This week’s reading brought me back so many memories as I read this novel for the second time. I remember reading this in my last year in middle school and being deeply confused on so many aspects of the book. Being able to re-read this novel really made me appreciate such a good piece of writing that I totally missed the first time reading this.
One of the first things I want to note about this week’s reading is how good it portrays this side of a superstitious Mexican culture. I want to link this with one of the novel’s common themes: death. In Mexican culture, death is like an extension of life, something that you can encounter any day of the week but not because of the reasons you may think. One example is the Day of the Dead, in which we acknowledge and celebrate death for three days. Another example is this superstitious side of Mexican culture, where we think that “ghosts” or “lost souls” can actually be stuck somewhere specifically, and we can encounter these “apparitions” any day. Pedro Paramo is a perfect example in which the dead and the living get to interact for a while in the same space, with no boundaries, rules or explanations needed. I believe Juan Rulfo’s ability to do this so naturally, yet confusing to the readers at the beginning, is such a beautiful way to write.
Another thing that was really interesting to me is the power of memories, both in an obvious literary way in which we travel the book through memories, but also for the characters in Comala. It is their memories from when they were alive that still chains them to Comala, to the place where they lived and the way they act. Rulfo’s way of depicting the power memories have not only for the living but also for the death and creating a connecting with this, is something really interesting and that I enjoyed reading about. Rulfo’s ability of connecting the living and the dead throughout the novel was something that happened more than once, either by the simple fact of placing the dead and the living on the same place (Comala), by sharing moments together and sharing history together.
Finally, the complexity of Pedro Paramo, the main character, is something that stood out to me. Throughout the novel we see him as this villainous character that is driven by the urge of revenge and hatred, someone who has no compassion and who turned a good place like Comala into a dead-like place. We are able to create an image about Pedro, him being strong and invincible, someone who can get whatever he wants however he wants. But at the end of the novel we are presented a side of Pedro that we never thought we would see, devastated and miserable by the loss of Susana. Loosing her, someone that he wanted so badly, was ultimately what “destroyed” this character. Yet it also made me think why he would be so affected by it, as it was very hard for me to be convinced he actually loved her and wanting her was not just a selfish need of Pedro.
My question for you this week is: Why do you think Rulfo did this to Pedro’s character? Do you think he wanted to portray a message about maybe “love” being stronger than money, revenge and hate? Or was it maybe an “ironic” way to end Pedro’s strong character with something so simple and fragile as “love”?
As we read the novel, different versions appear of what Pedro Páramo was (is?) for the town of Comala and its inhabitants. It is true that discovering the cacique in love with Susana may seem surprising, but there are some clues almost from the beginning of that other part of him. As you say, the character of Pedro Páramo becomes more complex with each reading we make of the novel.
Thank you for bringing up the presence of superstition, as someone who wouldn’t know much about Mexican culture, if you hadn’t spoken about it, I probably wouldn’t have known. I feel like Pedro needed some kind of tether to humanity, without his ‘love’ for Susana, he would be evil for no apparent reason other than that’s how he is. His hope (and obsession) for Susana is what kept him bordering the line between brutal disregard for others and the tiny shred of empathy he had left in him. I saw Pedro’s power, vengeance, and money as symptoms of his character, something he ‘earned’ or participated in, but love, as simple as it may be, was the cause to all his misery and happiness, which is what made him lose it in the end.
Hi Rebeca,
Thank you for your post. You bring up quite a few interesting things. I loved your discussion Pedro- how he went from being an invincible and powerful individual full of power toa weak and powerless individual disheartened by the loss of Susana. Like you, I also don’t know if I’m convinced about his love towards her.
I enjoyed your blog post. I found the link you make between the portrayal of superstition and accuracy to mexican culture that we see in the novel. To answer your discussion question, I think Rulfo was being ironic in portraying Pedro’s downfall as being caused by his love for Susana. It seemed like his love for Susana was also being used to excuse for Pedro’s selfish desire for possession and control.