Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
One key scene has the hacendado (or ranch head) Don Héctor Rocha y Villareal invite John to play billiards in a room that was once a chapel, with an ornate chandelier hanging from the ceiling. An old wood-carved altar and a life-sized painting of Jesus dominate the room. Don Héctor says that the place, a chapel no longer, has yet to be made "unsacred," doubting that such a thing can happen—"what is sacred is sacred," he says (2058).
The scene suggests the permanence of tradition. Don Héctor speaks disparagingly about the education and rationality Alfonsa and Francisco Madero acquired in Europe, suggesting that reasoning and big ideas invite conflict; he believes people of his generation are more "cautious," and they "dont believe that people can be improved in their character by reason" (2075).
What do you think the meaning of the religious accoutrements in the billiards room is? Is Don Héctor trying to get a point across by choosing this setting?