Brief retelling of the Mexican. Jack London - Mexican

19.09.2020

A sullen, thin, dark-skinned gringo who appears at the beginning of the story. To the reader he seems like an episodic character. In one of the revolutionary headquarters, where all goals are for the liberation of the humiliated and insulted, an atmosphere of wariness and suspicion reigns. New person He came on his own, without asking for money, and took on the dirtiest work. The author deliberately aggravates the antipathy towards the 18-year-old guy, emphasizing his “poisonous, snake-like look in his black eyes.” But the fact that Felipe Rivera is a real hero will not be revealed immediately.

Retrospectively, John London reveals the reasons for Rivera's unusual behavior: the death of his parents from gendarme bullets, a thirst for revenge and a willingness to make any sacrifice for the sake of revenge. “This is for the revolution!” - says the guy, cleaning out the spittoons. It's hard to love such a hero. But the author does not strive for this.

They will love the winner. Circumstances can turn everything upside down. Public favorite champion boxer Dani Ward should be a beaten youngster in the ring and this will happen, even Rivera is destined to stand in the ring for 17 rounds. The referee counts to nine. You need to have time to get up and fight. This is how money was obtained for the revolution.

The background of the story about the boxer River

The uprising of 1910 was massive. The unrest was supported by patriotic latifundists. The confrontation between the government and the masses was caused, first of all, by increased American interference in the internal affairs of Mexico (an agreement was concluded on the creation of a US Navy base in the Mexican Magdalena Bay). The protracted rule of 83-year-old dictator Porfirio Duarte has hampered reform of society. Duarte's victory in the 1910 elections was considered fraudulent. The third reason was the outflow of peasants from the villages as a result of the crop failure of 1910. Hunger gave rise to unemployment, vagrancy, and banditry.

Porfirio Duarte emigrated from Mexico to France in June 1910, and the opposition led by Francisco Madera came to power. The long journey of the Liberal Party of Mexico, founded in 1901 (renamed the Liberal Junta in 1906), was crowned with success.

The boxing match described in Jack London's story may have taken place after the events of June 10, 1910, when the Ciudad Juarez customs station on the Mexican-American border was captured by rebels. The way has opened for arms supplies. But arms dealers had to be paid.

Riots, coups and wars continued until 1920. The revolution claimed the lives of 2 million people in a country of 15 million. In 1917, on February 5, the Mexican Constitution was adopted - the most progressive set of laws in the whole world of the first half of the 20th century. It is still valid today.

Jack London's political views

Socialist Jack London could not help but respond in his work to the events of the Mexican Revolution. John Griffith Cheney (the writer's real name), who took part in the march of the unemployed on Washington in 1894, carries out instructions for the Socialist Party of America (from 1901 to 1914).

Main character"Mexican" helps the revolution by becoming an uncomplaining floor cleaner in the newspaper office. This is exactly how Jack London himself earned his living after serving 30 days in prison for participating in a demonstration. After his release, Griffith Cheney, being 4 years older than his classmates, sits in classes at school, delivers ice, serves in a bowling alley, managing to study and feed himself, his mother and sisters. What is written in the story about Felipe Rivera “put a thousand two-cent marks on May Sethby’s desk” - a picture from the author’s biography.

London did not participate in boxing matches, but worked as selflessly as the hero of “The Mexican.” Especially when I was preparing to enter the University of California. The future student is ridiculed by his classmates for his ragged appearance. In 1996, Jack became a university student and wrote a lot. There is no free time, it is spent on cheap extra money. The “gold rush” promises a thirst for quick riches. Having dropped out of university, Jack London and his comrades carry their equipment to the source of the Yukon River. But the land of the plot turned out to be empty.

Writing success

Fortune smiled on the writer after writing a series of stories. Writing enriched no less than gold mines. The former hard worker turned into an oligarch and began to listen to the voices of the once “enemy side.”

