Thursday, January 28, 2010
Joaquin: Justified?
While reading this "novel", I never actually disliked Joaquin Murrieta. By all modern means he is a cruel, dangerous murderer. But I can't help but to feel sorry for him and almost empathize with his cause. He was run off his land many times, watched his wife be brutally assaulted, was tortured and beaten, and had his brother hung without a trial. All because he was Mexican, even though he was an upstanding citizen. Only after all these events took place did he even seek revenge. I wonder how many of these tragedies most people now could take before reacting in some way. So while he is choosing to murder hundreds of Americans in a vendetta against the people that mistreated him, he chooses his victims purposely. Joaquin only kills the people he thinks deserve it and many times throughout the book, he lets people walk away safely and tells them he will not kill them and he "regrets having to rob them". I may not agree that killing people, especially many people that were not directly involved in the crimes committed against Joaquin is moral, fair or right in the slightest, It's possible that the people that hurt him created the "California Bandit". Do you think that they can be blamed at all for his murderous rampages?
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Yes, in a sense. They were the catalyst for his transformation that's for sure. At some point though he would have to take responsibility for his actions especially after he has his revenge on the initial group yet continues robbing and killing.
ReplyDeleteIt's an early example of the idea that society shapes an individual's actions, Allie.
ReplyDeleteIf any of these tragic events that had been inflicted upon Joaquin Murieta, happened to anyone in modern society, it would be more than enough to "darken" their soul. Everyone has a certain carrying capacity to endure pain, and once Joaquin's was reached, he lashed out. Should he have sat idly by as the country he had so admired wronged him again and again? I don't believe we would say so. There are multiple examples in the novel that illustrated the poor justice system; they would hang his men, without judge or jury, based solely on circumstantial evidence or hearsay. Today, although it isn’t perfect, our justice system is far better and more consistent. In Joaquin Murieta, sometimes the law was properly enforced, and sometimes it wasn’t. I don’t believe that murdering innocents can ever be justified; however, I did have sympathy for Joaquin.
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