Animal Imagery and Structural Unity in Mariano Azuela`s Los de abajo

Animal Imagery and Structural Unity in Mariano Azuela's Los de abajo
Author(s): Timothy Murad
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Journal of Spanish Studies: Twentieth Century, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Fall, 1979), pp. 207-222
Published by: Society of Spanish & Spanish-American Studies
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27740882 .
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ANIMAL IMAGERYAND STRUCTURALUNITY
INMARIANO AZUELA'S LOS DE ABAJO
TIMOTHY MURAD
University ofArkansas
in Los de abajo (1916), Azuela's
Animal imagery abounds
as seen through the rise and
of
Mexican
the
Revolution
portrayal
fall of Demetrio Mac?as and his band of guerrillas.
Critics have
noted its presence in the novel and have observed that the author's
frequent use of animal references in his descriptions of characters
is a means of conveying the savagery of the Revolution and the
of those who participate
in it.(l) Animal
dehumanization
imagery, however, performs the additional function of contri
buting to the structural unity of the novel.(2)
Through repetition,
animal images become significant symbols that, while illuminating
characters, also add emphasis to various stages in the develop
ment of the story.
The most prevalent animal image inLos de abajo is the horse.
This is only natural because the charro mystique (the ideal of the
expert horseman on a spirited mount) runs deep in the Mexican
it is closely associated with the Revolution,
Moreover,
psyche.(3)
particularly with the forces of Pancho Villa which, in the novel,
Demetrio and his men eventually join.
Further, the charro
in
canci?n
the
is
celebrated
and Demetrio and
ranchera,
mystique
his men,
who
are
rancheros,
are
portrayed
several
times
singing
In Los de abajo descriptions of horses, their actions,
rancheras.
and the way horse and rider affect one another appear at key
points.
They contribute to the progression of the narrative and
aid in endowing events with a significance greater than that
provided by the bare requirements of the story.
The first presence of horses is a disruptive one, disturbing the
tranquility of the night. At the beginning of the novel, the sound
causes Palomo, Demetrio's
of horses' hooves
dog, to bark,
on horseback, the
eventually driving him to a frenzy. Mounted
207
208
JSS.TC,
7,2(1979)
federal soldiers (who at the end of the first chapter burn Deme
trio's house) appear
inmmediately after the shot which kills
Palomo rings out. These horses, while bearers of destruction for
Demetrio's
and are a
world, give confidence to the federales
source of bravura for them. The federal lieutenant declares that
he is not afraid to be in Lim?n, the land of Demetrio, because of his
?'si he de irme al infierno, nunca mejor que
good mount:
ahora
. . ., que
voy
en buen
caballo/?(4)
Demetrio's
victory by ambush over federal troops in their
first encounter is foreshadowed by the insignificance of thefede
as
rales and their horses,
described
diminutos
?hombres
en caballos de miniatura? (p. 12), with which, exclaims Pancracio,
the revolutionaries will ?play.?
In effect, as the fight progresses
it takes on a festive air and the toy-like federal soldiers and horses
become targets in a shooting gallery:
?-Mi cintur?n de cuero si
no le pego en la cabeza al del caballo prieto. . . .?Viente tiros de
m?user ymedia vara de chorizo porque me dejes tumbar al de la
potranca mora?
(pp. 14-15). The federales,
losing the battle,
either turn tail, ?vuelven grupas resueltamente?
(p. 14), or
abandon their horses.
It is after this encounter, in which Demetrio
is wounded,
that the first mention of the revolutionaries' horses
is made:
?Los federales hab?an regresado, y Demetrio recuperaba todos sus
en la sierra? (p. 15).
It is difficult to
caballos, escondidos
determine whether the sentence refers to the horses of Demetrio
and his men, or to those of the federal soldiers.(5)
While the first
is the more likely case (because of the meaning of ?recuperar?),
either reading explains the origin of the horse that Demetrio,
?Ya no pudo
shortly, can no longer ride because of his wound:
montar su caballo? (p. 16).
Horse imagery underscores the ever greater participation of
Demetrio and his men in the Revolution.
In the mountain village,
after Demetrio's wound has healed, Luis Cervantes uges that they
join Panfilo Natera and thus the mainstream of the Revolution.
In order to do so it is necessary to round up ?buenas bestias
para emprender de nuevo lamarcha? (p. 41).
(Azuela's elliptical
structuring of the novel provides no information about the horses
recovered after the initial skirmish; the reader is left to infer that,
When
perhaps, they were unfit or insufficient in number.)
Demetrio and his men leave the village, Mar?a Antonia, who sees
them in the distance, shouts ?'parecen juguetes de rinconera'?
(p. 49). This establishes a linkwith the ?caballos de miniatura?
Murad
209
of the federal soldiers in the first encounter(6) and is suggestive of
the revolutionaries' small number and their relative unimportance
in the Revolution at this point, prior to joining Natera.
The
as
of
their
?escuetos
horses
further
50),
description
jamelgos? (p.
emphasizes their insignificance.
Despite the sorry state of these ?nags,? however, Demetrio,
active and on the march, feels rejuvenated on his horse:
?En su
caballo zaino Demetrio se sent?a rejuvenecido?
For
the
(p. 50).
as a
first time in the novel Demetrio's
horse is individualized
?caballo zaino.?