Jack London at the end of his life (1916) became an adherent of centrist views. Contemporaries even testified to London's pro-racist statements.

The story “The Mexican” in the context of world literature

London's story "The Mexican" was included in the collection "Born in the Night", published in 1913 - two years after it was written, but still remaining relevant. The revolution either died down or flared up more intensely due to strife between parties. Jack London, who served as a war correspondent during the Russo-Japanese War, could have written a vivid account of the confrontation of forces with an accurate description of the theater of war. But the writer narrowed the conflict to a fist fight. As a result, the revolution became an extremely personal matter, a physiological need, a form of struggle for survival. Wounds, blood, pain and fainting are described in a naturalistic manner - everything that the author himself experienced more than once.

Brought up on the refined works for the bourgeoisie of the Englishman Kipling, the American London learned a lot from the works of his idol. London absorbed, as Boston's critics put it, "the power of imagination and dramatic intensity of Kipling." With the difference that London has a special “admiration of heroism.”

False feelings and far-fetched plots of America at the end of the 19th century bored both readers and editors. The American public had new idols: O. Henry, Dreiser, Jack London. In 1921, the star of the American painter George Bellows broke out. The themes of the paintings are portraits of workers, strikes, boxing matches.

"Petrel of the Revolution" Maxim Gorky visits the USA in 1906. The poetic style of the author of “The Song of the Falcon” was liked by the literary elite, and Jack London was delighted with the novel “Foma Gordeev”. Gorky follows the work of London, writes reviews of the works of like-minded people overseas. Both are characterized by romanticization of reality, even if reality is the bottom. The once revered Kipling began to come under attack, even from Jack London. But in “The Mexican” Kiplin’s voice clearly sounds:

“...Be able to put, in joyful hope,
On the card is everything that I have saved with difficulty,
Lose everything, and become a beggar, as before,
And never regret it!”
(R. Kipling, “The Commandment”, published 1910)

One day a new person appeared at the headquarters, not yet known to anyone. His name, as he quickly introduced himself, was Felipe Rivera. He also said that he wanted to work very hard for the benefit of the revolution, and therefore asked to be accepted into their community.

But at first no one wanted to believe this guy, because they thought that he was a real detective and agent of Diaz. And even though the guy turned out to be very patriotic and loving his homeland, no one loved him for that. Because he was gloomy, and not only in appearance, but even more in character. It seemed as if in the eyes of the guy, who was half Indian and half Mexican, there was a hidden quiet, but very ardent anger, which, like a snake, could bite at the most inopportune moment.

A guy named Felipe started working for the revolution from the Junta office, that is, where all the participants, who were very patriotic, were located. They didn’t know where this strange guy slept, and they didn’t know where he ate either. The junta always needed money, and the more it was, the better for the revolution. So when this guy, half Mexican, paid sixty dollars in gold coins, they were very surprised. But, despite the fact that he continued to shell out his big money for various needs of the Junta, no one was able to love him again.

It turned out that this guy loved boxing. He even took part in boxing fights, and always won, because although he was skinny, he was still strong and very hot-tempered. And therefore, with such a character, he always had the strength to hit as hard as he could. He had already been offered to be a boxer, but Felipe was only interested in the revolution. That's where he got his money from boxing.

Picture or drawing of a Mexican

The background of the story about the boxer River

Jack London's political views

The main character of The Mexican helps the revolution by becoming an uncomplaining floor cleaner in the newspaper office. This is exactly how Jack London himself earned his living after serving 30 days in prison for participating in a demonstration. After his release, Griffith Cheney, being 4 years older than his classmates, sits in classes at school, delivers ice, serves in a bowling alley, managing to study and feed himself, his mother and sisters. What is written in the story about Felipe Rivera “put a thousand two-cent marks on May Sethby’s desk” - a picture from the author’s biography.

Writing success

Jack London at the end of his life (1916) became an adherent of centrist views. Contemporaries even testified to London's pro-racist statements.

