Source: Flag of Mexico, Alex Covarrubias, Wikimedia
Finally, let’s look at an excerpt from a short story by the Mexican writer Juan Rulfo. His story “The Night They Left Him Alone” is about a fictional event that takes place during the Mexican Revolution. Rulfo illustrates a dilemma that we would be unfamiliar with, as it has been many years since our country has fought a war on its own soil. In this excerpt, the young boy Feliciano watches and hides as soldiers hang his uncles for being part of the rebel faction. Feliciano has been traveling with his uncles but has fallen behind; now he overhears that the soldiers know this and are waiting for him to come down the road.
Source: Euphemio y Emiliano Zapata, Greudin,
Wikimedia
“We’re waiting for the other one to come. They say there were three of them, so there must be three. They say the third one is just a boy, but all the same, he was the one who laid the ambush for Lieutenant Parra and wiped out his men. He’ll have to come this way like the others did who were older and more experienced. My major says that if he doesn’t come today or tomorrow, we’ll finish off the first one who passes by and so our orders will be carried out.”
Source: Francisco Villa, Wikimedia
Using your notes, make a list of all of the moral decisions that have already been made in this short excerpt, along with those that will have to be made after it. When you are finished, check your understanding to see a list of possible responses. - Feliciano and his uncles have made the decision to rebel against the government.
- The uncles have been hanged.
- Feliciano has killed the soldiers.
- The soldiers are going to kill the first person who passes by just so they will have carried out their orders.
- Feliciano must choose whether to run and let a person die in his place.
Read the excerpt below to see what decision Feliciano makes.
Feliciano Ruelas waited until the butterflies he felt in his stomach calmed down. Then he took a gulp of air as if he were going to dive into the water, and flattening himself, crept along the ground by pushing his body with his hands. When he reached the edge of the arroyo he raised his head and then began to run, opening his path through the tall grass. He didn’t look back or stop running until he felt the arroyo dissolve into the plain.
Read the checklist below and click in each box that you think would help you understand a character’s moral dilemma. Check a helpful item even if it’s not something you have ever experienced or know much about. When you’re finished, you will have completed this lesson.
Read extra information about a country or particular events in a country before you begin reading a novel
Ask parents or grandparents for information about historical events that might have occurred before you were born. (You might ask parents or grandparents about segregation or discrimination in this country.)
Put yourself in the position of the character even though you’ve never had the kinds of experiences that the character faces. (You might wonder if you would be as unselfish as Yeh-Shen in the face of hardship.)
Compare the character’s experiences to some events in your life. (You might think about a time that you made a difficult decision for practical reasons like Caleb.)
Compare the character’s experiences to something that you have read before with similar moral dilemmas. (Have you read other stories about American Indians and the difficulties they encountered as this country was settled by Europeans?)