Nine Guardians Essay, Research Paper

Nine Guardians

Throughout time man has oppressed his own kind. In The Nine Guardians man, in this case the Spanish man is oppressing the Mexican Indians. Just like history before the oppression of the Mexican Indians the oppressed revolt. In The Nine Guardians when the Indians revolt it causes death, degradation of a family, mental strain to the point of insanity and property damage, just as revolts before it.

Death is caused by a revolting Indian, attempting to stop a "help letter" from arriving at it?s destination. Ernesto was the messenger and the indian killed him thinking it would send a strong message to Cesar that the Indians meant business and wanted their share of Chactajal. This show of lack of authority expresses their disrespect for Cesar and his family thus putting them lower than the Indians which humiliates the family name. The Indians also put so much strain on Matilde, mentally by way of introducing their dark ritualistic ideology to Francisca that Matilde goes off into the woods to kill herself. Zoraida, too went partially insane due to the Indian necromancers prophesizing her only son?s death. The death of the property was caused when an Indian committed arson on a mill building, which created an out of control fire throughout the ranch. This fire destroyed the cane harvest and most of the livestock.

Murder, Arson, Mental Abuse, these are a result of oppression and the attempt of liberation from oppression. When people are oppressed for a length of time a pure hatred for the oppressor and his or her acquaintances develops. The longer the people are oppressed the more the hatred grows. This hatred grew in all the Indians on Chactajal and it festered for hundreds of years. This is why the retaliation of the Indians on the Argüellos was great.