The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
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This article does not cite any references or sources. (August 2009) |
| Treasure of the Sierra Madre | |
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 1st edition |
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| Author(s) | B. Traven |
| Original title | Der Schatz der Sierra Madre |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | German |
| Genre(s) | Adventure novel |
| Publisher | Buchergilde Gutenberg |
| Publication date | 1927 |
| Published in English | 1935 |
| Pages | 213 |
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a 1927 novel by the mysterious German-English bilingual author B. Traven, in which two penurious Americans of the 1920s join with an old-timer, in Mexico, to prospect for gold. The book was adapted successfully as a 1948 film of the same name by John Huston.
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Historical setting [edit]
By the 1920s the violence of the Mexican Revolution had largely subsided, although scattered gangs of bandits continued to terrorize the countryside. The newly established post-revolution government relied on the effective but ruthless Federal Police, commonly known as the Federales, to patrol remote areas and dispose of the bandits.
Foreigners, like the three American prospectors who are the focus of the story, were at very real risk of being killed by the bandits. The bandits, likewise, were given little more than a "last cigarette" by the army units after capture, even having to dig their own graves first. This is the context of the story.
Plot [edit]
Three down-and-out Americans meet by chance in the Mexican city of Tampico and discuss how to overcome their financial distress. They then set out to discover gold in the remote Sierra Madre mountains. They ride a train into the hinterlands, surviving a bandit attack en route.
Once in the desert, Howard, an experienced old-timer, quickly proves to be the toughest and most knowledgeable; he is the one to discover the gold they are seeking. A mine is dug, and much gold is extracted, but greed soon begins and Fred C. Dobbs begins to lose both his trust and his mind, lusting to possess the entire treasure.
The bandits then reappear, pretending, very crudely, to be Federales. After a gunfight, a troop of real Federales arrives and drives the bandits away. But when Howard is called away to assist some local villagers, Dobbs and third partner Curtin have a final confrontation, which Dobbs wins, leaving Curtin lying shot and bleeding. Dobbs continues on alone but is soon confronted and killed by the leader of the bandits and two of his remaining henchman who, apparently, had been wandering the desert without weapons or horses after having somehow escaped the Federales. The bandits, thinking the gold dust is just worthless sand used to make the bundles of skins they were hidden in seem heavier, scatter the paydirt. They are later captured and executed by the Federales. Curtin and Howard hear the story and can do nothing but laugh in the end.
Philosophy [edit]
Dobbs is often used as a foil for Howard's philosophical comments on the value of gold and one's responsibilities to one's companions.
Adaptations [edit]
The book was adapted successfully as a 1948 film of the same name by John Huston.
