page_title: The Rifle Rangers: or Adventures in South Mexico
section_title: Nature
hierarchical_section_title: The Rifle Rangers: or Adventures in South Mexico / Themes / Nature
caption_attribution_description: Monte Alban Countryside
context_page_description: The Rifle Rangers or Adventures in South Mexico is a novel by Captain Mayne Reid, set in Vera Cruz, Mexico during the Mexican War
  The novel depicts the plight of American soldiers stationed in Mexico during the war and their effect on the native population. It follows the life of protagonist Captain Jack Haller as he helms the newly formed American battalion, dubbed the "Rifle Rangers". Accompanying Haller is a small band of fellow soldiers whom he leads on several missions through the Tierra Caliente portion of Mexico. The Rifle Rangers was Reid's first novel and is reflective of the author's wartime duty as a lieutenant in the First New York Volunteer Infantry, with which he traveled to the parts of Mexico described in the novel.
context_section_description: Reid's primary theme in The Rifle Rangers is nature. Reid devotes much of the early text in the novel to describing the beauty of his protagonist's Mexican setting. He delineates the natural differences between the Tierras, even though the book only takes place in the Tierra Caliente. The in-depth descriptions both catalog the Rangers’ quest through the interior of Mexico as well as their impending battles. In the scenes where the Rangers meet locals and traverse pleasant landscapes, Cpt. Haller describes the colors and sounds and scents of nature. Before battles or times of turmoil, Haller notes only the dark tones and bleakness inherent in his surroundings.
  Haller's description of setting establishes the tone of the novel. Reid's depiction of nature is cyclical. For as long as it appears dreary, it appears equally as stunning and brilliant. The unpredictability of nature thus reflects the unpredictability of human nature, as can be seen in the Rangers’ constant movements and skirmishes. "Mayne [Reid's] primary obsession is with the pretty things around his characters; their interactions and lives seem unimportant in comparison, but he still does a brilliant job relaying their exploits."
caption: Tierra Caliente
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