1. { Pedro Páramo Latin American Literature Unit

3.  artistic expression that lacks conscious control of the style or sequence of events.  Can be likened to a dream-like state  time is fluid (non sequential)  events are often confusing, but each event contributes to the overall perception of the piece. Surrealism

4. The Persistence of Memory - Dali

5. The enigmatic melting clocks…  The distortion of the clocks suggests the way that time is distorted by the subconscious. In dreams, time often seems fluid; events do not follow in a linear or chronological sequence.

6. PEDRO PÁRAMO

7. History of Latino Literature  Roots in legends and myths myths  Began as oral tradition tradition  Ties to the Catholic religion of Spain

8. Latin America  Latin America is a geographic location  People from Latin America are all Latin, but not all Hispanic  For example, Brazilians speak Portuguese, making them Latin not Hispanic

9.  Genre: Surrealistic/Magical Realism ( Magic realism, chiefly Latin-American narrative strategy that is characterized by the matter-of-fact inclusion of fantastic or mythical elements into seemingly realistic fiction)  Setting: Comala, MX – 1910 (Revolution)  Themes:  Death  Land Ownership  Oppression of Women  Religion  Hope

10.  Appears to be disorganized and fragmented  TWO main story lines: Juan and Pedro  Storylines of many ghosts that haunt Comala  “Ghost” storyline overtakes the “real” storyline of Juan when he becomes a ghost. STRUCTURE OF THE NOVEL

11.  This novel contains multiple narrators, and, often times the reader doesn’t know when the speaker has changed.  This type of narration allows for a multitude of perspectives, but leads to ambiguity. Confusing Narrators

12.  The narrator, who goes to the dusty old town of Comala in search of his father, Pedro Páramo, finds himself both sorting through the skeletons in his father's closet and conversing with the ghosts of the townspeople. Plot line in a nutshell

13. Character list/descriptions

14.  Primary narrator  Pedro Páramo's only legitimate son.  travels to Comala to find his father.  journey is ultimately overwhelmed by the stories of ghosts in the town, which he recounts to the reader.  He dies halfway through the story, and continues to listen to his fellow ghosts while stuck in the purgatory that is Comala. Juan Preciado

15.  largest landowner in and around Comala (the Media Luna).  a tyrant driven by a desire to avenge his father's murder on the world. Through money, violence, and intimidation, he forces Comala into a lifeless, miserable state.  He is the father to many bastard children in the area, including Miguel Páramo. Pedro Paramo

16.  One of Pedro Páramo's bastard children.  A poor and deaf man when he was alive, his ghost is Juan's initial guide into Comala.  At the end of the novel, it is revealed that he is the one who murdered Pedro. Abundio

17.  first woman Juan meets in Comala.  spirit who invites him into her home and tells him about how ghosts haunt the town.  An old friend of Dolorita's, and a former lover of Miguel. Her full name is Eduviges Dyada. Dona Eduviges

18.  Juan Preciado's mother, and Pedro Páramo's first wife.  Her voice haunts Juan throughout his journey, telling him how lovely the town was in her youth.  She was initially happy to marry Pedro, but soured on the match quickly. Dismissed by Pedro, Dolorita leaves with Juan and never returns.  Also goes by Lola and Dolores. Dolorita

19.  The childhood love and obsession of Pedro Páramo.  She moved away from Comala when she was young, later married Florencio, and then ended up in an incestuous relationship with her father after being widowed.  Though Pedro ends up forcing her into a reunion following the death of her father (which he engineered), she had already lost her sanity and spends her final days in a mad fantasy. Susana San Juan

20.  A character only introduced in the sections detailing Pedro's youth.  Most of her scenes involve her grieving over someone's death (Pedro's grandfather and then father). Pedro’s Mother

21.  A soothsayer who once told Dolorita to avoid sleeping with Pedro on her wedding night.  Because of this, doña Eduviges took her place and was almost Juan's mother.  Later, there is mention of a soothsayer who was killed, which could refer to him. Osorio

22.  Juan's aunt, and Dolorita's sister.  They moved in with her after leaving Pedro behind.  She resents their intrusion on her house, but because of her, Juan was able to grow up away from the wasteland of Comala. Gertrudis

23.  Pedro's bastard son, and the only one he raises himself.  Miguel is known for his unfettered intensity and cruelty. He collects women and is guilty of several rapes and murders.  An interesting counterpoint and parallel to his father. He is killed when his horse leaps a stone fence. His ghost visits doña Eduviges. Miguel Paramo

