John Rollin Ridges' novel of the adventures of Joaquin Murrieta closely parallels the story of Robin Hood, for several reasons. First and foremost, the novel which John Rollin Ridge constructs is that of a fast paced action packed story. Furthermore, the character Joaquin provides us, the reader, with much of the action encountered. Similar to Robin Hood, Joaquin was not a mere Mexican Bandit riding and killing with reckless abandon, he was motivated.
Motives act as the main underlying relationship between Joaquin and Robin Hood. Let us inspect some further comparisons in regard to these two characters. Robin Hood acts to steal from the rich and give to the poor in reaction to his lands being controlled by the rich. Incidentally, Joaquin Murrieta seeks revenge upon Americans for pushing him from his land and raping his wife. During such times, Americans may be compared to the rich in Robin Hood. Thus, both Robin Hood and Joaquin face strong motivation to rebel due to personal strife accompanied with the tribulations of loved ones. Consequently, Joaquin vies to kill any American he sees.
Both Joaquin and Robin Hood may be withheld as heroes. As heroes, both characters possess a certain code of ethics. In regard to Joaquin, he always keeps his word, does not kill any who provide him with favors, and he has a rudimentary sense of justice as well. Likewise, Robin Hood uses his cunning and courage to implement his code, which closely resembles that of Joaquin. Robin Hood also keeps his word, steals from the rich to give to the poor, and adheres to justice. Moreover, both characters can justify their actions through their heroic codes of action.
Although Joaquin may kill and steal, and Robin Hood may do similar things, their actions are justifiable in that they are seeking out justice. This is a huge similarity in regard to viewing both Joaquin and Robin Hood as heroic. Furthermore, both provide reason for their actions, which further justifies their pursuits. For example, Joaquin provides reasons for his murders, the rape of his wife and loss of his land. Additionally, Robin Hood justifies his pursuits by articulating that the rich are to rich and the poor are to poor. Overall, Robin Hood and Joaquin Murrieta were truly heroic, proactive characters.
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These are good parallels, Seth, and the idea of justice is a strong theme in the novel. We don't think of Robin Hood as being quite as bloodthirsty, but their motivations are the same.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that Robin Hood is a much more heroic character than Joaquin. After all, Robin Hood robs from the rich and gives to the poor... Joaquin robs from the rich and gives to himself. He says he's motivated to help his countryment take back California, but I don't remember seeing any progress in this regard in the novel.
ReplyDelete~Ruth Nelson
I think that you make a good point on the similarities of Robin Hood and Joaquin. They both were motivated, and they both were trying to give something back to the less fortunate: Robin Hood was trying to give money to the poor and Joaquin was trying to give justice and equality
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