Week 6: "Pedro Páramo" (Rulfo)

 Hi everyone! I hope everyone is surviving their midterms! I have to say I rather enjoyed this book. I am a big believer in ghosts, spirits, and honestly anything supernatural. That being said, I haven't read or watched many interpretations of ghosts like this. The way Rulfo has depicted the ghosts or spirits in this novel makes them feel very real and almost visible to those who want to see them. At first I was kinda lost when the mule driver was talking about how his father was dead, but he still continued on the journey to find him in the town. Then as it went on I got the idea that the majority of characters in this novel were ghosts or were on the brink of becoming them. 

I really enjoyed the part where Dyada was talking about how his mother had just informed her he was coming. Dyada says, “that is the reason her voice was so weak, as if it had to travel a long way in order to reach me. Yes, now I understand”. I thought that this idea of communication between the dead to be quite peaceful. I have always admired the ways in which different cultures understand spirits and the dead. I think that this novel gave me a little bit more of an insight into how Mexico understands these concepts. The only thing I am a little confused about is how chill the idea of ghosts seems to be to everyone in the novel. I am wondering if everyone is always on the same page about the role that ghosts play in their lives. 

Although what mainly fascinated me about this novel was the aspect of death, the afterlife and mortality, I like how the lecture also mentioned the importance of life within the novel. I think that when themes of death are presented we always forget about the impact that that will play on the living. In the lecture it is said that the people of Comala are trapped in the fine line between death and life. The village is in this cycle of mourning the dead (who aren’t really fully dead) and the living being constantly reminded about death and the losses they experience. Which I would think would be exhausting and never ending, which would personally drive me insane. 

On a lighter note, I really appreciated the delicious drink pairing for this week. I think hot chocolate was a perfect pairing for this first light hearted novel which turned into a much deeper level of thinking about the fragility of life and death for me. The hot chocolate made me happy throughout the entire book! My first question is about people's personal experiences with ghosts and spirits. Does anyone have any crazy stories to share? I personally have been haunted by a ghost when I moved to Vancouver. And my other question is about the role of ghosts in the novel. Do you guys think that the ghosts are a fragment of imagination, or true living beings? Or further, why do we think that when ghosts were first mentioned in the story the main character was barely surprised by this idea?


Comments

  1. Daniel OrizagaFebruary 13, 2023 at 9:04 PM

    With your post you have made me think about the cultural conception that in Mexico we can have of ghosts. Especially for those who live in that region, the idea of "almas en pena" (penitent souls) is not strange at all and many people still believe that they can also inhabit everyday reality. It has to do with a Catholic conception of the other world. But Rulfo "plays" with these theological fragments to expand the fiction.

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  2. DaisyFebruary 15, 2023 at 6:31 PM

    Lovely post! I can relate to a lot of your thoughts. I am also fascinated by the concept of death and afterlife and more specifically the inability for those in the story to full transition to either side. Similar to you, it would drive me crazy as well. To answer your question, from what i know I think that they are not surprised from ghosts as it is part of their culture. As a culture that celebrates the day of death, I feel like they must be pretty comfortable or celebrate with the idea of ghosts and death in general.

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