The dark red of the horse, evoking fieriness,
strength, passion, and potency,(7) seems to transmit itself, along
with its evocative qualities, to Demetrio, whose eyes recover their
?brillo met?lico peculiar?
(p. 50) and whose ?sangre roja y ca
liente? (p. 50) once again courses through him.
In this passage
Demetrio, linked to the primitive potency of the horse, is further
characterized as an ?ind?gena de pura raza? (p. 50).
Three sub
sequent allusions to Aztec or indigenous origins (pp. 72, 89, 138)
are also closely associated with horses.
As they gallop their
horses, Demetrio and his men seem to be infused with limitless
?Y hac?an galopar sus caballos, como si en aquel correr
power:
desenfrenado pretendieran posesionarse de toda la tierra? (p. 50).
The unrestrained gallop intoxicates them with life: ?Cantaban,
re?an y ululaban, ebrios de sol, de aire y de vida? (p. 51).
This
invigorating burst of energy is, however, rhythmically followed
?La algarab?a ces? cuando
by a sapping of strength and fatigue:
el sol los fue aturdiendo?
the close rela
(p. 51).
Emphasizing
tionship between horse and rider, the enervation of the men
extends to their horses, described at the end of the chapter
recuas? having ?ijares enjutados?
(Chapter XV) as ?agotadas
(p. 52). This recalls the ?escuetos jamelgos? of the beginning of
an ascendant-descendant
the chapter and establishes
(yet still
in the description of the horses, which
progressive) movement
in turn echoes the physical movement of the march of the revolu
tionaries:
?Todo el d?a caminaron por el ca??n,
subiendo y
cerros redondos?
thus
bajando
(p. 51). Animal
imagery
complements the recurrent motif of up and down movement
evident from the beginning of the novel.(8)
Horses
and horse imagery are central elements
in the
description of Demetrio's
storming of the heights of La Bufa at
Zacatecas, the culmination of the ascendant first part of the novel.
At the beginning of the chapter (XXI) Cervantes is knocked from
his horse, picked up by a mounted revolutionary, and is again
210
JSS.TC,
7,2(1979)
thrown to the ground along with the other rider. Cervantes'
ineffectiveness in the battle is thus mirrored in his twice being
This is emphasized when he explains his presence
unhorsed.
in his hiding place to Sol?s in their chance meeting on the battle
?-Me tir? el caballo; . . . ?Qu? pod?a yo hacer?? (p. 70).
field:
stand in
Demetrio's
bravery and superb horsemanship
Sol?s, in a frankly
incompetence.
striking contrast to Cervantes'
admiring tone that differs from his previous cynicism, describes
?'sin
Demetrio's
bravery in storming La Bufa to Cervantes:
a
ni
mucha
?rdenes
nadie,
esperar
grit?:
--?Arriba,
pedir
It is at
chos! . . . ?Qu? b?rbaro! -clam? asombrado'?
(p. 71).
in Sol?s'
this highpoint of the novel that Demetrio's
horse,
?'El caballo de Mac?as,
description, is radically transformed:
cual si en vez de pesu?as hubiese tenido garras de ?guila, trep?
The association
of eagle's
sobre estos pe?ascos'?
(p. 71).(9)
claws with the horse's hooves suggests the fighting strength of
And Demetrio,
that bird and the image of a winged horse.
on
his
shares
its
steed,
soaring
primitive might as
triumphant
?'Demetrio
lazaba
las
he defies the enemies' machine guns:
tirando de ellas cual si fuesen toros bravos'?
ametralladoras,
surge up the hill almost
(p. 72). Demetrio's men, emboldened,
like a force of nature:
arriba!'?
?'?Arriba,
gritaban sus hombres,
como
tras
las rocas, hombres y
sobre
venados,
?l,
siguiendo
bestias hechos uno,'? (p. 71). The fusion of men with animals
(?hombres y bestias hechos uno?) transforms them into centaurs
and in fact Centauro del Norte was a sobriquet given to Pancho
Villa, in whose army Demetrio and his men are fighting, and
whose military sucesses are largely attributable to his cavalry,
the Dorados.
There are several other instances in Part I of the novel in
which horses reflectmilitary strength and power as well as wealth,
and poverty. While Cervantes
and, conversely, powerlessness
is in the federal army, for example, a soldier confides in him
and his envy of the revolu
his unhappiness with the federales
tionaries through contrasting descriptions of horses:
?'aqu?llos
cabalgan lom?s granado de las caballerizas del Norte y del in
las guarniciones
. ., en
Nosotros,
?pst!.
terior,
de
sus
sardinas
caballos
buenas
pesan
para
alzar
de
pura
cubos
plata.
de noria'?
.
.
Cervantes expresses his initial
(all ellipses as in original, p. 24).
band by drawing a similar
disillusionment with Demetrio's
contrast, though with the terms inverted:
?'?En d?nde est?n
. . .?
esos hombres admirablemente
armados y montados
?Bah!
211
Murad
Una veintena de encuerados y piojosos, habiendo quien cabalgara
en una yegua decr?pita, matadura de la cruz a la cola'? (p. 29).
When Cervantes, in themountain village, tries to convince Camila
that she should respond to Demetrio's
overtures, he associates
wealth with horses:
?Tonta, Demetrio va a llegar a general,
va
a ser muy
rico.
