Introduction to The Milagro Beanfield War is a Clash of Cultures
Although it seems there is commercial interest between the developer tycoons and the people of the Milagro in The Milagro Beanfield War by John Nicholas, the real presentation of the novelist is about the combined efforts of the law-cum-development of the culture that is reeling under the pressure of commercialism. This is rather an attack of the new culture, the culture of profit, and the culture of development. The folks of this besieged little village little know about this saving their own survival that is also a cultural construct for them. The symbolic act of Joe Mondragon sets a war that initiates an all-out invasion of the developers who have already initiated several projects including the Miracle Valley. The cultural war of this Hispanic community, shown in The Milagro Beanfield War, having chickens, sheep, pigs, and little alleys as major sources of income, starts with the Anglo-backed corporation comprising ski slopes, recreation areas, golf courses, and dams. Amid this wrangling when even, the locals abuse the initiator, Joe, saying, “What is this little pint son of a bitch want to cause a trouble for?” (Nicholas 1), where nobody is going to support him. Despite this, he becomes an accidental dissident in the midst of this brouhaha which sets the stage for a confrontation and finally his own escape that ends on his returning back with the help of the higher authorities, making the locals ultimate winner, and him a cultural hero. Although this cultural war is being fought on an individual level, soon it becomes a rallying point for the locals that brings a victory for the local culture and abatement for Joe, the revolutionary.
Resistance in The Milagro Beanfield War
Exactly like every other resistance, this cultural resistance starts from an individual who happens to be the only male character of the novel, The Milagro Beanfield War, and stays until the end. Having no specific heroic qualities, Joe has this quality that he initiates it in merely his stubbornness towards the progress-oriented junta that has launched several development projects in Milagro. The little field of Joe, which became a central point of this war, is lying near the Roybal ditch that he breaks. Although Joe sets the stage, it is Turnquilino Jeantet who first puts this idea in everybody’s mind when he starts telling everybody “You watch. The conservancy district and the dam is a dirty trick. Like the 1935 water compact, it’s one more way to steal our houses and our land” (34). This is heard by everybody, including Joe Mondragon who then takes up his shovel and boots and before the dusk spreads, makes a breach and starts irrigating his little beanfield left in this encroachment drive. Jeane George Weigel, talking about the film of this novel says that before this breach, the village “is dying because most of the water has been diverted to a large development…and one man’s action brings life back to the tow” (Weigel) who happens to alone Joe. In fact, everybody is feeling the pinch of water scarcity The Milagro Beanfield War, but nobody has the foolish courage to lead others.
Significance of a Lone Act in The Milagro Beanfield War
The little individual in The Milagro Beanfield War act leads to a collective resistance in a way that even the initiator is not aware of the significance of his act. It is because his action is done in resistance but this resistance is the survival of the culture with which the lives of more than five hundred residences is attached. This happens first when the news reached at the store of Nick Rael where more than six people are present. However, they show their reaction contrary to the first full meeting as they are afraid of the developers more than their own survival. All the three men among those six first comment totally against calling Joe runt, stupid and a bad guy. However, when the first meeting takes place, this little breach takes the shape of a collective responsibility where two women also represent their population. It is actually the impetus put by Ruby Archuleta that might have already a premonition about him, “I knew Jose Mondragon could not go through his entire life, without attempting one great thing” (76). And this perhaps she has sensed in their first meeting in which she extends all out support for him that becomes a motivation factor all others. Antonia Darder states that it is the survival of the Chicano identity lies in resistance to “cultural domination, psychological abuse and physical hardship” (Darder 152). This means that it is a collective cultural resistance in The Milagro Beanfield War against another cultural domination that Nicholas has portrayed in this novel.
Chicano Victory in The Milagro Beanfield War
Although Joe has to flee, in his escape lies the final victory of the Chicano culture and Milagro villagers. Montana tracks Joe when he escapes to the nearby mountains. In the final moment, shots are heard, making Montana to run for his own life instead of catching Joe. However, then Shorty appears and states that the old man shot by Joe has recovered. The entire town comes to celebrate with Joe. Finally, there ensues a standoff in which the entire village backs Joe in his resistance against his arrest. This is a symbolic act in which he wins and the whole village wins. It is because the order comes from the government that this little incident might lead to a conflagration. Therefore, Joe is released and Milagro wins its war against the invasion. In fact, he clearly says that he is not a man to throw his “investment on the window” (476) at the end by which he means that he has his hand in it but he would like to lose in the face of resistance.
Conclusion
In short, the novel The Milagro Beanfield War, is a resistance of the dying cultures like Chicano. The modern culture of property development and commercialism is leaving nothing with the ancient cultural people expect to resist the relentless onslaught collectively. Although little acts of defiance make little impact, when everybody join hands and thinks in Ruby’s words that this little field represents all fields of ours, it becomes impossible to save hamlets like Milagro. However, when everybody joins hands, this collective strength even forces the higher authorities as high as the government to revoke the decision of investment. They do not show their cards but resistance makes them retreat though it is another thing that this domination comes in a more vigorous way in the shape of baits of development and progress for the locals that they immediately fell upon one by one and leave nothing for themselves to bank upon in The Milagro Beanfield War.
Works Cited
- Nichols, John. The Milagro Beanfield War. New York: Owl Book Henry Holt LLC. 1994. Print.
- Darder, Antonia. Culture and Difference: Critical Perspectives on the Bicultural Experience in the United States. Greenwood Publishing Group. Print.
- Weigel, Jeane George. “Robert Redford’s Milagro Beanfield War in Truchas.” High Road Artist. High Road Artist. 30 Nov. 2010. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Relevant Questions about The Milagro Beanfield War as A Clash of Cultures
- How does the conflict between Joe Mondragon and the developers in The Milagro Beanfield War symbolize the clash of cultures between traditional, rural values and modern urbanization?
- In what ways does the character Joe embody the clash of cultures in the novel, The Milagro Beanfield War?
- Explore the role of religion and spirituality in The Milagro Beanfield War as a reflection of cultural clashes.
