Between Life and Death – Pedro Paramo
Surrealism. I found Juan Rulfo’s Pedro Paramo hard to read, but interesting. It definitely succeeded in invoking a sensation of eeriness. In one sense the work was very fleshly and sensual but at the same time mystical and otherworldly. In the town of Comala, which is described as a type of hell/purgatory where dusk fills the sky with blood, there is not a sharp distinction between those who are dead and those who are alive. Rulfo intertwines descriptions of the flesh and the spiritual world so that they almost seem as one. Against the storyline of Juan Preciado’s mission to find his father, Pedro Paramo, is the spooky telling of the past events of the town of Comala in which the Paramo family wrecked havoc through murder, rape, and illegal bullying. Throughout the novel there are cries for redemption and in most cases it seems out of reach. Important to the story is the Catholic understanding of confession and absolution. Upon the death of Miguel Paramo, the priest Renteria refuses to grant Miguel’s father’s wish to bless him and pray for his soul. In speaking to God Fr. Renteria says, “For my part, I hope you damn him to hell” (26). The Paramo family was not the only ones denied forgiveness. The whole town, which was abandoned by the bishop, seemed in a state of lonely misery as their spirits wandered the ghost town and murmured “Pray for us” (59). Juan Preciado’s mission turns out to be less about finding his father as much as discovering the spirit of his father. The work ends with Pedro Paramo’s death and no narrative is given concerning Juan Preciado. He has entered a world unknown to most, somewhere between life and death and the question arises whether or not he can return to the “real” world.
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Good post. I agree that the question of redemption is essential in understanding this work.
From a religious perspective, I think it it also important to remeber the Mexican aspect of Catholicism. I mean that in the way the Mexican people interject their unique heritage into the Catholicism. Although Catholicism is a religion practiced in many countries, it is interesting to see how each culture inserts its own traditions into the religion. As a Catholic myself, and knowing that we all have the same Pope, the same Catechism and the same Bible, I find it very interesting how different certain practices and beliefs can be. It’s really fascinating.
I really enjoyed reading your post. I wrote of a similar topic concerning the religiousness and forgiveness these.
Upon the death of Miguel Paramo, the priest Renteria refuses to grant Miguel’s father’s wish to bless him and pray for his soul. In speaking to God Fr. Renteria says, “For my part, I hope you damn him to hell” (26). The Paramo family was not the only ones denied forgiveness.
I find it interesting one of Rulfo’s most read books was the bible, yet he writes of such sadness and corruption of the bible through his characters in Pedro Paramo. I makes me wonder Rulfo’s intention. Was he making a mockery of the church? Or, was he trying to point out the church’s weaknesses? I would really like to read the book again, or investigate further into Rulfo’s thoughts on relgion, Catholocism, and forgivness.