Zapata: The Little Tiger (Paperback)

"Any previously unpublished work of John Steinbeck is a welcome gift to American letters." --Budd Schulberg, as cited in Zapata

John Steinbeck's Zapata is a little known but well-crafted narrative about one of Mexico's legendary heroes of the Mexican Revolution. The story--which the author later turned into the critically acclaimed screenplay Viva Zapata! --tells of Emiliano Zapata's courageous efforts to halt political oppression. Known affectionately in his native southern state of Morelos as "the Little Tiger," Zapata took up the cause of downtrodden peasants when reform laws were totally flouted by the Establishment. The Diaz regime had virtually turned Mexico into a police state as the peasants grew hungrier and hungrier. Nearly single-handedly Zapata succeeded in empowering his fellow countrymen. At length he was able to instigate a formidable armed rebellion.

As portrayed by Steinbeck, Emiliano Zapata was a young and promising leader. He could neither read nor write, but he possessed an intuitive sense of justice and fair play. Often misguided--even deceived by his own--and eventually betrayed, Zapata pushed relentlessly for social and agrarian reform. In the Camus tradition he was a true rebel fighting for human rights, never showing interest in acquiring power for its own sake.

Initially Zapata joined forces with Venustiano Carranza and Pancho Villa to overthrow president/dictator Porfirio Diaz. But as soon as Carranza became president, he too turned into a power-hungry elitist.

Carranza's administration under a new Constitution quickly became counterproductive. He abused his presidential powers and, in effect, confiscated yet more land under the pretense of "national ownership." When Villa and Zapata discovered that he was reneging on his promises, they continued their armed resistance against the fledgling regime. Then Zapata was assassinated in 1919. And the young leader of the people grew into legend.

To give us a better portrait of Emiliano Zapata--man versus myth--Steinbeck goes to some length in his "Introduction" to reveal the Zeitgeist or general climate. Mexico at the time was plagued by outdated and disastrous land policies. By 1910, nearly 97% of the rural heads of families owned no real property. Violence and suppression were rampant everywhere. To fully understand the underlying causes, one must review Mexican history beginning with the Spanish conquistadors. Suffice it to say that, traditionally, land had been issued as payback to those who had fought for, or shown loyalty to, the state. At length, in a feudal system gone awry, haciendas (or estates) grew larger and larger at the expense of the peasantry. In spite of years of protests lasting into the 20th century, little could be achieved by way of effective agrarian reform.

Enter such folk heroes as Zapata. Although Steinbeck's account is episodic at times--as chronicles tend to be--the author does succeed in capturing the essence of the young rebel. We see Emiliano Zapata as a husband, a family man, a lover, a faithful ally in war if not in love--even a machiavellian leader. "A man of individual conscience," Elia Kazan nevertheless labels him. Although some accounts may seem to conflict with history, together the vignettes (or film scenes) reveal a man quite capable of taking care of himself and his own. But no one is infallible.

The ending is especially poignant, characteristic of Steinbeck's dramatic finales. Metaphor and symbolism prevail as Zapata's famous horse Blanco gallops riderless back into the mountains. The horse remains a free spirit--haughty and untamable--defying all attempts at capture. Its indomitable spirit emboldens the people, further cementing their patriotic zeal. They keep encountering one setback after another. But they persist, confident that sooner or later the voice of freedom will ring out. In the meantime, Zapata lives. "Viva Zapata!"