The story “The Mexican” in the context of world literature

“...Be able to put, in joyful hope,
On the card is everything that I have saved with difficulty,
Lose everything, and become a beggar, as before,
And never regret it!”
(R. Kipling, “The Commandment”, published 1910)

Jack London

Mexican

Nobody knew his past, and even less so the people from the Junta. He was their “little mystery,” their “great patriot,” and in his own way worked for the coming Mexican revolution no less zealously than they did. This was not recognized immediately, because the Junta did not like him. On the day he first appeared in their crowded room, everyone suspected him of being a spy - one of Diaz's paid agents. After all, how many comrades were scattered throughout the civil and military prisons of the United States! Some of them were shackled, but even shackled they were transported across the border, lined up against the wall and shot.

At first glance, the boy made an unfavorable impression. It was really a boy, no more than eighteen years old, and not too tall for his age. He announced that his name was Felipe Rivera and that he wanted to work for the revolution. That's it - no more words, no further explanation. He stood and waited. There was no smile on his lips, no greeting in his eyes. Tall, swift Paulino Vera shuddered internally. This boy seemed withdrawn and gloomy to him. Something poisonous and serpentine lurked in his black eyes. A cold fire burned within them, a huge, concentrated anger. The boy turned his gaze from the revolutionaries to the typewriter, on which little Mrs. Sethby was busily tapping away. His eyes stopped on her for a moment, she caught this look and also felt a nameless something that forced her to interrupt what she was doing. She had to re-read the letter she had typed to get back into the rhythm of her work. Paulino Vera looked questioningly at Arellano and Ramos, who in turn looked questioningly at him and then at each other. Their faces expressed indecision and doubt. This thin boy was the Unknown, and the Unknown, full of menace. He was an incomprehensible mystery to all these revolutionaries, whose fierce hatred of Diaz and his tyranny was, after all, only the feeling of honest patriots. There was something else here that they didn't know. But Vera, the most impulsive and decisive of all, broke the silence.

Great,” he said coldly, “you said you want to work for the revolution.” Take off your jacket. Hang it over there. Come on, I'll show you where the bucket and rag are. You see, our floor is dirty. You'll start by giving it a good wash, and the other rooms too. The spittoons need to be cleaned. Then you'll work on the windows.

Is this for the revolution? - asked the boy.

Yes, for the revolution,” answered Paulino. Rivera looked at them all with cold suspicion and began to take off his jacket.

Okay, he said.

And nothing else. Day after day he came to work - sweeping, scrubbing, cleaning. He raked out the ashes from the stoves, brought in coal and kindling, and lit the fire before the most diligent of them sat down at his desk.

Can I spend the night here? - he asked one day.

Yeah! So they showed up - Diaz's claws. Spending the night in the premises of the Junta means finding access to its secrets, to lists of names, to addresses of comrades in Mexico. The request was rejected and Rivera never renewed it. They did not know where he slept; They also didn’t know when or where he ate. One day Arellano offered him a few dollars. Rivera shook his head in refusal. When Vera intervened and began to persuade him, he said:

I work for the revolution.

It takes a lot of money to start a revolution in our time, and the Junta was constantly in straitened circumstances. The members of the Junta were starving, but spared no effort for the cause; the longest day was not long enough for them, and yet at times it seemed that to be or not to be a revolution was a matter of a few dollars. One day, when the rent for the first time had not been paid for two months and the landlord was threatening eviction, none other than Felipe Rivera, a scrubber in miserable, cheap, threadbare clothes, deposited sixty gold dollars on May Sethby's desk. This began to repeat itself in the future. Three hundred typed letters (appeals for help, appeals to workers' organizations, objections to newspaper articles misreporting events, protests against judicial arbitrariness and persecution of revolutionaries in the United States) lay unposted, awaiting stamps. Vera's watch, an old-fashioned gold repeater watch that had belonged to his father, had disappeared. The simple gold ring from May Sethby's hand also disappeared. The situation was desperate. Ramos and Arel-lano hopelessly pulled at their long mustaches. Letters must be posted, and the post office does not give stamps on credit. Then Rivera put on his hat and went out. When he returned, he deposited a thousand two-cent marks on May Sethby's desk.

