Las batallas en el desierto : Love, modernization and United States

The following essay deals with three principal and relevant topics regarding the cultural and social changes that took place while Mexico entered the period of modernization in the 1940’s. Influenced and inspired by the United States, Mexico begun its journey towards a modern country. These particular themes are love, modernization and United States and can be found in the novel Las batallas en el desierto (1981), by the Mexican writer José Emilio Pacheco. The hypothesis of this essay is to presume that this literary work is inspired by the surrounding environment and the existing reality of Mexico in the 1940’s but also by the time it was written. Each topic is a contributing factor to both a concern and a curiosity for the social and cultural changes that might appear in the country. Our analysis shows, by and using a structural semiotic method, that it’s possible to observe the various opinions expressed through the characters. It’s also possible to distinguish a personification of the countries. Keywords: Mexico, United States, modernization, love, dream and changes Palabras clave: México, Estados Unidos, modernización, amor, sueños y cambio