Nobody knew his past, and even less so the people from the Junta. He was their “little mystery,” their “great patriot,” and in his own way worked for the coming Mexican revolution no less zealously than they did. This was not recognized immediately, because the Junta did not like him. On the day he first appeared in their crowded room, everyone suspected him of being a spy - one of Diaz's paid agents. After all, how many comrades were scattered throughout the civil and military prisons of the United States! Some of them were shackled, but even shackled they were transported across the border, lined up against the wall and shot.

At first glance, the boy made an unfavorable impression. It was really a boy, no more than eighteen years old, and not too tall for his age. He announced that his name was Felipe Rivera and that he wanted to work for the revolution. That's it - no more words, no further explanation. He stood and waited. There was no smile on his lips, no greeting in his eyes. Tall, swift Paulino Vera shuddered internally. This boy seemed withdrawn and gloomy to him. Something poisonous and serpentine lurked in his black eyes. A cold fire burned within them, a huge, concentrated anger. The boy turned his gaze from the revolutionaries to the typewriter, on which little Mrs. Sethby was busily tapping away. His eyes stopped on her for a moment, she caught this look and also felt a nameless something that forced her to interrupt what she was doing. She had to re-read the letter she had typed to get back into the rhythm of her work. Paulino Vera looked questioningly at Arellano and Ramos, who in turn looked questioningly at him and then at each other. Their faces expressed indecision and doubt. This thin boy was the Unknown, and the Unknown, full of menace. He was an incomprehensible mystery to all these revolutionaries, whose fierce hatred of Diaz and his tyranny was, after all, only the feeling of honest patriots. There was something else here that they didn't know. But Vera, the most impulsive and decisive of all, broke the silence.

Great,” he said coldly, “you said you want to work for the revolution.” Take off your jacket. Hang it over there. Come on, I'll show you where the bucket and rag are. You see, our floor is dirty. You'll start by giving it a good wash, and the other rooms too. The spittoons need to be cleaned. Then you'll work on the windows.

Is this for the revolution? - asked the boy.

Yes, for the revolution,” answered Paulino. Rivera looked at them all with cold suspicion and began to take off his jacket.

Okay, he said.

And nothing else. Day after day he came to work - sweeping, scrubbing, cleaning. He raked out the ashes from the stoves, brought in coal and kindling, and lit the fire before the most diligent of them sat down at his desk.

Can I spend the night here? - he asked one day.

Yeah! So they showed up - Diaz's claws. Spending the night in the premises of the Junta means finding access to its secrets, to lists of names, to addresses of comrades in Mexico. The request was rejected and Rivera never renewed it. They did not know where he slept; They also didn’t know when or where he ate. One day Arellano offered him a few dollars. Rivera shook his head in refusal. When Vera intervened and began to persuade him, he said:

I work for the revolution.

It takes a lot of money to start a revolution in our time, and the Junta was constantly in straitened circumstances. The members of the Junta were starving, but spared no effort for the cause; the longest day was not long enough for them, and yet at times it seemed that to be or not to be a revolution was a matter of a few dollars. One day, when the rent for the first time had not been paid for two months and the landlord was threatening eviction, none other than Felipe Rivera, a scrubber in miserable, cheap, threadbare clothes, deposited sixty gold dollars on May Sethby's desk. This began to repeat itself in the future. Three hundred typed letters (appeals for help, appeals to workers' organizations, objections to newspaper articles misreporting events, protests against judicial arbitrariness and persecution of revolutionaries in the United States) lay unposted, awaiting stamps. Vera's watch, an old-fashioned gold repeater watch that had belonged to his father, had disappeared. The simple gold ring from May Sethby's hand also disappeared. The situation was desperate. Ramos and Arel-lano hopelessly pulled at their long mustaches. Letters must be posted, and the post office does not give stamps on credit. Then Rivera put on his hat and went out. When he returned, he deposited a thousand two-cent marks on May Sethby's desk.

Isn't this the cursed gold of Diaz? - Vera said to his comrades. They raised their eyebrows and said nothing. And Felipe Rivera, who washed the floor for the revolution, continued to lay out gold and silver for the needs of the Junta as needed.

