The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses racist stereotypes and episodes of racially motivated violence.

“I sit down to write somewhat concerning the life and character of Joaquín Murieta, a man as remarkable in the annals of crime as any of the renowned robbers of the Old or New World, who have preceded him; and I do this, not for the purpose of ministering to any depraved taste for the dark and horrible in human action, but rather to contribute my mite to those materials out of which the early history of California shall one day be composed. The character of this truly wonderful man was nothing more than a natural production of the social and moral condition of the country in which he lived, acting upon certain peculiar circumstances, favorable to such a result, and, consequently, his individual history is a part of the most valuable history of the state.”

The novel begins with a first-person intervention by the narrator, stating his aims in recording Joaquín’s story. He presents that story as a piece of the history of the fledgling American state of California. In introducing the theme of American and Californian Identity in this way, Ridge challenges historical conventions and precedents; he suggests that an outlaw and person of color should be included in mainstream historical records, which have traditionally focused on individuals who are white and politically powerful. This attempt to include the marginalized Joaquín in canonical history parallels Ridge’s own struggles as an Indigenous American to gain admittance into the literary canon. Ridge also defends the “dark and horrible” nature of many of Joaquín’s acts by suggesting that he is a product of the society that made him, foreshadowing The Cycle of Racist and Anti-Racist Violence.

“At an early age of his manhood—indeed, while he was yet scarcely more than a boy—he became tired of the uncertain state of affairs in his own country, the usurpations and revolutions which were of such common occurrence, and resolved to try his fortunes among the American people, of whom he had formed the most favorable opinion from an acquaintance with the few whom he had met in his own native land. The war with Mexico had been fought and California belonged to the United States. Disgusted with the conduct of his degenerate countrymen and fired with enthusiastic admiration of the American character, the youthful Joaquín left his home with a buoyant heart full of the exhilarating spirit of adventure.”

Joaquín has grown disillusioned with his own country and scornful of his own people. He is spurred to move to California by an idealistic vision of America and its people. Despite the racist violence Joaquín encounters in America, Ridge’s novel largely upholds this idealized America while depicting other cultures less favorably; here, for instance, Ridge labels much of Mexican society “degenerate.