The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
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| Treasure of the Sierra Madre | |
|---|---|
 1st US edition |
|
| Author | B. Traven |
| Original title | Der Schatz der Sierra Madre |
| Country |  Germany |
| Language | German |
| Genre(s) | Adventure novel |
| Publication date | 1927 |
| Published in English |
1935 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-8090-0160-8 |
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.
[edit] Story and historical setting
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 protagonists 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 in which the three gringos band together in a small Mexican town and set out to find wealth in the remote Sierra Madre mountains. They ride a train into the hinterlands, surviving a bandit attack en route.
Once in the desert, Howard, the old-timer of the group, quickly proves to be by far 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 three drifters. The drifters, thinking the gold is just worthless sand, 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.
