Leticia Neria PhD thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText ...

Mecánica Nacional we witness a conversation in which ordinary citizens described how
they abused others for personal gain, justifying it by saying that this was how the
economy worked. We noticed how people made fun of those who were different, and
therefore seemingly inferior. All this makes us wonder who exactly is the antithesis of
society in a country in which everyone abuses everyone else, in which people are
violent, sexist, corrupt, and abusive. Mexico appears to be a country in which the
authorities oppress its citizens, those with a little power abuse those with less,
institutions are corrupt and citizens fear them in the same way they would fear
criminals. But people also abuse fellow citizens, which invites us to reflect on what in
fact is redeemable in this Mexican society. Is there any hope for it? I argue that several
characters show us that we can be optimistic about the future. Despite Calzonzin being a
fraud, he feels moved by the adversity of San Garabato’s inhabitants; Poncho from El
Águila Descalza dreams of and fights for a better and fairer society; other downtrodden
characters fight for their rights, including the characters from Tívoli; and some still
believe in the importance of the family, maybe in their very own way, such as Isabel in
Mecánica Nacional.
Perhaps the various issues discussed in chapter three and four are disheartening,
but they are also a call to arms. In the meantime we can have a laugh about it as long as
we remain inside the language of humour.
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