How things turn out aren't always the expected or respected way. In the end, Juliana falls in love with a pirate, Diego defeats Moncada in the former's home, and Isabel rescues Diego by becoming Zorro along with Bernardo. So... nothing turns out, and yet, all is well for the protaganists in Zorro. The thing that most surprised me is how fiercely love took hold of Juliana just when I thought she would be sure to surrender to a life alone, with Diego or with Moncada. I enjoyed seeing her change from a young girl obsessed with finding an ideal that didn't exist in her society to a young woman with an adopted child who fought for what she believed in. Therefore, I forgive Juliana for being less than I might have suspected. On the subject of Isabel, I've always known that there was something different about her, something more modern that the author conveys with little hesitance. Part of the reason I enjoy her character in Zorro is because she is a free spirit ( and a libertine of sorts...) who goes with whatever Diego says, but interjects her own opinion as well. I've come to respect Isabel, who is in love with our hero, but doesn't let that get ahold of her common sense. Love is sometimes more wonderful when it can't be conveyed, which is why Isabel keeps it under wraps. Zorro is a wonderful read, and I would most definitely reccomend it to anyone interested in an adventurous story.
Cultural Differences:
Part of the end of the story is worth mentioning. Isabel has followed Zorro faithfully throughout the story, and thus, when she reveals herself as having saved his life in the end of the story, he asks her where she got her mask, and not why a girl would save him as all the other characters would have done. I think it's an atrocity to stop someone from being part of a cause just because they are female. If any male can fight, any female can fight just as well, they have no business being kept out of things just because of prejudice. I appreciate Isabel's bending of the boundaries and breaking of the rules, otherwise, Diego might not have survived.
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