. .Muchos
caballos,
muchas
alhajas'?
as in original, p. 47).
Part I of the novel, then, presents horses and man
in harmony
and,
moreover,
emphasizes
the
horse
as
a
(ellipsis
as being
source
of
Descriptions of horses accord well with the
strength and power.
ascendant trajectory of the first part of the novel.
In Part II, horse images and their symbolic import are
strikingly different. They symbolize the ?descenso al infierno de
la barbarie?(10) which characterizes this central section of Los de
The wild, uncontrollable, and brute nature of horses now
abajo.
The first chapter of Part II, which
predominates in descriptions.
and La Pintada (exemplars of the
introduces El g?ero Margarito
evil aspects of the Revolution) and presents the revolutionaries
carousing and bragging about killing, closes with the mad dash of
runaway horses, symbolizing the unleashing of base passions
?Fuera del restaurante no
(lusting, robbing, killing) of man:
cesan los gritos, las carcajadas
las
canciones de los ebrios.
y
Pasan soldados a caballo desbocado azotando las aceras? (p. 78).
Running out of control, these horses represent pent-up desires
house in Part II)
for vengeance (Demetrio burns Don M?nico's
and anticipate the uncontrolled ?animal nature? of many of the
cruelties that take place in Part 11.(11)
La Pintada's
horse, concentrating and at the same time
is one of the dominant images of
expanding these associations,
Part II. It first appears during the bachanalian feast celebrating
La pinta
Demetrio's promotion to general (Part II, Chapter III).
da interrupts the drunken toasts: ?pretend?a meter al comedor
una bell?sima yegua de un negro azabache.
-Mi
'avance'!
el cuello enarcado
-clamaba
del
palmoteando
?Mi 'avance'!
The jet black color of the horse hints
soberbio animal? (p. 84).
at the darker passions of man and at death; the horse belongs to
calls
La Pintada, the dissolute ?diabla,? as El g?ero Margarito
her (p. 85), who kills Camila. The tensely arched neck emphasizes
the barely restrained animal power of the horse.
In a highly symbolic scene, La Pintada makes the mare enter
the dining room of the opulent house the revolutionaries have
?La yegua se resit?a a franquear la puerta; pero un
appropriated:
212
JSS.TC,
7,2(1979)
tir?n del cabestro y un latigazo en el anca la hicieron entrar con
The entry of the horse into the
br?o y estr?pito? (pp. 84-85).
into
of the Revolution
dining room signifies the degeneration
In contrast to Part I where horses
seemingly wanton destruction.
in
in their natural element, the outdoors,
invariably appear
Part II they are frequently presented inside houses and buildings,
stressing the brute, animal nature of this phase of the Revolution.
This animal invasion of the human, ?civilized,? world is evident
when La Pintada sleeps on the living room floor where her mare
?dines:?
?dorm?a [la Pintada] cerca de Demetrio, sobre la alfom
bra y al pie de un confidente colmado de alfalfa y ma?z donde la
yegua negra cenaba?
(my emphasis, p. 87). The inversion of
terms inwhich words for the human ingestion of food are applied
to animals is repeated in the same chapter:
?el g?ero sal?a de la
rec?mara a darle de almorzar a su caballo? (my emphasis, p. 88).
The house in which the revolutionaries billet inMoyahua
gives
evidence of animal occupation:
?los pisos, demolidos por las
The black mare is omnipresent
pesu?as de las bestias? (p. 94).
or
in
the
house
outside
is unclear) for when Cervantes
(whether
a
and
chair
the
up
pulls
legs squeak ?la yegua prieta de la Pintada
once more,
InMoyahua,
buf?, se removi? en la sombra? (p. 94).
?El mostrador
horses are forcefully propelled into human space:
no pod?a contener m?s gente.
la Pintada y el g?ero
Demetrio,
sus
hab?an
afuera
caballos; pero los dem?s ofi
dejado
Margarito
ciales se hab?an metido brutalmente con todo y cabalgaduras?
(p. 99). Man and animal are intermixed in a confused mass:
?Los sombreros galoneados
de c?ncavas y colosales
faldas se
encontraban en vaiv?n constante; caracoleaban
las ancas de las
bestias, que sin cesar remov?an sus finas cabezas de ojazos negros,
and
narices palpitantes y orejas peque?as?
(p. 99). Human
animal sounds, the latter predominating, combine in a discordant
?Y en la infernal alharaca de los borrachos se o?a el
chorus:
de
los caballos, su rudo golpe de pesu?as en el pavimento
resoplar
y, de vez en vez, un relincho breve y nervioso? (p. 99).
Even when horses are in the outdoors, they are described as
For a brief moment, anticipating the
intractable or untamed.
to ?visit? Don M?nico,
return of the revolutionaries toMoyahua
as
men
is
their
?Como los
reflected
Demetrio's
horses:
gallop
joy
potros que relinchan y retozan a los primeros truenos de mayo, as?
in
van por la sierra los hombres de Demetrio?
