Zorro, by Isabel Allende Favourite superheroes are something that almost everybody has – be it Superman (a perennial favourite, especially after that movie’s release), Batman, Spiderman, X-Men, The Phantom, or the Star Wars crew, ‘politically-correct’ heroes such as Catwoman and Dark Angel, or even local idols such as Cicakman and Keluangman. They have a special place in our hearts because they lead lives so different and exciting in comparison to ours, and if we admit it, we sometimes yearn to have what they have – special powers. And therein lies the main distinction between all those superheroes mentioned above and one that does not have any special power but is still considered a “hero”: Zorro.
If you didn’t realise it before, you must realise it now – Zorro does not have special power to speak of, such as superior strength, telepathy, the ability to fly or scale walls using ‘webs’, or even Kryptonite. Not only that, he does not have any high-tech weapons such as a Batmobile or laser guns or flying contraptions. He also does not live in an imagined place (á la Star Wars).
Yet, Zorro is revered and loved by many book-lovers, moviegoers and couch potatoes. All he has to make him “special” is his black half-mask and costume with a cape (which underwear he, thankfully, does not wear outside his costume), his whip, his sword, his black horse Tornado, and big doses of bravery and charm.
Zorro’s allure is so immense that he not only manages to capture the attentions of me, but he is certainly capable of wooing the hearts of women with his suavity and charisma. Many women have claimed to be in love with him. But how did El Zorro become who he is today, as pictured in the movies? What is the background and the history that makes Zorro so admired?
That is precisely what Isabel Allende has successfully written about in her book, simply titled
Zorro. Allende, who is Chilean-American and who writes in Spanish, has epitomised Zorro so well in the book that after you have finished reading it, you will feel like Zorro isn’t so different from you after all.
In fact, you will feel like Zorro is your best friend, even though he is a Spanish-Indian who goes by the name of Diego de la Vega when he does not assume his alter-ego; speaks Spanish (courtesy of his dad Alejandro) and Indian (from his mom, Toypurnia); lives in Barcelona; and would most probably never come to Malaysia to give interviews or perform heroic acts. Allende brings him down to earth by telling us about his family, his childhood, his teenage years, his youthful adventures, his joys, his troubles, and his love life from the point of view of someone close to him.
Many times you will find yourself exasperated with Zorro because of his weaknesses, such as being completely oblivious to many things when hints are heavily dropped, and his obsession with a girl that does not like him. But you can never hate Zorro because although he is not perfect, his flaws make him human, thus making him more “connect-able” to other people, unlike the other superheroes.
Allende’s prose is lyrical and smooth and therefore you would not find any difficulty breezing through the book. Putting down the book for breaks would be hard, as I myself found it to be, and sleepless nights would probably ensue. Allende seems to radiate joy and exhilaration in her writing, and puts the “swash” in the swashbuckling tale of Zorro (which, by the way, means “fox” in Spanish).
At the end of the book, you will find yourself wanting to be like Zorro more than the other superheroes, because you will realise that you can be imperfect and don’t need to acquire any special powers to be like him. All you have to have is some talent; a lot of courage, wit, and allure; and most importantly, a passion for life.
P.S. I wrote this book review for my university's Campus News :).
