Zorro

The second part of the novel begins with Diego and Bernardo’s voyage across the Atlantic to Spain. While the colonialist historical narrative has traditionally referred to the Americas as “the New World,” the novel plays with that convention: To Diego, Spain is the new world, while his homeland in the Americas is old. These worlds contrast. Upon arriving in Barcelona, Diego and Bernardo are overwhelmed by the bustling ancient city, a far cry from the more remote, rural world of their upbringing. Spain’s stratified social system is even more rigid and ingrained than California’s. It is dominated by wealthy and well-born aristocrats such as Eulalia de Callís and her nephew Rafael Moncada, and non-Europeans and servants such as Bernardo are practically invisible.

Moreover, though Europe is traditionally termed the “Old World,” Diego’s arrival there introduces him to new ideas. Already on his voyage across the Atlantic, Diego’s acquaintance with the freethinking Captain Santiago de León teaches him that there are “many ways to think” (105). Diego is also exposed to provocative political views through his host, Tomás de Romeu, a liberal sympathetic to the French government that has recently taken power in Spain.

In Spain, Diego also sees for the first time how complex the world can be. No longer in the simpler world of California and his father’s hacienda, Diego finds that “tones of gray” (116) predominate in the chaotic political situation of Spain. He learns that both the occupying French forces and the Spanish guerilla opposition are guilty of atrocities and that neither side is entirely in the right or entirely in the wrong. Diego is, moreover, exposed to different kinds of injustice. He befriends the Romani population who live on the fringes of Catalan society in Barcelona; their cruel treatment at the hands of the Europeans reflects, in many ways, the mistreatment of the Indigenous people in California.

Diego also meets the character who will become his main adversary, Moncada. With his cruelty and his petty injustices, Moncada symbolizes much of what Diego opposes, and he becomes a foil to Diego. A rival for Juliana’s affection, Moncada does not hesitate to use deceit to make himself seem more impressive or desirable, as with his sham serenade, for which he uses his wealth to purchase a Romani’s assistance. Indeed, Moncada does not hesitate to exploit his elevated social position, and in Part 3, he will further use his wealth to pay the Romani to carry out his “dirty work.” He also readily mistreats those he deems inferior, as when he strikes Bernardo at Eulalia’s party. This hubris is what incites Diego’s outraged challenge of a duel, in which Diego’s courage is juxtaposed with Moncada’s cowardice. The two characters’ personal qualities are further highlighted in the duel when Diego humiliates Moncada; unlike Moncada, Diego seeks not to cause actual harm but partly to teach his opponent some humility.

In Barcelona, Diego begins to become Zorro. As he navigates the complex political and social world of French-occupied Barcelona, Diego learns to dissimulate, concealing his opinions and intelligence from dangerous figures such as “Le Chevalier” Duchamps. Through his fencing lessons with Manuel Escalante, Diego also learns focus and discipline, and by joining the maestro’s secret society, La Justicia, he consolidates his commitment to upholding justice and opposing oppression. He also begins to realize his path when he takes “Zorro” as his codename, a reference to the fox spirit guide he encountered in his Shoshone initiation rites. Finally, at the end of Part 2, Diego dons the mask of Zorro for the first time to rescue—with remarkable foxlike cunning and dramatic flair—several Romani prisoners who were sentenced to execution. This act of courage establishes Diego’s character and motivations as the masked vigilante Zorro.