(p. 89). More
keeping with the tone of Part II, however, is the description of
?El torbe
the revolutionaries' horses which opens Chapter IX:
Murad
213
llino del polvo, prolongado a buen trecho a lo largo de la carretera,
romp?ase bruscamente en masas difusas y violentas, y se destaca
ban pechos hinchados, crines revueltas, narices tr?mulas, ojos
ovoides, impetuosos, patas abiertas y como encogidas al impulso
de la carrera? (p. 101). The chaotic violence of the description
has led to its comparison with Picasso's
The
Guernica.(12)
same chapter (IX) presents barbarous aspects ofwar; the massacre
of practically defenseless federales
and of a priest and his
followers, the looting of the rectory, and El g?ero's cruel treatment
of a federal prisoner.
base
In keeping with the values-the
used
mare
is
a
with
La
Pintada's
black
passions-associated
horse,
when Demetrio sends Cervantes to deceive Camila and bring her
once
back (p. 97). While
camping on the way to Tepatitl?n,
?Tendidos
more, horses and men appear as a jumbled mass:
entre los surcos, dorm?an los soldados, y revueltos con ellos, los
caballos echados, ca?da la cabeza y cerrados los ojos? (p. 106).
In the chapter (XII) inwhich La Pintada kills Camila, Azuela uses
the two women's horses to foreshadow the killing:
?La Pintada
dispar? la suya [la yegua] y rapid?sima, al pasar atropellando a
Camila, la cogi? de la cabeza y le deshizo la trenza. Al empell?n,
la yegua de Camila se encabrit? y la muchacha
las
abandon?
riendas por quitarse los cabellos de la cara; vacil?, perdi? el equi
librio y cay? en un pedregal,
la frente? (p. 111).
rompi?ndose
The killing happens that same day (p. 113).
The physical and psychological havoc caused by the aimless
and useless marches and counter-marches of the revolutionaries
in Part II is reflected in the description of horses.
At one point
near the end of Part II, Demetrio observes:
?-Est?n muy estra
gadas las remudas, compadre Anastasio; bueno que nos quedemos
a descansar un d?a siquiera?
(p. 106). Upon continuing the
march, the dispirited state of the men and horses is evident in the
?sus siluetas [de los hombres]
monotonous gait of the animals:
ondulaban vagamente al paso mon?tono y acompasado
de las
cabeller?as, esfum?ndose en el tono perla de la luna en menguan
te? (p. 107).
In contrast to Part I, inwhich horses were presented as being
desirable, they are viewed as a possible source of harm in Part
II. Cervantes, who earlier had tried to entice Camila with horses,
now points to their harmful potential when he tries to convince
Demetrio that he should take money stolen from Don M?nico:
Una bala, el reparo de un
?'Hay que ver siempre adelante.
caballo, hasta un rid?culo resfr?o. . . ?yuna viuda y unos hu?rfanos
214
JSS.TC,
7,2(1979)
en lamiseria!'?
(ellipsis in original, p. 95).
the
Horses
appear
infrequently in Part III. Reflecting
considerable decline in the revolutionaries'
fortunes, the first
chapter of Part III presents Demetrio and his men not on horses
but on mules:
la cuesta, al tranco largo de las
?Ascend?an
mu?as, pensativos y cabizbajos?
(p. 124). Horses do appear, but
as
de las
blurs:
?el negrear movedizo
only
indistinguishable
the miniature horses of Part I,
caballer?as? (p. 125). Echoing
Valderrama, the mad poet, rides a ?caballuco? (p. 128) in Part III.
In contrast to La Pintada's
black mare, the white skeletons of
horses now predominate.
As the revolutionaries enter Juchipila,
?una que otra
empty store shelves bring to mind dead horses:
tienda
mostrar
que
permanec?a
abierta
era
como
por
sarcasmo,
para
sus desnudos
los blancos
armazones,
que recordaban
por todos los caminos?
esqueletos de los caballos diseminados
(p. 135). Demetrio's brief and painful reunion with his wife takes
place on foot, after he has given his horse to an assistant, thus
?Demetrio, que
conveying the abatement of unbridled passions:
hab?a dado su caballo al asistente, caminaba a pie y poco a poco
con su mujer? (p. 136). Tense with expectation, in a last flurry
before the end, horses trot through the mountains:
?Por la
cima de la sierra trotaban potrillos brutos de crines alzadas
y
con la gallard?a de los picachos
colas tensas, gallardos
que
levantaban su cabeza hasta besar las nubes? (p. 138).
These
?potrillos,? which signal Demetrio's final return to his homeland,
recall the ?potros? (p. 89) associated with the revolutionaries'
earlier return toMoyahua,
the ?tierra de Demetrio Mac?as?
(p.
89).
Although the horse is the predominant animal image in Los
de abajo, Azuela also uses other animals to serve symbolic
functions. The attribution of eagle qualities to Demetrio's
horse
during the taking of La Bufa is an example of bird imagery in the
novel.
In Chapter I Demetrio's dog Palomo evokes an ideal and
idyllic background (Palomo; the dove, paloma, as a bird of peace,
and the dog as a faithful companion ofman)(13) against which the
action of the novel unfolds.
The positive value of the image of
Palomo is confirmed by its ironical inversion when the drunk
federal lieutenant importunes Demetrio's wife immediately after
she has dragged the dead Palomo, shot by the federal soldiers,
to the house:
?'yo te juro volverte tu casa un palomar'?
