Write a paragraph analyzing how the author’s life experiences are reflected in the text. Remember that Mariano Azuela participated in the Mexican Revolution as a doctor in the army of Pancho Villa. Also remember that he became disillusioned with the revolution when injustices continued under new leaders. Provide text evidence and commentary to support your ideas. The Underdogs
by Mariano Azuela (excerpt)

Some men on horseback rode up, shouting and sweating; two of them dismounted, while the other hung back to watch the horses.
"We want food! Give us eggs, milk, beans, anything you've got! We're starving!" demanded a soldier with chevrons1 on his arm. His companion wore red stripes on the shoulders.
"Whose place is this, old woman? Of course it's not empty. How about the light and that child there? Look here, confound it, we want to eat, and quick too. We’re coming in."
"Tell me what they call this ranch, woman?" the sergeant asked.
"Limon," the woman replied curtly, carrying wood to the fire and fanning the coals.
"So we're in Limon, eh, the famous Demetrio Macias' country, eh? Do you hear that, Lieutenant? We're in Limon.
“Limon? What do I care? If that’s where I am, I might as well take what I want, now that I've found a place with some food and shelter."
“I'll wager you know Macias the bandit, old woman? I was in the pen with him at Escobedo, once,” the sergeant added.
"Come on, Sergeant, tell the corporal outside to unsaddle the horses and feed them. We’re staying here tonight.”
Suddenly a white shadow loomed on the threshold.
"Demetrio Macias!" the sergeant cried as he stepped back in terror.
The lieutenant stood up, silent, cold and motionless as a statue.
"Make them leave!" the woman croaked.

Mariano Azuela was one of the foremost Mexican authors of the twentieth-century and is remembered for his depiction of the Mexican revolution in novels such as Los de Abajo (1916; The Underdogs), Las tribulaciones de una familia decente (1918; The Trials of a Respectable Family), and La luciérnaga (1932). His best-known work outside Mexico continues to be his first major novel about the Mexican revolution, The Underdogs. The work is lauded as a masterpiece of modern Spanish-American fiction for Azuela's realistic and objective portrayal of the trials and tribulations of the revolution, as well as its social and political consequences. This work, along with his later novels, has led critics to place Azuela among the best authors of twentieth-century Mexico, especially in light of his significance to the development of the larger literary landscape in Latin America at the beginning of the twentieth-century.

Biographical Information

Azuela was born on January 1, 1873, in Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, Mexico. His parents, Evaristo Azuela and Paulina Azuela owned a grocery store in town and led a fairly prosperous, middle-class life. At an early age Azuela became interested in reading, and would often read books at his father's store. Azuela entered the seminary in 1887, but left a few years later to pursue a medical degree in Guadalajara. Azuela pursued his literary interests in addition to his medical education and in 1907, he published his first novel, María Luisa, based on the desperate conditions he witnessed while working as a physician in the slums of Mexico City. Azuela's writing became more politicized following the Mexican revolution of 1910, and most of his subsequent works incorporated both the historical events and political and social impact of the revolution. Except for a brief sojourn in Lagos, where he was elected to political office, and later working as a military physician for the revolutionary leader General Pancho Villa, Azuela spent most of his professional life in Mexico City. He died of a heart attack on March 1, 1952.

Major Works

Azuela's early novels, including María Luisa, Los fracasados (1908), and Mala Yerba (1909; Marcela) are all concerned with the social inequalities he witnessed while working as a doctor in Mexico City. Praised for his vivid portrayals of social and cultural details, Azuela's writing in these novels was faulted by some for his lack of character and plot development. Following the revolution of 1910, which resulted in the ousting of dictator Porfirio Diaz, Azuela supported General Pancho Villa's claim to govern Mexico. Forced to flee the country with Villa, Azuela was able to return to Mexico City only after the close of the war. His novels during this time, including The Underdogs, Los caciques (1917; The Bosses), Las moscas (1918; The Flies), and The Trials of a Respectable Family, all chronicle the affects of the revolution in one way or another. While Azuela deliberately shied away from writing a political history of the revolution, instead focusing on its social and political impact on ordinary Mexicans, his work is lauded for its objective portrayal of the horrors of war and its aftermath. Of these novels, The Underdogs is considered his masterpiece, reflecting many of Azuela's concerns about his country. The novel follows the story of a poor country boy named Demetrio Macias, and his rise to power in General Villa's revolutionary army. After rising to power, Macias is corrupted by the very powers he is fighting against—greed and corruption. On the other hand, Azuela's next novel, The Bosses, tells the story of a powerful family of Diaz supporters who live in a small Mexican town. Once again, Azuela uses his characters to expose the injustice and corruption of the system that the revolution meant to overthrow. His next major novel, The Trials of a Respectable Family was somewhat of a departure from his earlier works—this time Azuela focused on the story of a prosperous, middle-class family as they try to survive during the revolution. Although this work was not well-received by critics at the time of its publication, probably due to its perceived sympathetic tone towards the wealthy families that the revolution intended to displace, it is now acknowledged as one of Azuela's best works, second only to The Underdogs. Azuela's later novels, including La Malhora (1923), El desquite (1925) and La luciérnaga are more experimental in nature. More focused on the techniques of writing than his previous works, these works nonetheless continue to reflect Azuela's concern with social and political justice in Mexican society.

Critical Reception

Azuela is acknowledged as one of the most influential writers of twentieth-century

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