Zorro

What are the five basic virtues of okahué? Why are they important, and how does the protagonist display each of them throughout the narrative?

Both Bernardo and Moncada are foils to Diego, yet both are very unlike each other. How is this possible? Contrast the ways in which each is a foil to the protagonist.

What does Diego’s pursuit of Juliana reveal about his character, and what trait(s) does it reveal in him? How does this trait(s) express itself in nonromantic contexts in his journey?

What are the reasons that Moncada becomes such a fitting rival for Diego?

Diego follows the monomyth, or the “hero’s journey,” an archetypal narrative pattern in which a hero leaves home on an adventure, triumphs in some critical dilemma or hardship, and returns home transformed. Ancient Greek mythology often calls this nostos, or homecoming. How does Zorro compare to other literary works that follow this pattern (such as Homer’s Odyssey)? Does Allende’s novel subvert the convention in any significant way?

What is Diego’s “dual personality,” and how does Diego learn to use it to his advantage?

How do all three themes—justice, class, and identity—converge in the character Zorro?

In what ways is Isabel de Romeu a feminist figure?