Heroes or Criminals?

One of the main themes of the book is the nature of Demetrio's men and the rebel cause in general during the Mexican Revolution. At the beginning of the book they are hailed as heroes in the towns where they arrive. Everyone has a hatred of the Federals; Federals, or so is the perception, are the ones who force men unwillingly into its armies, who loot indiscriminately, and who kidnap daughters and wives, and it is the rebels who fight heroically for the people against tyranny. Yet from the very first appearance of Luis Cervantes, the author problematizes these easy characterizations. Luis wants to join the rebels and is shot in the foot, held in a pigpen, and nearly dies for his efforts. Instead of the noble soldiers he envisioned, Luis sees the men for what they are—peasants in ragged clothes. Indeed, as the...