Echeverría

The work is essentially a commentary upon the corrupt political system that the author is witnessing in Argentina at the time of his writing. The concept of the work is similar to that of George Orwell's Animal Farm in that a Federalist or Totalitarian regime is symbolized by the interactions between animals themselves, or in this case, between humans and animals. The symbolism of the slaughteryard is a direct commentary on the political situation of the day; the butcher kills all the animals, and even those who do have cahones and resist will eventually be rounded up and slain. Echeverria wrote the story partly as a political commentary and partly as a warning, but political corruption is evident throughout.

None of the characters in the narrative are elected to their positions, they assume them, and once in leadership roles, The leader is corrupt and as a result he appoints other corrupt officials to leadership positions. Even the clergy are corrupt, which can be seen in the way that they use matters of faith as a political tool, declaring that the floods were caused by God's anger over the evil He sees in the opposing parties.