And yet they could not bring themselves to love him. They didn't know this boy. His habits were completely different from theirs. He did not indulge in frankness. He rejected all attempts to get him to talk, and they did not have the courage to question him.

Perhaps a great and lonely spirit... I don’t know, I don’t know! - Arellano spread his hands helplessly.

There’s something inhuman about him,” Ramos noted.

“Everything in his soul has become dull,” said May Sethby. - Light and laughter seem to be burned into her. He is a dead man, and at the same time you feel some terrible vitality in him.

Rivera went through hell,” Paulino said. - A person who has not gone through hell cannot be like that, and he is still a boy.

And yet they could not love him. He never talked, never asked questions, never expressed his opinions. He could stand motionless - an inanimate object, except for his eyes, which burned with a cold fire - while the debate about the revolution grew louder and hotter. His eyes pierced the faces of the speakers like red-hot drills, they confused and disturbed them.

“He is not a spy,” Vera said, turning to May Sethby. - He is a patriot, mark my words! The best patriot of us all! I feel it in my heart and head. And yet I don't know him at all.

He has a bad temper,” said May Sethby.

Yes,” Vera answered and shuddered. - He looked at me today. These eyes cannot love, they threaten; they are as angry as a tiger's. I know: if I change the matter, he will kill me. He has no heart. He is merciless, like steel, cruel and cold, like frost. It is like moonlight on a winter night when a person is freezing on a lonely mountain peak. I'm not afraid of Diaz and all his killers, but I'm afraid of this boy. I'm telling the truth, I'm afraid. He is the breath of death.

And yet, Vera, and no one else, convinced his comrades to give a responsible assignment to Rivera. Communication between Los Angeles and Baja California was severed. Three comrades dug their own graves and were shot at the edge. Two others in Los Angeles became prisoners of the United States. Juan Alvarado, the commander of the federal troops, turned out to be a scoundrel. He managed to ruin all their plans. They lost touch with both the longtime revolutionaries in Baja California and the newcomers.

Young Rivera received proper instructions and departed for the south. When he returned, communication was restored, and Juan Alvarado was dead: he was found in bed, with a knife buried in his chest to the hilt. This exceeded Rivera's authority, but the Junta had accurate information about all his movements. They didn't ask him anything. He didn't say anything. The comrades looked at each other and understood everything.

“I told you,” Vera said. - More than anyone else, Diaz has to fear this young man. He is relentless. He is the punishing right hand.

Rivera's bad character, suspected by May Sethby and then recognized by everyone, was confirmed by visual, purely physical evidence. Now Rivera often came with a cut lip, a swollen ear, and a bruise on his cheekbone. It was clear that he got into fights there - in the outside world, where he eats and sleeps, earns money and wanders along paths unknown to them. Over time, Rivera learned to type a small revolutionary leaflet, which the Junta published weekly. It happened, however, that he was unable to type: sometimes his thumbs were damaged and moved poorly, sometimes his joints were bloodied, sometimes one arm dangled helplessly along his body and his face was distorted by excruciating pain.

A thin, dark-skinned boy of about eighteen named Felipe Rivera suddenly appeared in the Junta. He came and said that he would like to work for the revolution. There was not a drop of goodwill in his face. The eyes filled with some kind of crazy, poisonous mixture of anger and rage. Everyone who was in the room at the time of his appearance shuddered, froze, and interrupted their activities. Vera, the most fearless, invited him to wash the floor, and this would be his contribution to the cause of the revolution.

Felipe lit the fire every day, brought coal, cleaned, and tidied up. Where did he spend the night?

No one knew what he ate. Sometimes he came to work with bruises, wounded fingers, and a beaten face. Sometimes he disappeared for weeks, months.

To prepare for the revolution, a lot of money was required. Participants sold their personal precious items. Once they couldn’t pay for the premises for two whole months, Felipe, having learned about the threat of eviction, brought sixty dollars. Then he brought money again and again. No one knew where he got them from. And, however, he didn’t really want to know. Malice, closeness, something inhuman filled the entire image of Rivera. During disputes about the revolution, his eyes lit up with fire, sparkled and pierced the debaters like fiery arrows. He was called a patriot to the core, who could kill anyone who would betray the common cause.