Isn't this the cursed gold of Diaz? - Vera said to his comrades. They raised their eyebrows and said nothing. And Felipe Rivera, who washed the floor for the revolution, continued to lay out gold and silver for the needs of the Junta as needed.

And yet they could not bring themselves to love him. They didn't know this boy. His habits were completely different from theirs. He did not indulge in frankness. He rejected all attempts to get him to talk, and they did not have the courage to question him.

Perhaps a great and lonely spirit... I don’t know, I don’t know! - Arellano spread his hands helplessly.

There’s something inhuman about him,” Ramos noted.

“Everything in his soul has become dull,” said May Sethby. - Light and laughter seem to be burned into her. He is a dead man, and at the same time you feel some terrible vitality in him.

Rivera went through hell,” Paulino said. - A person who has not gone through hell cannot be like that, and he is still a boy.

And yet they could not love him. He never talked, never asked questions, never expressed his opinions. He could stand motionless - an inanimate object, except for his eyes, which burned with a cold fire - while the debate about the revolution grew louder and hotter. His eyes pierced the faces of the speakers like red-hot drills, they confused and disturbed them.

“He is not a spy,” Vera said, turning to May Sethby. - He is a patriot, mark my words! The best patriot of us all! I feel it in my heart and head. And yet I don't know him at all.

He has a bad temper,” said May Sethby.

Yes,” Vera answered and shuddered. - He looked at me today. These eyes cannot love, they threaten; they are as angry as a tiger's. I know: if I change the matter, he will kill me. He has no heart. He is merciless, like steel, cruel and cold, like frost. It is like moonlight on a winter night when a person is freezing on a lonely mountain peak. I'm not afraid of Diaz and all his killers, but I'm afraid of this boy. I'm telling the truth, I'm afraid. He is the breath of death.

And yet, Vera, and no one else, convinced his comrades to give a responsible assignment to Rivera. Communication between Los Angeles and Baja California was severed. Three comrades dug their own graves and were shot at the edge. Two others in Los Angeles became prisoners of the United States. Juan Alvarado, the commander of the federal troops, turned out to be a scoundrel. He managed to ruin all their plans. They lost touch with both the longtime revolutionaries in Baja California and the newcomers.

Young Rivera received proper instructions and departed for the south. When he returned, communication was restored, and Juan Alvarado was dead: he was found in bed, with a knife buried in his chest to the hilt. This exceeded Rivera's authority, but the Junta had accurate information about all his movements. They didn't ask him anything. He didn't say anything. The comrades looked at each other and understood everything.

Year of publication of the book: 1911

Jack London's short story "The Mexican" was published in 1911. Two years later, it was included in the author’s collection entitled “Born in the Night.” In 1955, a feature film of the same name was made based on the work. Today, Jack London's story "The Mexican" is included in the school curriculum together and is considered one of the most famous stories by Jack London.

The story "The Mexican" summary

One day, a young guy of eighteen appeared in the premises of the Junta, which was preparing a revolution in Mexico. No one knew whether to trust him; some revolutionaries even suspected him of being a spy for the dictator Diaz. However, everyone noted the power of the guy’s gaze. In his eyes one could read both power and calmness, so he inspired a feeling of fear in many.

And only one of the bravest representatives of the Junta, Paulino Vera, decided to speak to the young man. The new arrival, as it turns out, is Felipe Rivera. He was not known for his verbosity. All that the Junta people managed to get out of him was that he came to work for the revolution. From the very beginning, he was entrusted with a simple job - Felipe had to thoroughly clean the floor in the room. The young man got down to business without further ado.

