Expertly Written Essay On Los Vendidos To Follow

“Los Vendidos” written by Luiz Valdes is a one-act play that depicts and ridicules the stereotypes of Mexicans in California. It is a satiric play that shows the social inequality in the American society in the 1960-ies. So much has been said about the discrimination of the Afro-Americans, but I even could not imagine Latinos and Mexicans facing a similar situation. This play attracts attention to the social issues that have not been solved even after 40 years. Although it is full of ridiculous and rather witty moments, the message of the play is serious and profound. The author aimed to focus readers’ attention on the absurdity of different stereotypes and the way they can influence people’s lives.
The title of the play “Los Vendidos”, which could be translated as “the Sellouts”, carries some backhandedness that something is going to be sold and this something is not of a big value or importance. The setting of the play is the Used Mexican Lot and Mexican Curio Shop. This shop sells Mexican and Mexican-American robots, where everyone may find what he or she needs according to their demands, wishes, desires, and financial capacity. There are four main exhibits: Farmworker, Pachuco, Revolucionario, and Mexican-American. The plot unfolds as one woman, a secretary working for Governor Reagan, comes to choose and purchase some variant that suits her most. The owner of the shop, honest Sancho, does his best to please the demanding customer. He shows the robots one by one, explaining all the qualities and benefits of each variant. The secretary denies the first three variants as she is looking for a Mexican with the American outlook, who is a real American patriot and supporter. She rejects Farmworker because he cannot speak English, Pachuco because he steals, and Revolucionario because he is "Made in Mexico." The only robot who suits her is Mexican-American, an educated, well-bred, clever American patriot. After purchasing him, she discovers that he is not working properly, there is some bug from the factory as the robot started to shout and call for revolution. She tried to switch him off by snapping fingers again and again, and as a result, she activated three another robots. At the end of the play, we see that the true robot was honest Sancho, but not his exhibits.
The play does not involve numerous characters, but every one of them carries a very important message. Every character is a separate symbol and is purposeless for the understanding of the whole play. All of the personages are Mexican or Mexican-American, but they can be conditionally divided into those who remain Mexican in American society and those who try to assimilate with Americans. The secretary, being actually Mexican-American, with definitely Mexican roots, tries to forget and hide her origin. She speaks English, insists on the English pronunciation of her Mexican surname and rejects everything Mexican at all. She looks down upon all her former ethnic fellows. Honest Sancho is a typical cynical rustler who does not have any principles or moral rules. He neglects people, believes, he is ready to sell his country, traditions, culture, and nation just to make money. At the end of the play, he appears to be a real robot that means his insensibility and soulfulness.
The four robots: Farmworker, Pachuco, Revolucionario, and Mexican-American, are symbols of four main stereotypes and prejudice about Mexicans and Latinos dominating in the American society. The first one, Farmworker, is a very hard-working, strong, sturdy, and polite. He actually symbolizes a typical Mexican worker who comes to the USA to find some job. They are not demanding and are ready to do any type of work in the field or at the factory. They can subsist on little food, sleep anywhere, and have a special function to come back every year before the harvest season. Farmworker represents the not educated, not intelligent workmen who can take the worst kind of abuse.
Pachuco is represented as an urban lazy idler and thug. All he is doing is wandering around the city, stealing, blustering, and taking drugs. He is a real threat for people and honest Sancho calls him an excellent scapegoat for societal ills. It shows that American people used to throw the blame of anything going wrong on the incomers even if they do not have any relation to the subject. The character of Revolucionario is an idealized image of the Mexican revolutionist and romantic lover. Mexican-American is well-dressed, clean, and well-spoken. He is adorable if he supports America, but if he is with his people and nation, he terrifies and scares the Americans.
The play itself is very interesting and has a very deep message. While reading it, I realized that we do have too many stereotypes and prejudices that do not allow us to develop our intercultural and international relations. Very often we have a set of some obscure images and ideas about this or that nation that prevent us from understanding and accepting the culture and peculiarities of another people. We used to judge according to some outdated conceptions and sometimes are simply blind and do not see the obvious things. I think that this play should be read by everyone as it shows that our stereotypes and prejudice are so ridiculous and unacceptable. Maybe it will change someone’s relation to another people, especially who differs by something from us, because it definitely changed mine.