Juan Rulfo: The Mexican Revolution

This novel was written based on the Mexican revolution, which was an important event in history for the people of Mexico. The author of this novel, Juan Rulfo portrays the characters as being lost in purgatory to show how the people of Mexico felt during the time of Porfirio Diaz. Juan Rulfo used his experiences and suffering during the revolution and turned it into literature. During the Mexican revolution, there were situations in which men were more powerful and played a more important role in society than women. The use of descriptive language and imagery in the novel allows readers to understand how horrific the time period was and how the people felt.

Machismo is a term used to describe strong masculine pride. In the novel, Juan Rulfo incorporates machismo throughout the

The setting of the novel is in a small town called Comala and throughout the reading we interpreted it as a “ghost town” because the characters barely have any connection between each other. It seems as if they are living in purgatory waiting for their entrance to either Heaven or Hell. During the day, the town is quiet and no one is around and then as soon as the night falls, dead souls come out and seek for their forgiveness. There is constant rain and the town is deserted by ghosts and spirits. When a person is ready to leave to either Heaven or Hell, there is a celebration held showing that one of these souls has found peace or punishment from God. Comala is considered a town where these dead souls seek for the removal of their sins and from the punishment that will follow. This gives the reader a perception that the men and women in the novel have some sort of connection between each other, but very little respect. Miguel Paramo was considered a “man who died without forgiveness and you will never know God’s grace”