Several days passed like this. Throughout all this time, Rivera came to the revolutionaries as if to work, and regularly swept and washed the floor. One day he asked to stay overnight in the building, but the Junta people did not trust the young man enough to leave him with a bunch of classified information. None of them knew where Rivera lived or what he was doing besides preparing for the uprising. Rarely did proposals begin to come in to follow the young man, but there was no one who would dare to become the one. All the revolutionaries noted that Felipe smelled of death and that he probably went through something that made the still young boy become so merciless and cruel.

Later in Jack London's story "The Mexican" summary says that preparing for the revolution required not only a lot of effort, but also a lot of money. The junta tried its best. The rebels repeatedly turned to trade unions and various organizations with requests for financial assistance. But all to no avail. All members of the Junta donated what they could - they sold jewelry and pawned valuables. But the day came when the revolutionaries did not even have money to pay for the premises in which their base was located. Then Felipe gave them sixty dollars for rent. Later, the organizers of the revolution again needed a certain amount. Hearing this, Rivera left the premises and returned holding money in his hands. No one knew how such a young guy came into possession of such sums. Some even began to suspect him of colluding with the enemy again. But Felipe’s behavior was so impeccable that it was simply impossible to convict him of something vile.

Time passed and the people of the Junta began to trust Felipe more. One day, Paulino Vera entrusted a young man with an important mission. Rivera had to go south to restore contact with the revolutionaries of Baja California, broken due to the betrayal of commander Alvarado. Felipe immediately went to carry out the assignment. After this, in Jack London's "The Mexican" short description says that after a couple of days he returned with good news - communication was restored, and Juan Alvatado was found dead. This made many of the Junta fear the young man even more.

In addition, some began to notice that Rivera often appeared at headquarters with bruises and scars. It was clear that he was constantly getting involved in some kind of showdown. It even happened that a young man could disappear for several weeks, and then appear as if nothing had happened, holding wads of dollars in his hands. No one has decided to find out what Felipe is doing after working with the Junta. Just like no one knew where he got so much money from.

Everything was ready for the uprising. Revolutionaries from all over the country were gathered and simply awaiting the order to act. The only thing holding the Junta back was the lack of money for rifles and ammunition.

When Felipe heard this news, his face changed. Now the young man understood that all that separated them from carrying out large-scale revolutionary actions was a certain amount of money. Rivera had never been so close to accomplishing his plans. He knew for sure that for the sake of the revolution he would do anything and be able to get any necessary amount. The young man told everyone that he would get five thousand dollars in three weeks. So they can safely order rifles and ammunition. There was nowhere to put it off. The Junta people were surprised by Felipe's statement, but no one said anything. Full of determination and desire to do everything possible to fight the dictator, Rivera stood up and walked away.

Further in the story by Jack London “The Mexican” we can read about how the owner of an office that organizes fights without rules, named Kelly, was very upset by the events taking place in his life. The fact is that he was planning a grandiose fight between two famous fighters - Dani Ward and Bill Carty. However, the last of them was hospitalized with a severe fracture and could not get into the ring on time. Kelly had no idea who to replace; he approached many lightweights, but they already had contracts and could not work with outsiders. That's when Rivera showed up at his office. He said that he could put Ward on his shoulder blades, which Kelly, of course, did not believe. This is because Felipe’s fragile physique did not mean that he would be a worthy opponent to such a fighter as Dani.

But time was running out and Kelly decided to invite Roberts, who, as was known, had already dealt with Rivera. He showed up drunk, but asserted with complete confidence that Felipe was ready for a fight like no other. And, even if he cannot win (and this probability is quite high), the battle will still turn out to be spectacular and will be appreciated by the public. Roberts described Rivera as one of his main discoveries. A little boy with nerves of steel, who did not know the feeling of fear, could become a real star in this field. Kelly listened to the coach and decided that the fight would take place after all.

