Pedro Paramo is an excellent depiction of the literature referred to as magical realism. Magical realism attempts to incorporate fantasy and reality into one by using fantasy to help "untangle" the elements of reality. Pedro Paramo incorporates the elements of magical realism, most noticeably through the concept of time and death.
Time is something that is imperative to the text. Juan Rulfo centers the story around two concepts of time: the present journey of Juan Preciado and the past life of Pedro Paramo. There is an often seamless transition between these two time frames, that provides background and character to the novel. Through the manipulation of time the reader is exposed to both a background to the town and the present journey of Preciado.
Death is a fundamental piece to this text. Rulfo illustrates the town where Pedro Paramo lived and that Juan Preciado is traveling to in a unique manner. Through the use of time, Rulfo describes Comala both during the time of Paramo and during the journey of Juan Preciado. There is a definitive overlap between the two as Juan Preciado encounters many people who are deemed "dead" that help better illustrate the town and the life of Pedro Paramo. When Preciado dies in the text, it switches to the life of Pedro Paramo. Death is again looked at very intently even after Preciado dies and it switches to one time setting. When someone in this text dies, a similar process is revealed to take place regardless of who the person is that dies. We see through Rulfo's writings that there appears to be some corruption and hypocrisy in the church. The priest who is viewed as God's intermediary is in fact a sinner himself. His job is to act as a means of God and yet father Renteria is described as emotionally biased and a sinner himself. The text is deeply rooted in the importance of life, death, and the afterlife and possesses a multitude of examples depicting this.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Pedro Paramo- ERK
The most obvious theme that I began to see while reading the novel was that of Father Renteria as a symbol for the church. There were several mentions of father renteria as a sinner in the novel. Also, on page 30 the novel turns its attention to father Renteria's source of income. In other parts of the novel, the concept of paying in order to have sins forgiven is mentioned. This may be a commentary on the hipocracy and greed of the church.
Another device used is the concept of a story outside of time. On page 15, the novel says "as if time had been telescoped." This is an excellent depiction of the disregard for time in the magic realist world. There is a common theme during the novel of a change of time period indicated by movement of ox carts, rain, mention of lamps, and galloping horses.
On page 78, the voices that echo throughout the town of Comala serve as a chance to use alternate worlds. It is hard to tell what is a dream and what is reality. This is a classic case of magic realism blurring the distinction between worlds.
Another device used is the concept of a story outside of time. On page 15, the novel says "as if time had been telescoped." This is an excellent depiction of the disregard for time in the magic realist world. There is a common theme during the novel of a change of time period indicated by movement of ox carts, rain, mention of lamps, and galloping horses.
On page 78, the voices that echo throughout the town of Comala serve as a chance to use alternate worlds. It is hard to tell what is a dream and what is reality. This is a classic case of magic realism blurring the distinction between worlds.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Pedro Paramo- JG
Magical realism is when magical elements are brought into a realistic setting in order to find a deeper understanding and meaning of reality. Elements are like normal instances that are presented in a simple and clear-cut manner which allows the "real" and "fantastic" to be seen the same setting. This book tests reality. What seems to be real is not and Juan finds things out about his life and reality that he had not known was there before. For example, when he first meets the Abundio on his travels to find his father, Pedro Paramo, Abundio says that he was his father too. Everything begins to unravel and piece together. This story questions illusion and reality. Juan is searching for answers on basic elements of life such as life and death, love, sex, and religion.
The first entity is life and death. Juan was on his journey to search for his father when he comes across a fellow traveler Abundio who helps Juan find Comala. The story goes from normal and “real” to extraordinary and fantastic when we find out that Abundio is actually dead. We also find out that Eduviges was also a ghost, and finally that everyone in the town is as well. Also, when Juan first meets Eduviges she tells him that his mother had told her that he was coming, and again, his mother was dead too. “She told me you would be coming. Today, in fact. That you would be coming today…So that was why her voice was so weak, like it had to travel a long distance to get here. Now I understand. And when did she die?” (10).
The second entity affected is the sense of time. Once Juan has reached Comala the story becomes timeless. Juan keeps having flashbacks and the story consistently goes back and forth from past to present. Also, when he is staying with Eduviges and is sleeping the first night he notes how hours and hours pass. The story shifts from the present time while Juan is in Comala, he reminisces back to times with his mother and grandmother. Also, when he hears the stories of the ghost about his father the time shifts to when he was alive.
The first entity is life and death. Juan was on his journey to search for his father when he comes across a fellow traveler Abundio who helps Juan find Comala. The story goes from normal and “real” to extraordinary and fantastic when we find out that Abundio is actually dead. We also find out that Eduviges was also a ghost, and finally that everyone in the town is as well. Also, when Juan first meets Eduviges she tells him that his mother had told her that he was coming, and again, his mother was dead too. “She told me you would be coming. Today, in fact. That you would be coming today…So that was why her voice was so weak, like it had to travel a long distance to get here. Now I understand. And when did she die?” (10).
