El gesticulador : Pieza para demagogos en tres actos Book

Rodolfo Usigli's El gesticulador is a relatively simple play that touches on some more complicated issues of identity crisis, heroism and corruption as a result of the Mexican Revolution. César Rubio is a college professor, specializing in the history of the Mexican Revolution, that moves with his family to the town where he was born. At the beginning there is some tension among the members of his family as to why they had to move and their desire to go back to living the way they were before. A Harvard professor comes to their new house asking for a place to stay which eventually leads to him believing that this César Rubio is THE César Rubio, a revolutionary war hero. Rubio becomes consumed by this lie, against the will of his family, and it eventually leads to his death. Usigli uses Rubio to comment on the false idea of heroism that the people of Mexico had during this era. Following the Mexican Revolution, the people had hoped to have solidified their national and individual identities, but this book shows how everyone was still searching for their own identity through the revolution. They also were looking for heroes in the wrong places, putting their faith and trust in the corruption politicians of the time. Usigli also hints at political corruption and the perils of becoming involved in this system. I really enjoyed reading this play, which was surprising because I typically do not enjoy reading plays. Although the ending is kind of predictable, it was a fun play to read and I would recommend it to anyone interested in reading a Spanish play, as it was not very difficult to understand and moved along quickly!