Rivera was tasked with restoring communications between Baja California and Los Angeles. The order was carried out - communication was restored, and Juan Alvador, the commander of the federal troops, was found dead.

The revolution, which had been brewing for a long time throughout the countries, was ready to break out at any moment. The Junta itself, socialists, anarchists, exiles, miners, soldiers, bandits - everyone was ready to fight the Diaz regime. The only thing missing was weapons and money with which to buy them. Rivera promised to find five thousand dollars in three weeks and told Ware to order rifles.

Chaos reigned in Kelly's office - boxer Bill Carty could not participate in a fight with Denny Ward. Those boxers who could replace him took part in the competition. And then Rivera appears, ready to beat Ward and not at all doubting his victory. Gloomy, silent, he created a striking contrast with his friendly, smiling and healthy opponent. Coach Roberts had known the Mexican for two years when he came hungry to his first fight. After losing it, probably due to hunger, he received fifty cents and food. The next day Rivera came again, and then appeared again and again.

Ward, greedy for money, an excellent businessman, always negotiated all his deals himself and was ready to win every dollar. Having assessed Rivera, he decided that victory was in his pocket, and with this young man he would have to be more careful in the ring so as not to accidentally kill him. The amount expected to be collected as a fee could range from five to eight thousand dollars. The boxers were expected to receive sixty-five percent of this amount, with Ward taking eighty percent, leaving the unknown weakling with twenty. However, Rivera insisted that the winner should take it all.

Rivera was greeted unfriendly in the ring; no one believed in his victory. He himself did not pay any attention to the disappointed audience. Instead of spectators, those hated gringos, Rivere saw workers falling from hunger and fatigue, small children ready to work for pennies, their father and mother. I saw strikes, rifles, the tortured bodies of my parents in a pile of corpses.

The public was confident of Ward's victory; all bets were placed on him. She saw his healthy, perfect body, but behind it she could not notice how perfect in battle the body of an eighteen-year-old youth, burning with a thirst for revenge and seeing a rifle in every spectator seat, could be.

The battle has begun. At first, Ward won, but Rivera held on, knocking out his opponent several times. The spectators, his seconds - everyone was for Ward. No one supported the stubborn boy who stubbornly refused to give up. Even the judge played along with the famous athlete. During the seventeenth round, Danny fell and was unable to get up. No lies from the referee or the match organizers helped him. The judge reluctantly recognized Rivera's victory.

He is known to our public as the author of adventure novels and stories. As children, many of us probably read his works about animals: “White Fang”, “Brown Wolf” and others. Few of us know that this author was at one time an active public figure who passionately hated the bourgeoisie. He reflected his civic position in the story “The Mexican.” Thus, the ardent socialist tried to awaken the revolutionary spirit among the masses of workers. In this article I want to tell you about this story. So, Jack London, “The Mexican”, a summary of the work.

Meet Felipe Rivera

Felipe Rivera is an ardent revolutionary who recently joined the Junta group. He was distinguished from other members of this organization, whose main activity was preparing the revolution, by his very gloomy appearance and difficult character. Mexican blood flowed in his veins. The Junta did not like him.

Companions understood that Felipe's life was like hell. Perhaps this left its mark on his character. But they still couldn’t love him. No one knew where he slept, where or what he ate. No one had the desire to crawl into his soul and ask about his life. This is how Jack London described the main character. “The Mexican,” a summary of which is given in this article, is a story about courage and patriotism.

Felipe's first task

Soon Felipe was entrusted with the first very important task. Members of the group found out that they had an enemy - Juan Alvarado. He commanded the federal troops. Because of him, the Junta lost contact with its like-minded people in California. After Felipe returned from his mission, important contacts with the Californian revolutionaries were restored, and Juan Alvarado was found with a knife in his chest in his bed. After the success of the first assignment, our hero’s comrades began to be afraid of him. It sometimes happened that he returned from another mission so beaten that he did not have the strength to get out of bed the next day. Describing all these facts, Jack London characterizes the main character in the best possible way. “The Mexican,” the contents of which are given here, was published in large numbers and won the hearts and minds of millions of people.