Then Roberts decided to tell those present the story of how he found Rivera. This happened about two years ago, when he was organizing a fight with the most merciless man named Praine. No one wanted to be in the same ring with him, and the coach was already desperate to find a strong opponent. Then he met a hungry young guy from Mexico. Roberts brought him to the gym, where in a short time he was able to teach him all the rules and techniques. Rivera was so desperate for money back then that he was willing to fight for half a dollar and some food. The coach took advantage of this moment. He made Felipe an excellent fighter who has defeated quite strong opponents more than once. The young man could have become famous in this area, however, it was clear that he was not interested in wrestling - he was doing it solely for the sake of money. Recently, he often began to disappear and performed much less often in the ring.

Later in Jack London's The Mexican, a summary describes how Danny Ward entered the room. He was in good spirits and cheerfully greeted everyone present. Only Rivera did not react in any way to such a display of friendliness from his opponent. A discussion began about the details of the fight, and Ward started talking about winning. He suggested dividing the amount - giving eighty percent to the winner, and twenty to the one who was defeated. In this case, if Felipe had lost, he would have received about a thousand dollars, and if he had won, he would have received about three thousand. This arrangement did not suit the young man, and he offered to give the entire amount to the winner. After much debate, Kelly agreed to this deal.

When it was time to enter the ring, Rivera was not afraid for a second. He concentrated entirely on the upcoming fight. The audience, however, did not greet him with applause - on the contrary, as soon as Felipe appeared, silence reigned in the hall. He had to wait a long time for Ward. The young man understood that the fighter was deliberately delayed, hoping that the enemy would lose his balance and calm. But Rivera always remained cool, so such a trick could not work with him.

Before appearing at the revolutionary headquarters, Felipe did not fight for money - he was not interested in it. Once he got to the Junta, he realized that this way of earning money would benefit everyone and would bring the inevitable uprising closer. Sitting in the ring, Rivera began to remember his carefree childhood - a mother who, despite her work, always found time for her son and father - a strong, but at the same time kind Mexican. But other memories lived in his head - endless hunger, exhausted workers and constant fear for himself and his loved ones. Felipe also remembered how he once found them dead along with a bunch of other villagers. All of them were killed on the orders of Diaz. From then on, he knew that, just like in the book, he would definitely take revenge.

Then Danny Ward entered the ring, and the crowd screamed and clapped their hands, as if waking up from a dream. Every single one of them was confident of his victory. Even the seconds of the fight were on his side. Ward appeared in his repertoire - smiling and cheerful, he greeted the crowd, which, by the way, had not yet reacted to Felipe. As soon as the battle began, Danny immediately began to attack the enemy. He delivered so many powerful blows that anyone in the young man’s place would have lost his footing, but Rivera held on with all his might. There was a strong desire within him to help the revolutionaries get their rifles.

Felipe stood covered in blood and bruises, the audience was ready to applaud the winner, when the young Mexican knocked Ward to the ground with one blow. When he got up, the battle became even more brutal. Danny attacked Rivera mercilessly, but he managed to dodge the blows over and over again. At some point, the public began to get annoyed by the Mexican’s behavior. They all expected the battle to end much earlier.

At one point, Felipe overheard Kelly telling Roberts that if Ward didn't win, he would lose a lot of money. But the young man did not react to these words and continued the fight. During a break between rounds, Kelly approached Rivera and began to ask him to give in. In return, he promised the Mexican that he could win the next fight and get his money. However, Felipe remained steadfast. At the end of London’s story “The Mexican” we can read how the stamina and composure of the protagonist brought him victory - in the seventeenth round he was able to knock out Ward. He was incredibly tired and fell off his feet from the blows. But in my soul there was joy that the revolution would take place.

The story “The Mexican” on the Top books website

Jack London's story "The Mexican" is so popular to read that the work has taken a high place in our book. In many ways, this consistently high interest is due to the presence of the story in the school curriculum. Therefore, in the future, we predict that the story “The Mexican” by Jack Laudon will appear on the pages of our website.