The second entity affected is the sense of time. Once Juan has reached Comala the story becomes timeless. Juan keeps having flashbacks and the story consistently goes back and forth from past to present. Also, when he is staying with Eduviges and is sleeping the first night he notes how hours and hours pass. The story shifts from the present time while Juan is in Comala, he reminisces back to times with his mother and grandmother. Also, when he hears the stories of the ghost about his father the time shifts to when he was alive.
Pedro Paramo (RC)
One of the main entities that are affected by magic realism is the difference between living and dead. When reading this novel, from the beginning the reader is unaware of the difference between the living and dead. Preciado says “before I knew it my head began to swim with dreams and my imagination took flight”. Preciado’s first encounter in with Paramo’s illegitimate son who is dead, but the reader is unaware that he is dead until he meets Doña Eduviges. This hints at how the Mexican culture is very close to their dead. Although these people are dead they are still able to communicate with the living. Another example of this is how the living people pray for those dead spirits that still roam around the town hoping that one day they will cross over.
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Another entity that is affected by magic realism in this novel is time. Throughout this novel there are no boundaries between the past, present, or future. The author takes us through the past of some of the characters lives through Preciado’s encounters with the dead in the present. But once Preciado passes away we are stuck in the past living through Pedro Paramo’s life. This novel speaks more to the culture of the country more than city like areas in Mexico. The effect of timelessness reflects how the Mexican culture seems to dwell on the past and that things don’t really change, traditions remain the same and are passed down through generations.
MRB Pedro Paramo 3 Entitities
While reading the novel, Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo I discovered three important entities that were affected by the Magical Realist devices. These entities were time, life & death, and religion.
First Entity: Time
Once Juan begins his journey to Comala the story begins to lose any sense of time that it once had. Rulfo is constantly shifting between different story plots that occur in different time periods without any acknowledgement of doing it. I believe he is doing this to give an essence of what magic realism literature is all about. The past and present are fused into one sporadic era where time means non-existent. The past and present events that are seamlessly occurring at the same time allows for reality to be bent in a way that tests the readers fortitude towards magical realism composition. The distortion of time is featured throughout the entire book, but does get easier to pick up on as you continue reading.
Second Entity: Life and Death
Throughout the novel there is an incorporation of living and non-living entities that is impossible to miss. It becomes evident very early on when Dyada, who was a close friend of Juan’s mother but has not seen her in years tells him that she was expecting him. When Juan asks how she knew he was coming she replies, “She told me you were coming. Today in fact…” but his mother had died days before this meeting. The seamless combination of normal and abnormal events and entities is a major characteristic of magical realism. During his stay in Comala, Juan is constantly encountering souls that disappear and reappear right before his eyes and yet he is not disturbed by this, but more intrigued. He even will acknowledge this fact while in conversation with these beings so it is no secret or disturbance. All of these souls are stuck in purgatory and are waiting to eventually be released and sent to heaven, hopefully. Unfortunately Juan dies while in Comala and also ends up stuck in purgatory with the rest of the townspeople. But although Juan is dead, he continues to communicate with these souls and he seems very accepting of the fact that he is dead. This reflects on the Mexican culture because unlike in America, when someone dies in Mexico there life is celebrated by their family rather than mourned over. There is even a holiday called El Dia de Los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) in which past family members lives are commemorated.
Third Entity: Religion
I believe that religion is a large piece of this magical realism novel and is used as a device to represent the the history of the Mexican culture. The Mexican culture values religion more than the American one and is historically more religiously accepting. This is displayed in the novel with Father Renteria who is constantly in confessional attempting to absolve many of the townspeople of their sins. He is well known and respected around Comala plays a large role in the novel. This is especially important to a magical realism novel because the Latin American culture has always been more accepting of the derailing of the natural boundaries. Dating back to their most native tribes who believed in Pantheism, which is the belief that god exists in all natural things such as a tree or a rock. Rulfo wanted to make sure religion played a role in this book in order to acknowledge this historical culture.
First Entity: Time
Once Juan begins his journey to Comala the story begins to lose any sense of time that it once had. Rulfo is constantly shifting between different story plots that occur in different time periods without any acknowledgement of doing it. I believe he is doing this to give an essence of what magic realism literature is all about. The past and present are fused into one sporadic era where time means non-existent. The past and present events that are seamlessly occurring at the same time allows for reality to be bent in a way that tests the readers fortitude towards magical realism composition. The distortion of time is featured throughout the entire book, but does get easier to pick up on as you continue reading.