24.  The parish priest of Comala.  A miserable hypocrite who continually forgives the Páramo family their sins because they can pay, even though it makes him sick to do so.  Miguel killed his brother and raped his niece.  He exploits the villagers' superstition to maintain his power over them, and is quite cruel and selective in terms of to whom he offers forgiveness. Father Renteria

25.  Father Rentería's niece, and a rape victim of Miguel's.  She is one of our first indications of the town's vicious patriarchy and her uncle's hypocrisy, since he forgives Miguel for money despite the young man's assault on Ana. Ana

26.  Eduviges's sister.  She begs Father Rentería to forgive Eduviges for her suicide, but is refused. Maria Dyada

27.  A spirit resident of Comala, and one of Juan's hosts. She fetches him from Eduviges's house.  The first person to suggest that the souls of Comala might be able to move on after a period of time.  When alive, she was a maid in the Páramo home, and had an unhealthy wish to be assaulted by Pedro.  She is murdered by Abundio alongside Pedro Páramo. Damiana Cisneros

28.  A victim of Pedro's following his insistence on building fences on the Media Luna.  He was hung in a room in Eduviges's house, and Juan hears the cry of his ghost. Toribrio Aldrete

29.  Foreman of the Media Luna under both Pedro and Lucas.  A practical, money-minded man who is willing to overlook the moral lapses of the Páramo family because they are effective businessmen.  He carries out Pedro's dirty work, like hanging Toribio Aldrete. don Fulgor Sedano

30.  Pedro's father.  a local figure who was shot and killed accidentally at a wedding.  His death haunts Pedro, and leads the boy to swear vengeance on the world. Lucas Paramo

31.  Damiana's sister.  Her ghost haunts Comala. Sixtina

32.  A cruel man in Comala who lives in an incestuous relationship with his sister.  He and his sister host Juan after Damiana disappears.  He and his sister are among the few living inhabitants of the town. Donis

33.  A woman who hosts Juan after Damiana disappears.  She is in an incestuous relationship with her brother, and clearly demented.  She tries to start a relationship with Juan after Donis leaves, but he flees. Donis’s Sister

34.  Juan's main companion after he dies; they die at the same time and are buried in the same grave.  When alive, she was a simpleton obsessed with having a baby.  She helped Miguel collect women for his sexual exploits, and was never forgiven for it by Father Rentería.  While dead, she seems to have great insight not only into the workings of the town as a purgatory, but also of how to "survive" without significant guilt. Dorotea

35.  A colleague of Father Rentería, to whom the latter appeals for atonement.  Because of how much evil Father Rentería allows Pedro to commit, the priest will not forgive him. Priest of Contla

36.  Susana's caregiver and nurse. She has raised Susana from childhood.  Though her life is miserable, she is fully committed to Susana. Justina

37.  Susana's father.  A miner who hates Pedro and wishes to keep his daughter from him.  He seems to be in an incestuous relationship with her, and exerts strict control until Pedro arranges for him to be killed in a mining "accident". Bartolome San Juan

38.  Susana's first husband.  She recalls him with great tenderness and lust, and in her final days of madness, revisits his memory in her feverish mind. Florencio

39.  A messenger who brings news to Pedro about the revolution, and that don Fulgor has been murdered. El Tartamudo

40.  A mercenary whom Pedro hires to infiltrate the revolution.  He later gets enmeshed in the revolutionary politics, and though he never betrays Pedro, he ends up fighting without any clear cause.  Also goes by the name Damasio. El Ticuate

41.  Pedro's lawyer.  He tries to quit but ultimately stays on because he needs the money. Gerard Trujillo

42.  Mother of Gamaliel Villalpando, and the woman who gives Abundio the cheap liquor that leads him to kill Pedro. dona Ines

43.  Storekeeper who sleeps off a hangover while his mother - doña Inês - gets Abundio drunk on liquor. Gamaliel Villapando

44.  One of two women whose conversation is overheard towards the end of the novel.  She and Fausta gossip about Susana's imminent death, and wonder if Father Rentería is on his way to perform last rites.  They are critical of Pedro and offer that Susana deserves peace in the afterlife after the misfortunes of her life. Angeles

45.  She gossips with Angeles about Susana. Fausta