The junta needs money

To carry out its activities, the Junta constantly needed funds. Felipe helped the group with his money as best he could. He once paid as much as sixty gold dollars to rent premises for the organization. But this was negligible. The moment came when there were only a few days left before the Mexican revolution, everything was ready for this, but there was no money to purchase weapons in sufficient quantities. And our hero decides to take a desperate step - a boxing match with a famous and experienced athlete for money. How does Jack London describe the events further? “The Mexican,” a brief summary of which is unlikely to convey the fullness of the contradictory sentiments of that time, is not just a story about the fate of an individual, but a story about the life of an entire people in a certain period of time.

Felipe and Danny fight

For this match, Felipe was offered a good amount - more than one thousand dollars. None of the public knew the newly minted boxer, so everyone bet on Danny. Almost no one bet on Rivera. But this only inflamed our hero. He was confident of his victory. Although he understood that it would not be easy for him to get it. Danny met his opponent with a barrage of powerful blows. The audience roared and demanded blood. But suddenly Felipe knocked out his opponent. Everyone was against the hero, no one wanted to lose their money. Even the judge counted down Danny's minutes so slowly that he found the strength to get up and continue the fight.

Victory for Felipe

The fight lasted for several long rounds. At the tenth stage, Felipe demonstrated his signature move to his opponent, putting him in the ring three times. The show owner and trainer began to persuade our hero to give up. But this was not in Felipe's character. The revolution needed funds, and that was all he thought about. Danny went on a rampage. He could not admit that he, the famous champion, could be defeated by some unknown Mexican. In the seventeenth round, Rivera feigned exhaustion. Danny underestimated his opponent and was soon knocked out, now final. Jack London ended his story “The Mexican” with this moment.

This story can be called outstanding in the writer’s work. It evokes a feeling of patriotism and a desire to be as strong and strong-willed as the main character. There is a feeling that these feelings are familiar firsthand to such an author as Jack London. “The Mexican,” a summary of which is given in this article, I advise you to read in full.

Jack London - known to our public, he is known as the author of adventure novels and stories. As children, many of us probably read his works about animals: “White Fang”, “Brown Wolf” and others. Few of us know that this author was at one time an active public figure who passionately hated the bourgeoisie. He reflected his civic position in the story “The Mexican.” Thus, the ardent socialist tried to awaken the revolutionary spirit among the masses of workers. In this article I want to tell you about this story. So, Jack London, "The Mexican", a summary of the work.

Meet Felipe Rivera

Felipe Rivera is an ardent revolutionary who recently joined the Junta group. He was distinguished from other members of this organization, whose main activity was preparing the revolution, by his very gloomy appearance and difficult character. Mexican blood flowed in his veins. The Junta did not like him.
Companions understood that Felipe's life was like hell. Perhaps this left its mark on his character. But they still couldn’t love him. No one knew where he slept, where or what he ate. No one had the desire to crawl into his soul and ask about his life. This is how Jack London described the main character. “The Mexican,” a summary of which is given in this article, is a story about courage and patriotism.

Felipe's first task

Soon Felipe was entrusted with the first very important task. Members of the group found out that they had an enemy - Juan Alvarado. He commanded the federal troops. Because of him, the Junta lost contact with its like-minded people in California. After Felipe returned from his mission, important contacts with the Californian revolutionaries were restored, and Juan Alvarado was found with a knife in his chest in his bed. After the success of the first assignment, our hero’s comrades began to be afraid of him. It sometimes happened that he returned from another mission so beaten that he did not have the strength to get out of bed the next day. Describing all these facts, Jack London characterizes the main character in the best possible way. "The Mexican", the contents of which are given here, was published in large numbers and won the hearts and minds of millions of people.

