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(More customer reviews)Rodolfo Usigli (1905-1979) is not only Mexico's finest playwright, but El gesticulador (The Gesticulator 1938) is also one of his best plays. The work depicts the life of a disenchanted history professor who leaves Mexico City with his family, and returns to his hometown in northern Mexico hoping to capitalize on the upcoming gubernatorial elections. Circumstances beyond his control lead him to assume the identity of a revolutionary general by the same name, César Rubio. Amidst the confusion, he becomes the people's hero and is elected to run for governor of the state against a former acquaintance that also happens to be the town's villain. The family members play supporting roles: Elena is the dedicated wife and mother; his son Miguel is a young man distraught by his father's failures and by social hypocrisy; and his daughter Julia, is an unattractive, yet seductive young woman who idolizes her father and is interested in social and physical appearances. In a gesture typical of many of the works of the Mexican Revolution, César Rubio is killed before he gets the opportunity to win the elections. While Rubio's death gives his contender the perfect opportunity to look good by honoring the dead hero, it robs Julia of the possibility of gaining a higher social status and leaves Miguel clamoring for Truth. For her part, Elena's resigned nature and sense of dignity allow her to request nothing but her husband's body.
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An intermediate-level reader on the turbulence that followed the Mexican Revolution in 1910.