(my
emphasis, p. 6). Doves appear closely associated with Demetrio
in several other instances. While
in the mountain
waiting
Murad
215
village for his wound to heal, Demetrio is given a folk cure by Se?a
Remigia consisting of applying the warm and bloody halves of a
The fact that the
freshly split dove to his abdomen (pp. 32-33).
cure is unsuccessful-whereas
Luis Cervantes'
medical-school
that
it
successful-and
is
knowledge
requires killing the dove
seems to underscore Demetrio's uprooting from his previous cam
pesino lifemuch as the killing of Palomo mirrors the destruction of
his pre-revolutionary world.
Demetrio's moving and nostalgic
evocation of his rancho (phrased, significantly, in the past imper
fect tense) which he gives shortly afterwards (p. 42), clearly
At
expresses his own realization of this uprooting from his past.
the end of the novel Demetrio dies while doves sweetly coo:
?Las
palomas cantan con dulzura en las rinconadas de las rocas? (p.
in the novel from life to death is thus
140). Demetrio's passage
of images
effectively accompanied
by the inverse movement
involving doves from the killing of Palomo to the now alive and
The repetition at the end of the novel of the
singing doves.
animal imagery with which it opened marks the return of the
narrative to its starting point.
The circular movement
from favorable and sympathetic
bird images in Part I to unfavorable and adverse ones in Part II
and back to positive images in Part III, confirms both their
in Part
symbolic meaning and structural role. When Camila,
is not interested in her, but rather
I, realizes that Cervantes
advises her to involve herself with Demetrio, she breaks into tears.
A sympathetic personification of a torcaz echoes, perhaps
a
little too obviously, her grief:
?una torcaz llor? tambi?n? (p. 48).
In the next to last chapter of Part I, Alberto Solis describes Villa,
with somewhat ironic hyperbole, as ?'el ?guila
azteca, que ha
clavado su pico de acero sobre la cabeza de la v?bora de Victoriano
Huerta'?
(p. 67). Villa's airplanes, in the words of an anonymous
are
speaker,
p?jaros and the grenades thrown from them are corn
being scattered for gallinas (p. 69), that is, the cowardly federal
In the last chapter of Part I, as previously pointed
soldiers.(14)
out, Solis describes how Demetrio storms the heights of La Bufa
on a horse possessing
the attributes of an eagle.
Demetrio's
command to his men, ?--?Arriba!? (p. 71), and its repetition by
them, although related to the storming of the promontory, also
suggest soaring flight.
The uplifting image of the eagle is immediately and sharply
contrasted in the next chapter, the first of Part II, by El g?ero
characterization of two federal officers whom he shot
Margarito's
216
JSS.TC,
7, 2(1979)
as ?gallinas asustadas?
(p. 74). The cowardice of the federal
soldiers is also evident in their comparison to ?guajolotes?
(p.
100). Later, el g?ero refers, with cruel and cutting irony, to a
federal prisoner as a ?gallo? (p. 102).(15)
are central to the
Bird images associated with Demetrio
in Part I he was
descendant movement of Part II. Whereas
linkened to an eagle, he now has the eyes of an ?aguilucho?
(p.
80). During the celebration of his feat of arms at Zacatecas
and his promotion to general, he fixes his ?mirada de ave de
Cervantes
novia. When
(p. 83) on Luis Cervantes'
rapi?a?
presents him with the insignia of his new rank, a small brass
--?Y qu? voy a
eagle, Demetrio reacts ?con mucha ingenuidad:
hacer yo con este zopilote??
(my emphasis, p. 84). Demetrio's
ill concealed concupiscence
and the change from his eagle-like
horse inPart I to his own characterization of his general's insignia
as a vulture (usually associated with death, carrion, and refuse)
reflect the descent of the Revolution into cruelty, looting, rapine,
and wanton killing which takes place in Part II. For instance,
shortly afterDemetrio receives his ?zopilote,? the revolutionaries
reduce a house ofDon M?nico's
that they are occupying to a refuse
the
heap (pp. 94-95). Again, on the train to Aguascalientes
is accompanied
jumble of men and women
by the presence of
These last, the parrots, are suggestive
dogs, cats, and parrots.
of the old woman who, begging for money, automatically ?par
rots?(16) her sad story of having been robbed in the Silao train
station. The incident with the old woman takes place in the last
chapter of Part II and contributes to the impression that the actions
of the revolutionaries have degenerated
into mindless
and
automatic rote reflexes.
This impression is strengthened by
the discussion on the train about stealing, occasioned
by the
woman's story--?El tema del 'yo rob?'? (p. 120). The structural
function of the discussion, appearing in the last chapter of Part II,
is evident for itparallels that about killing-?'Yo mat?'...
El tema
es inagotable? (p. 78)-which opens and closes the first chapter of
Part U. And the two topics-killing and stealing-are
repetitions
and expansions of the condensed, prophetic words of Sol?s in the
?'la psicolog?a de nuestra raza [resplan
last chapter of Part I:
en
condensada
dos
dece],
(pp. 72-73).
palabras:
?robar,matar!'?
The generally depreciatory function of bird imagery in Part
II carries over to the first chapters of Part III. Thus Valderrama,
uses gallinas
as had El g?ero Margarito,
(p. 125) to indicate
In themiddle of the third chapter, telling use ismade
cowardice.
