SOURCE: Murad, Timothy. “Animal Imagery and Structural Unity in Mariano Azuela's Los de Abajo.” Journal of Spanish Studies: Twentieth Century 7, no. 2 (fall 1979): 207-22.

In the following essay, Murad examines Azuela's use of animal imagery in Los de abajo, observing that the liberal use of animal references is both a way to convey the savagery of the Mexican revolution and as a means of providing structural unity in the narrative.

Animal imagery abounds in Los de abajo (1916), Azuela's portrayal of the Mexican Revolution as seen through the rise and fall of Demetrio Macías 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 dehumanization of those who participate in it.¹ Animal imagery, however, performs the additional function...