Mariano Azuela’s The Underdogs: A Novel of the Mexican Revolution first appeared in a newspaper serialization in 1915, was published in its complete form in 1920, and was first translated into English in 1929. The Underdogs is considered among the finest works of fiction to focus on the Mexican Revolution. The author served as a medic in the conflict, bringing authenticity and insight to the story. The book can be read as a critique of tyranny, of the revolution, or of the reasons why even well-intentioned revolutions can fail. Set against the backdrop of one man’s experience, it explores themes of nationalism, poverty, loyalty, and oppression.

Plot Summary

Demetrio Macías is a farmer and peasant in Mexico. After a misunderstanding with a powerful man in a saloon, Demetrio is forced go into hiding, abandoning his wife and infant child. Government forces (the Federals) burn down his house, igniting a quest for vengeance. A charismatic man, Demetrio easily recruits others to his cause.

What starts as a personal revenge story transforms into a struggle against the oppressive Mexican government of President Victoriano Huerta. Various characters have different perspectives on the Revolution and why it is necessary. The most significant of these is Luis Cervantes, a young medical student and journalist who joins Demetrio’s rebels after previously criticizing them in newspapers.

The majority of the novel follows Demetrio and his men across the Mexican sierra as they fight in numerous skirmishes. As their victories and casualties mount, the men under Demetrio grow more violent and unruly. By the end of the novel, their arrival in a town is cause for fear rather than celebration. Demetrio’s men begin to rape and murder with impunity, ransacking towns and butchering peasants for minor annoyances. They become like the Federals whom they fought against on behalf of the peasants.

Near the end of the novel, Demetrio has a chance to reunite with his wife. He chooses to continue fighting, despite no longer knowing why he does so. War is presented as an inexorable force that sweeps men up and drags them along to their deaths as it robs them of their agency.