The junta needs money

To carry out its activities, the Junta constantly needed funds. Felipe helped the group with his money as best he could. He once paid as much as sixty gold dollars to rent premises for the organization. But this was negligible. The moment came when there were only a few days left before the Mexican revolution, everything was ready for this, but there was no money to purchase weapons in sufficient quantities. And our hero decides to take a desperate step - a boxing match with the famous and experienced athlete Danny Ward for money. How does Jack London describe the events further? “The Mexican,” a brief summary of which is unlikely to convey the fullness of the contradictory sentiments of that time, is not just a story about the fate of an individual, but a story about the life of an entire people in a certain period of time.

Felipe and Danny fight

For this match, Felipe was offered a good amount - more than one thousand dollars. None of the public knew the newly minted boxer, so everyone bet on Danny. Almost no one bet on Rivera. But this only inflamed our hero. He was confident of his victory. Although he understood that it would not be easy for him to get it. Danny met his opponent with a barrage of powerful blows. The audience roared and demanded blood. But suddenly Felipe knocked out his opponent. Everyone was against the hero, no one wanted to lose their money. Even the judge counted down Danny's minutes so slowly that he found the strength to get up and continue the fight.

Victory for Felipe

The fight lasted for several long rounds. At the tenth stage, Felipe demonstrated his signature move to his opponent, putting him in the ring three times. The show owner and trainer began to persuade our hero to give up. But this was not in Felipe's character. The revolution needed funds, and that was all he thought about. Danny went on a rampage. He could not admit that he, the famous champion, could be defeated by some unknown Mexican. In the seventeenth round, Rivera feigned exhaustion. Danny underestimated his opponent and was soon knocked out, now final. Jack London ended his story "The Mexican" with this moment.

This story can be called outstanding in the writer’s work. It evokes a feeling of patriotism and a desire to be as strong and strong-willed as the main character. There is a feeling that these feelings are familiar firsthand to such an author as Jack London. “The Mexican,” a summary of which is given in this article, I advise you to read in full.

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Jack London

"Mexican"

The guy appeared at the Junta headquarters recently. He was a frail young man of about eighteen. He told the members of the Junta that his name was Felipe Rivera and that he wanted to work for the good of the revolution. At first, none of the revolutionaries believed the guy, suspecting him to be one of Diaz’s paid agents. Even having believed in his absolute patriotism, the Junta did not like him - his gloomy appearance and no less gloomy character were not conducive to this. The guy had the blood of Mexicans and native Indians. “Something poisonous, serpentine was hidden in his black eyes. A cold fire burned in them, a huge, concentrated anger.”

Felipe began his revolutionary activities by cleaning the Junta office. “Where he slept they did not know; They also didn’t know when and where he ate.” Revolution is not a cheap affair, and the Junta was constantly in need of money. Felipe once paid sixty gold dollars for the rent of the premises in which the revolutionary center was located. Since then, from time to time the guy laid out “gold and silver for the needs of the Junta.” His comrades understood that Rivera “went through hell,” but they still could not love him.

Soon Phillipe received his first important assignment. “Juan Alvarado, the commander of the federal troops, turned out to be a scoundrel.” Because of him, the revolutionaries lost contact with old and new like-minded people in Baja California. Felipe restored contact, and Alvarado was found in bed with a knife in his chest. Now his comrades began to be afraid of Rivera. Very often the guy came so beaten that he could not perform his duties.

The closer the Mexican Revolution came, the less money the Junta had left. The moment came when everything was ready, but there was no money to buy weapons. Rivera promised to get five thousand dollars and disappeared. He went to Roberts, the boxing trainer. Felipe made all his money in the ring, where he served as a “punching bag” for more experienced athletes. Rivera learned a lot during this time. The coach believed that the guy was born for boxing, but Felipe was only interested in the revolution.

That day, a meeting between two famous boxers was planned, but one of the opponents broke his arm. Rivera was offered to replace him and meet the famous Danny Ward in a match. For the match, the guy was offered from one thousand to one thousand six hundred dollars, but Felipe was not satisfied with this. He wanted everything, so he proposed: winner takes all. Rivera was confident that he would beat Danny. This unshakable confidence angered Warrd, and he agreed.