Murad
217
of a cockfight to convey the savagery of man; normal terms are
inverted and the fight is described as being ?de una ferocidad casi
humana? (p. 130).(17)
In the last three chapters of the novel, however, favorable bird
images appear in rapid succession, marking a shift in narrative
and cruelties of the
focus away from the aimless wanderings
revolutionaries and preparing the way for Demetrio's
highly
In Chapter V, when the revolutionaries enter
symbolic death.
Juchipila theyfind destruction, desolation, and ruin accompanied
by the melancholy chorus of feminine voices in the town church.
This human sadness is strongly contrasted with the singing of
?Y en la tristeza y deso
birds, mentioned twice in one sentence:
laci?n del pueblo, mientras cantan las mujeres en el templo, los
pajarillos no cesan de piar en las arboledas, ni el canto de las
currucas deja de o?rse en las ramas secas de los naranjos? (p. 136).
The insistence on bird imagery to contrast with human destruction
is suggestive of Demetrio's
imminent and inevitable r?int?gration
into a natural cycle of life. This is reinforced in the next chapter
which presents Demetrio's anguished reunion with his wife.
The
reunion takes place against a backdrop of storm clouds and rain.
As the rain ceases, a silver breasted swallow ascends the sparkling
vientre y alas angulosas
sky: ?una golondrina de plateado
cruza oblicuamente los hilos de cristal, de repente iluminados por
el sol vespertino? (p. 137). The ascent of the swallow prefigures
Demetrio's death and the ascent of his soul to heaven.(18)
In
the last chapter Demetrio dies as doves sweetly coo.
Characters in Los de abajo are associated and compared not
only with horses and birds but with several other animals as
These other animal references, which can be found in
well.(19)
the portrayal of actions and aspects of character or in descriptions
of physical appearances
and objects, appear in isolation and do
not, therefore, form unified progressions as is the case with horses
and birds. They do conform, however, with few exceptions,
to the general pattern of positive references in Part I, negative
ones inPart H, and, once again, favorable ones at the end.
at the beginning of the
Demetrio, climbing the mountains
novel, is like an ?hormiga arriera? (p. 9); a characterization
In Part II, his loss of
connoting persistence and perseverance.
a ?puerco gordo?
is
evident
La
him
when
Pintada
calls
impetus
(p. 81). His animalistic nature is further stressed when, forcibly
she pre
disarmed after attempting to shoot La Pintada because
vented him from entering the room of Cervantes' novia, he faces
218
JSS.TC,
7,2(1979)
those who have disarmed him like a ?toro a media plaza [con] los
ojos extraviados? (p. 87). Bull imagery is again used when De
metrio shoots a recent recruit who disobeys his order not to sack
?un disparo instant?neo lo hace caer como
Don M?nico's
house:
los toros heridos por la puntilla? (p. 93).
It also emphasizes
the
unbridled nature of the celebration feast after the victory of
Zacatecas:
taurina.
?Rompi? la orquesta una rumbosa marcha
Los soldados bramaron de alegr?a?
(my emphasis,
p. 83).
Previously, in Part I, reflecting the festive mood of the first
encounter, La Codorniz had played the torero:
?surgi? de
improviso, en cueros, con los calzones tendidos en actitud de
torear a los federales? (p. 14).
In both the first and last battles,
Demetrio
is portrayed making animal sounds:
?rugi? (p. 14);
In another military context,
?ruge . . . como una fiera? (p. 139).
Demetrio explains the tactics he will use in taking the town by an
? '?Ha visto c?mo sacan la cabeza
analogy from the animal world:
las ardillas por la boca del tusero cuando uno se los llena de agua?
Pues igual de aturdidos van a salir estos mochitos infelices
luego
No salen m?s que a servirnos
que oigan los primeros disparos.
de blanco'? (p. 53). And La Codorniz, reacting to the news of
Villa's defeat, expresses the common desire for disbandment and
flight:
hebra!...
?--?Pos
?(p.
hora
129).
s?,
muchachos.
.
.
cada
ara?a
por
su
Snake imagery effectively conveys the magnetism
of Villa:
?el guerrero invicto que ejerce a distancia ya su gran fascinaci?n
de boa? (p. 67). Huerta, as previously pointed out, is called a
?v?bora? (p. 67). By using the same animal imagery to describe
an identity
establishes
political and military enemies, Azuela
between them.(20)
Cervantes
his
of La
expresses
perception
Pintada as an evil influence on Demetrio by referring to her as a
She is also described as a scorpion. When she
?sierpe? (p. 96).
cruelly tells Camila that Demetrio is going to send her away and
it subsequently proves untrue, La Pintada
?se volvi? alacr?n?
(p. 107), thus succinctly indicating that her intended cruelty had
backfired and that she had stung herself like a
In a
scorpion.
similar vein, El g?ero calls her a ?chinche? (p. 114).
A final example of animal imagery can be seen in the several
In the first encounter with the federal
metaphors for bullets.
reacts to a hail of bullets:
soldiers, Anastasio Monta??s
?-?Huy !
?Huy! Parece que me echaron un panel de moscos en la cabeza?