Second Entity: Life and Death
Throughout the novel there is an incorporation of living and non-living entities that is impossible to miss. It becomes evident very early on when Dyada, who was a close friend of Juan’s mother but has not seen her in years tells him that she was expecting him. When Juan asks how she knew he was coming she replies, “She told me you were coming. Today in fact…” but his mother had died days before this meeting. The seamless combination of normal and abnormal events and entities is a major characteristic of magical realism. During his stay in Comala, Juan is constantly encountering souls that disappear and reappear right before his eyes and yet he is not disturbed by this, but more intrigued. He even will acknowledge this fact while in conversation with these beings so it is no secret or disturbance. All of these souls are stuck in purgatory and are waiting to eventually be released and sent to heaven, hopefully. Unfortunately Juan dies while in Comala and also ends up stuck in purgatory with the rest of the townspeople. But although Juan is dead, he continues to communicate with these souls and he seems very accepting of the fact that he is dead. This reflects on the Mexican culture because unlike in America, when someone dies in Mexico there life is celebrated by their family rather than mourned over. There is even a holiday called El Dia de Los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) in which past family members lives are commemorated.
Third Entity: Religion
I believe that religion is a large piece of this magical realism novel and is used as a device to represent the the history of the Mexican culture. The Mexican culture values religion more than the American one and is historically more religiously accepting. This is displayed in the novel with Father Renteria who is constantly in confessional attempting to absolve many of the townspeople of their sins. He is well known and respected around Comala plays a large role in the novel. This is especially important to a magical realism novel because the Latin American culture has always been more accepting of the derailing of the natural boundaries. Dating back to their most native tribes who believed in Pantheism, which is the belief that god exists in all natural things such as a tree or a rock. Rulfo wanted to make sure religion played a role in this book in order to acknowledge this historical culture.
PEDRO PARAMO - NEB
Pedro Paramo makes a perfect assembly between the theory of Magic Realism literature and its example. The novel plays with time, have a combination between what is natural and what is unreal, it pushes the reader to find its own meaning, there are unreasonable situations put together with a sense of perfect reality, and finally it has a non-linear/cyclical timing rather than a regular linear timing.
First entity affected
The story shifts from an ordinary beginning to extraordinary when Juan on his way to Comala, meets a guy called Abundio Martinez. This guy was also the son of Padro Paramo, showed Juan the way to Comala and gave him advice on where to stay warning him that Comala was a ghost town, very empty and desolated.
Juan stayed with Eduviges Dyada, and in this moment one of the main characteristics of Magic Realism comes to play. Eduviges told Juan that she and his mother were very close and that she was the one that told her to expect his visit. How can the mother tell Eduviges to expect him if she was dead? This cyclical timing, instead of linear, is one of the features of Magic Realism and it is present throughout the whole book.
Second entity affected
Mixing supernatural events with earthly things is another characteristic of Magic Realism, and it is present since the moment he hit the road to Comala and met with Abundio (the spirit of his half-brother). This book was based in the communication between the dead and the living. Damiana Cisneros appeared in the plot, to tell Juan Preciado that Eduviges is a lost soul. While talking to her, Juan suspects that Damiana might be dead too, and he was right. As soon as he asked Damiana that, her body disappeared. Things like this cannot be explained by human reason, however in Magical Realism there has to be an acceptance of what is supernatural as the reality and Juan did so.
Being without real existing, persisting in a past that does no longer exist, and not being able to acknowledge their own death; are other important features of this book in relation to Magic Realism. Absolutely everybody in the town was dead and this whole idea of being in a purgatory on earth, ended up with the life of Juan too, the only visitor that Comala has had in years.
Third entity affected
The author, Juan Rulfo, introduced the Mexican Revolution in the plot for various reasons. In short, the revolutionaries were going to hold accountable Pedro to counteract the action of the revolution but Pedro with his power/money kept the reins of the revolution on his land. The author is trying to show the difference between this harsh poverty/social marginilization as opposed to the life that Pedro Paramo had, which is both mythical and still real in Latin America. Juan Rulfo makes an attempt for readers to understand the realities that exist in many parts of the world that are evil, he uses Comala as an example of how a poor town/country can be ruled at the whim of a powerful person.
The parallelism between the past and present with that sense of timelessness; reflects the daily/normal life in Latin America culture and its eternal withdrawal to and from the past.
In the end of the book, the love of the life of Pedro, Susana, died and he lost completely his desired to live and to fight. Consequently, he starts to die slowly taking the whole population with him on purpose, as a form of revenge.
Bringing in the non-linear/cyclical timing again; Abundio, the illegitimate son of Pedro Paramo, went to "La media luna’’ to borrow some money from his father and ended up injuring Pedro Paramo to death.
In the end of the book, the love of the life of Pedro, Susana, died and he lost completely his desired to live and to fight. Consequently, he starts to die slowly taking the whole population with him on purpose, as a form of revenge.
Bringing in the non-linear/cyclical timing again; Abundio, the illegitimate son of Pedro Paramo, went to "La media luna’’ to borrow some money from his father and ended up injuring Pedro Paramo to death.
Pedro Paramo
Pick out two or three entitites in the novel that you think are affected by magic realist devices. Explain/analyze the devices and what you think Juan Rulfo is trying to say about Mexico and its culture and systems. Your entry need not be lengthy; do not give a plot summary (if you can find one).
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