This was a somewhat confusing but welcomed read. Compared to last weeks Labyrinths, this book was a breath of fresh air. While nothing will ever be as confusing as last weeks read, I will say this book did come a close second. The narration between Juan and Pedro was confusing and a bit hard to follow because the timeline would go back and forth, without a clear separation. For those of you who have watched the show Dark, the jumps between timelines in this book were similar to those in the show. Anyways, I found myself paying really close attention to what was being said and to who was saying it. While I was reading it, I felt like I was essentially reading short stories that had to be pieced together, kind of like a puzzle. Once I was able to piece together what was happening my final conclusion was that the book was sad. When combining the story of the people in the ghost town, the kind of person Pedro was and how Juan would never get the chance to meet his father, all made the story so sad to read about.
It was sad to think about how Juan came to Comala with the determination and promise to his mother to find his father, only to find out through the dead townspeople that he died. When I first started the book I thought it would be about a son finding closure for his childhood without his dad. However, I felt it instead became a story about loss, death and hopelessness. It seemed to me that every character was living in a state of hopelessness that resulted in their death. With Pedro he lost his childhood crush and it put him into this state of despair, which made him cause destruction to those around him and it eventually costed him his life. For Juan he lost his mother and came to the town hoping to find his father and claim his inheritance, only to find out he is dead. It seemed like whatever the characters were hoping to achieve or gain, never happened and they ended up falling into a state of utter despair. The idea that whatever hope the characters had would only resulted in loss and hopelessness, added a sense of realism to the story. It really highlighted the fact that in life not everything we hope for can be achieved and that you can go through life living only in despair.
Question to think about: By using themes of hopelessness and despair, what do you think the author trying to convey throughout the story? That life can only be full of hopelessness?
It is curious that you say that Pedro Páramo was “a breath of fresh air”, when the environment speaks of the intense heat and the oppressive sensation of the entire novel. It is also interesting that you mention “Dark”, I think there are some common traits and with that in mind I’m glad you were able to reconstruct the story. I think you have quite developed that “sixth sense” that is needed to read this type of narrative, I congratulate you.
I’m going to be honest, this book was quite a depressing read. It did feel vaguely nihilist, like none of the characters had any agency in their lives and were put through such tragedy for essentially no reason. My initial thought is yes, it portrays life as being hopeless.
Hi Alizey,
That’s really interesting that you bring up the feeling of hopelessness. This is super interesting because this book starts as a quest or journey with Juan trying to find his father. I read it as he started with at least a hopeful mission, but once reality set in, that was very quickly lost. I think the theme could connect with how parentage guides us through life. Juan was feeling hopeful to connect with his father, but when it became clear that both of his parents were gone, he lost his last hope.
Hey Alizey! I really empathize with this hopelessness you name in the feeling of the book, and am glad you pointed it out :). I think with this story plagued with this oppressive sense of despair, a sense of power in this book is established, or more fittingly, the powerlessness of these people in this rural area that ultimately tie to this regional “leader” who is Pedro, or even just subjected to the environment around them, or even just life. I think this despair or inevitability of depressive consequence also relates to the notion that death, a seemingly tragic ending, is inevitable and must be followed through.
Hi Alizey, I agree that this book was certainly up there in terms of confusion. Also you mentioning DARK made me beyond happy as I adore that show; I suppose with that, however, it is still easier to follow those timelines more clearly because it is a visual medium. I felt the aspect of puzzle pieces, because without a clear path, I did find some parts of the book to feel very thrown together, like, as you said, short stories jumping around.
I definitely got the sense of hopelessness through various characters, and after Juan died, I realized there would truly be no happy ending. From there, it just got sadder. I struggle to find a true ‘meaning’ to all these sad events, but I do think Rulfo is trying to zero in on how hopelessness of one generation, and the pain and trauma that causes, can very easily be passed onto the next generation.