In the taking of the town, the townsman
(p. 14).
guiding
Demetrio and his men says of pistol shots:
?'?sas no son ara?as
219
Murad
calls
Solis, on the battlefield at Zacatecas,
que pican!'? (p. 55).
The irony of
passing bullets ?'mosquitos zumbadores'?
(p. 73).
his death is underscored by the repetition of the sound:
?Sinti?
un golpecito
. . .
en el vientre.
seco
le zumbaron
Luego
. .
los o?dos.
. .? (my emphasis,
all
y silencio eternos.
Despu?s,
ellipses, except first, as in original, p. 73). In Lagos, El g?ero,
in swaggering and blustering macho fashion, shoots at the feet
of customers in a restaurant. When one of them limps away,
La Codorniz observes:
?'a ?se que va saliendo le prendi? la
oscuridad
avispa'? (p. 116).
The animal imagery used by Azuela en Los de abajo grows
naturally out of the rural, campesino, and charro milieu of the
It plays an essential
characters.
of
part in the depiction
the
vivid presentation
of events, and aids in the
character,
achievement of verisimilitude.
In each case, the image chosen or
the comparison made accords well with the particular aspect
of character or plot situation being emphasized.
Horses
and
birds, the principal animal images of the novel, appear in pat
terned progressions which closely correspond to, and stress, the
circular development of the story. With this unusual and inspired
use of animal imagery, Azuela greatly contributes to the narrative
harmony and structural unity of Los de abajo. (21)
NOTAS
1.
See Porfirio S?nchez,
Cuadernos
?La deshumanizaci?n
1 (1974),
192, No.
Americanos,
inter?s art?stico de las ri?as de gallos
Romanische
Sombra,?
?Funci?n
de
la naturaleza
194-201; Didier
abajo,?
Cuadernos
?La estructura
(1967),
Modern
de Los
?pica
76
and
Novel
de
183, No.
de
Joseph
abajo
4
y realidad
(1972),
y un pr?logo
Sommers,
(Albuquerque:
Cuadernos
ideal
University
y Don
Andris
abajo,?
?El
Segundo
Kleinbergs,
169, N.
Americanos,
en Los
antag?nica
231-243;
50
Hispania,
Landmarks
of New Mexico
2
de
Menton,
Seymour
especulativo,?
the Storm:
After
de
Rodr?guez-Alcal?,
163-168;
(1964),
abajo,?
?Realidad
Americanos,
1001-1011;
Mexican
en Los
Ja?n,
179-191; Hugo
en Los de abajo, La vor?gine
Forschungen,
(1970),
en Los
del hombre
of the
Press,
1968),
pp. 10-11.
2.
Seymour Menton,
function of animal
?La estructura
imagery when
?pica
he mentions
de Los
de
rats and
abajo,?
dogs
touches
along
on
with
this
other
220
JSS.TC,
motifs
and observes
that ?la unidad
of natural phenomena
and animal
references-the
Aniceto
For
175-176.
Aramoni:
Psicoan?lisis
Aramoni,
tierra de hombres.
this and
Cap?tulo
de
IV, ?Caballer?a
charros y el machismo;?
Editor,
Cap?tulo
?El corrido,
la canci?n
M?xico
168-169,
137-143,
?Pancho
V,
work
by
Villa,
los
same
in the
y charrer?a;?
VI,
Cap?tulo
(p. 1010).
un pueblo:
de
also
is of dogs
given
1965), pp.
see
observations,
ensuing
that the repetition
only example
de la epopeya?
la din?mica
B. Costa-Amic,
{M?xico:
[estos] motivos
con
further notes
He
?otras vigas para reforzar la estructura
constitutes
3.
libro se refuerza
del
o del futuro? (p. 1009).
tem?ticos del pasado
7,2(1979)
y el machis
ranchera
mo.?
4.
Mariano
Fondo
references
tolos
5.
Los de abajo:
Azuela,
(M?xico:
de Cultura
Mariano
(New York:
for the soldiers'
?The
horses
which
and Beatrice
Texas:
opposite
interprets
soldiers
interpretation:
?The
Federals
had
the search
retreated
Kellam
Frances
Revolution:
Azuela
by Mariano
1963),
by
of World
to the horses
began
of the Mexican
and The Underdogs,
of Trinity University,
Press
Revolution,
Library
in the sierra.?
trans., Two Novels
Family
Principia
hidden
in the text.
as referring
Demetrio
retreated;
All
7.
p.
confirm the ambiguity.
American
the sentence
had
had been
Berler,
of a Respectable
The Trials
Antonio,
1964),
of theMexican
of The
3rd ed.
Mexicana,
Popular,
de abajo
A Novel
Classic
Signet
Inc., 1962), p. 26,
of the federal soldiers:
Hendricks
of Los
translations
Jr., trans., The Underdogs:
Azuela
Literature,
la Revoluci?n
Colecci?n
de abajo will be from this edition and will appear
two extant English
The
E. Mungu?a,
de
Novela
Econ?mica,
(San
170, give
p.
the
recovered
and Demetrio
all his horses
in the sierra.?
hidden
The choice of interpretations
is of some,
an
There
is
in the descriptions
ascendant progression
minor,
though
importance.
of horses as Demetrio and his men play an ever greater role in the Revolution.