Rivera appeared in the ring unnoticed - everyone was waiting for the champion Danny. Almost no one bet on Rivera. The fans believed that the guy would not last even five rounds. Felipe paid no attention to the audience. He recalled his childhood spent near the white walls of a hydroelectric station in Rio Blanco, his father, “a powerful, broad-shouldered man with a long mustache.” Then his name was not Felipe, but Juan Fernandez. His father was also a revolutionary. Rivera recalled the strike and the shooting of the workers involved. Felipe's parents were also shot.

Finally Danny entered the ring. The contrast between the sleek, well-fed and muscular Danny and his skinny opponent immediately became obvious. The public did not notice that River’s body was strong and lean, and his chest was wide and powerful.

The match began and Danny rained down punches on Felipe. Everyone was confident that Ward would win and everyone was amazed when Rivera knocked out the champion. But even the judge was on Danny's side - he counted down the minutes so slowly that the champion had time to come to his senses. For Felipe, these same minutes passed much faster. The guy was not surprised, because the match was held by the “dirty gringos” whom he hated so much. He was reminded of “train tracks in the desert; gendarmes and American policemen; prisons and police dungeons; tramps at water pumps - his whole terrible and bitter odyssey after Rio Blanco and the strike.” He thought of only one thing: the revolution needs weapons.

In the tenth round, Rivera was able to drop Danny three times with his signature punch. The guy’s persistence began to irritate the audience, because everyone was betting on the champion. The trainer and the owner of the gym began to persuade the guy to give up, and Felipe realized that they wanted to cheat him. From that moment on, he did not listen to anyone's advice. Danny was furious, he showered the stubborn man with a hail of blows. In the seventeenth round, Felipe pretended that his strength was over and knocked Danny out. Three times the champion stood up, and three times Rivera laid him down in the ring. Finally, Danny “lay down” completely, and the judge had to count Rivera’s victory.

Nobody congratulated Felipe. With a burning gaze of hatred, he looked around the hall, the hated faces of the gringos, and thought: “the revolution will continue.” Retold Yulia Peskovaya

The main character of the work is a young man named Felipe Rivera, a passionate fan of the revolution. When Filipe appeared at the headquarters of the Junta, many members of the organization were distrustful of him, but after the real case, they began to be afraid. This case was the cold-blooded murder of Juan Alvarado. The guy started his first day at headquarters with cleaning and replenishing the commune's budgets. But his gloomy appearance and very secretive character still scared off his fellow revolutionaries. Filipe did not seek to please anyone; his goal was not friendship, but the continuation of the revolution.

Felipe Rivera was involved in the revolutionary movement as a child, although at that time his name was Juan Fernandez. His father was shot for promoting underground revolutionary organizations, and the boy firmly decided to continue his father’s work.

Revolution is a very expensive thing. Soon, the Junta needed money to buy weapons, and Filipe promised to get five thousand dollars. To fulfill his promise, the young man agreed on a fight in the boxing ring. Rivera had previously made money by being a living punching bag for athletes, but his coach was convinced of the talent of his ward, but Filipe was not interested in anything other than the revolution.

By coincidence, Filipe had to enter the ring against one of the most famous boxers of that time - Danny. To make money, Rivera bet everything on his victory, he was confident that he would beat the champion. When Danny entered the ring, the crowd erupted in cheers and Rivera wasn't even noticed. Compared to his competitor, Filipe was much smaller and thinner, and, in the opinion of the public, had no chance of winning. But after the knockout in the first round, many noticed the Mexican’s advantage over the champion. But the referee was on Ward's side and counted the seconds too slowly, thus allowing Danny to recover.

Already in the tenth round, Rivera was able to knock Danny down three times with his signature blow. Coach Danny and the owner of the gym suggested that Filipe give up. But the Mexican confidently walked towards victory and did not listen to anyone’s advice. So another seven rounds passed. Danny, in a fit of rage, began to shower Filipe with powerful blows. Rivera pretended that he was tired and could not continue the fight, and when his opponent relaxed, he knocked him out. Only after the third knockout, the judge recognized Rivera’s victory, but instead of applause, the audience showered the young man with abuse.

When Filipe left the ring, he didn't care what people thought of him, he knew that the revolution would continue.