- Why does Demetrio join the Revolution? Why does he stick with it?
- Why does Cervantes join the Revolution? Why does he leave?
- What are the motivations of other characters?
- What are the roles and functions of the women characters?
- How is violence portrayed in the novel?
- How is power portrayed in the novel?
- What does the novel have to say about class? Or about other social differences?
- What are the differences between the various sides?
- Where do you think Azuela’s sympathies lie?
- Is this a political novel? What would that mean?
The following questions are taken from your blog posts…
History
Have you heard about the Mexican Revolution (Aside from its existence) before? If yes, what had you heard about it?
Do you think that a more in depth knowledge of the history and politics of the Mexican Revolution would contribute to a reading of this work? Or would it take away from understanding the infrapolitical elements as indicated in the lecture?
Are there other historical events that you think could benefit from this more disjointed and less fact-driven account of history?
Characters
Why do you think Demetrio is unable to break from the ‘revolutionary bandit’ lifestyle? Are there any clues to this answer in the text?
Why do you think Demetrio was unable to step away from fighting, despite having a family at home?
The story started off with Demetrio being forced to leave his family, while at the end of the novel he chooses to leave his family behind. What do you think the author was trying to represent with Demetrio’s choices at the start and end of the novel?
Do you believe Luis Cervantes always intended on deserting the revolution or that he only developed the plan later?
Cervantes reminded me a lot of this current idea of “escaping” Mexico, of the desire of many families to escape from the violence these days and go to the US to make a new life. But this is usually only a reality to those who can afford to do this, which was also the case of Cervantes. He was an intellectual, had means to support himself, which is why he could have a “better” life in the US. What do you think about this decision? Do you think it was selfish of him to leave his country in such times, to get himself a better life?
Who is the character you liked the most and why? What similarities and differences would you highlight between Demetrio and Camilla?
What did you think of Cervantes’s character? What do you think his primary motivations were, and how did they seem to transform the more he was welcomed into the group of men?
Which Character did you feel to be most impactful on this story, and why?
What was your favourite nickname in the novel? Why? Bonus question: Do you have any nicknames?
Gender
Do you think the objectification of the women in this novel adds to the narrative or plot of this story or does it just serve as an example of how women’s role in society has changed (or not?) since the Revolution?
What do you think the portrayal of women does for the story? Does it show a woman’s place in the revolution or does it serve as something more for the story?
Do you think the female characters in this novel were well represented of women in the Revolution through the likes of Camila and Warpaint?
Other
Did you guys like this book? What part about it was something you enjoyed or something you really didn’t like?
Do you think a revolution, with its new moral standards and intention to be fair and equal to all, is to high of an order to ask of us, the people that just want to live however we want to live?
Do you believe in the central premise that the minority of intellectuals in power are to blame for warfare? Or, more cynically, do you consider man’s devolution into violence inevitable?
Do you think that Mariano Azuela purposefully made Luis Cervantes actions in the novel reflect his personal experiences?
Do you like reading books about war? If so, what are the best books to read about this theme?
Did you find the extensive use of dialogue in the book an advantage or disadvantage?
