Azuela

What role do women play in the revolution? How does their role reflect the Spanish ideas of honor that we learned about in the colonial era?

In The Underdogs, the role of women is primarily a domestic one. The novel begins in a domestic setting in which Demetrio’s wife helps her husband hide from the Federales who later demand that she feed them. After they leave, Demetrio sends his wife and their child to his father’s house while he goes to join the revolution. This decision illustrates the gendered ideas of honor that were present in colonial Latin America and beyond where the man is expected to fight and stand up to any injustices especially if they include his family while the women are meant to remain in the domestic sphere.

After Demetrio is shot, he comes into the care of the women in the town they are residing in. They are depicted as care givers but not as genuine players in the revolutionary even though they are helping the rebels. Camilla is also an interesting example of gender because she clearly loves Luis Cervantes but she “belongs” to Demetrio showing that she does not have much agency in her own partnerships.

In part two, we are introduced to the character of War Paint who is described as having a “provocative gaze”. She plays a larger role in the revolution than many other women as she is the one who introduces the men to the idea of “pillaging”. She certainly has more agency than other women but she is still defined at times by her relationship. Camilla also returns and begins to travel alongside Demetrio and in some cases convinces him to help others when he was going to ignore them.   
There are many instances where we can see the different roles that women were supposed to play in the revolution and the idea of “honor” being illustrated in this novel. Overall, women were not seen as soldiers or rebels but rather as caretakers and people who needed protection. Their roles were minimal and limited mainly to nursing men back to health and housing rebels with the exception of a few.