first joined the revolution to fight in the army but he later on move away from the rebels after being insulted. As compared with other soldiers like he also wanted to fight against injustice in Mexico. He later flies away to the USA after being insulted by his colleagues. The difference with others is that he joined the army forcefully and he does not like the way his colleagues undertakes revolution for example looting.Venancio is another character who does not like the revolution. As compared to Demetrio Venancio has a human heart and he does not like the way people are being killed mercilessly.
Although most of the characters participated in the revolution, some of them were not happy about merciless acts for example killing, looting, raping and destroying of properties. They ended up fleeing away. All these acts show the effects of revolution.
Bibliography
Azuela, Mariano. The Underdogs. Champaign, Ill: Project Gutenberg, 2006.
Robe, Stanley Linn, and Mariano Azuela. Azuela and the Mexican Underdogs. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009.