If
one interprets the sentence as does Mungu?a,
an association with the previously
mentioned
?caballos
to the horses
caballos
becomes
pretation,
The
progression
have
of Demetrio
his men,
The
descriptions.
the (small)
size of the horses
horseless
up
been
?La estructura
Menton,
7.
The association
?pica,?
as well
The
the generic
former inter
as the fact that the
to this point, fits the progression
the existence
more
of a
p. 1004.
of these qualities
(New York:
it as referring
interprets
and
latter interpretation does not, however, negate
and can as easily be taken as its starting point.
6.
in Apocalypse
If one
is established.
unmentioned)
the starting point for successive
by emphasizing
revolutionaries
neatly.
de miniatura?
(previously
with
Viking
red
Press,
is traditional.
1966),
the god of war.
is seen in the first chapters:
8. This movement
ascenso?
a bajar?
(p. 9); ?comenz?
(p. 9); ?lleg?
pp.
D. H.
97-99,
Lawrence,
associates
red
horses with Mars,
horas de
?despu?s de muchas
al fondo del barranco?
(p. 9);
221
Murad
the revolu
?como hormiga arriera ascendi??
la cumbre?
(p. 10);
(p. 9); ?escal?
tionaries are above the federales
who are in the bottom of the canyon
at the end of the fight, ?se dej?
skirmish (pp. 12-14); Demetrio,
barranco?
simas?
9.
then goes
(p. 15); the band
up
on which Demetrio
tecas; his dark chestnut
attacked
and potency, having
the horse's
However,
been
continue
established,
horse.
present description of Demetrio's
10. Menton,
?La estructura, ? p. 1005, relates
girl friend's
tearing pictures
out of a deluxe
imagery further confirms Menton's
These
r?n's La
tural
. .
sue?o:
of strength
qualities
as augmentative
Porfirio S?nchez,
Didier
to La Codorniz'
this appraisal
violento/
nos Americanos,
14.
?La deshumanizaci?n
192, No.
1 (1974),
recall the opening verses of Calde
. . ./ y bruto sin instinto/ na
de
de
Aramoni, Psicoan?lisis
la Barca,
S. A.,
1955),
del hombre
en Los de abajo,
? Cuader
antag?nica
en Los de abajo,
? Cuader
189.
ideal y realidad
1972), pp. 233-234.
183 (julio-agosto,
the importance-the
young
Horse
Comedy.
appraisal.
?Hipogrifo
Ja?n, ?Realidad
in the
elements
Calder?n
te desbocas,
arrastras y despe?as??
./[?d?nde?]/
es sue?o, ed. Augusto
Cortina
(Madrid:
Espasa-Calpe,
nos Americanos,
at Zaca
the revolutionaries
evocative
p.3.
13.
un
of the
explanation
edition of the Divine
in both form and function,
horses,
vida es
vida
12.
hacia
empinad?
in the battle
now takes part
shot from under him when
had been
the town (p. 54).
offers no
of the novel
structuring
elliptical
of the horse
provenance
La
?por cuestas
into the sierra
(p. 16).
Azuela's
11.
in the first
resbalar
la din?mica
to being
honor-attached
de un pueblo,
a gallo,
pp.
216-218,
and, conversely,
discusses
the disgrace
of being a gallina.
15.
Aramoni,
self-assurance
pp.
a gallo should have, such as
the federal prisoner does not possess.
the qualities
discusses
208-209,
and a disdain
for death, which
Azue
translation (Mungu?a, trans., The Underdogs,
by Mariano
Munguia's
la), p. 126, gives ?The old woman speaks rapidly, parrotlike, sighing and sobbing.?
16.
The original Spanish,
suspira
y solloza.?
original,
p. 119, reads:
?La vieja habla
de prisa y autom?ticamente,
a bird
comparison with
of the woman are present
the direct
While
the birdlike
is lacking
in the
of her
in the description
qualities
?Sus ojos, muy vivos, se vuelven de todos lados,? p. 119.
of the incident, see Hugo
17. For an extended
discussion
Rodr?guez-Alcal?,
?El inter?s art?stico de las ri?as de gallos en Los de abajo, La vor?gine y Don Se
darting eyes:
gundo Sombra.
18.
19.
Menton.
For
Menton,
179,
182,
?Romanische
?La estructura,?
the mention
Forschungen,
p. 1005.
of several
?La estructura,?
186, 187; and
pp.
76 (1964),
animals-dogs,
1009-1010;
Sommers,
After
163-168.
coyotes,
S?nchez,
the Storm,
?La
pp.
jackals,
and
rats-see
deshumanizaci?n,?
10-11.
Having
pp.
been
222 JSS.TC, 7,2(1979)
pointed out, the existence
20.
Menton,
?La
of these animal
estructura,?
p.
federales
and
references
1004, has
need not be reiterated.
pointed
distinguish
between
and Huerta
confirm that observation.
21.
that of horses and birds-as
imagery-particularly
seem to substantiate and confirm Menton's
basic
Animal
here would
revolutionaries.
out how
These
Azuela
descriptions
it has been
thesis
does
not
of Villa
studied
in ?La estruc
tura ?pica? that Los de abajo
is a structured, harmonic, and unified work of art.
that I owe
It is toMenton's
seminal article and to my colleague, Armando Zarate,
the initial insights for the present
study.