Close Read Chapter 1

Juan Preciado is the one talking. It jumps right into the story without giving any opening or setting the scene. It seems like the author should have made the scene a little more intense. Juan's mom is dying in his hands and the author doesn't say anything to make it seem like Juan is sad at all. He seems like he is feeling sorry for his mom because she is dying so he is just saying what she would want to hear. The author portrays it like what Juan is saying he is only to make her happy but he doesn't really mean it. For example he is telling his mother that he is going to go to Comala to find his dad, but he never intends to actually keep his promise and he is only saying that to make her happy. The only thing Juan says on the first page is, "I will, Mother." If my mom was dying in front of me, I would be hysterical but Juan seems bored and like he just wants her to die already. Also later in the book, Juan never talks about his mother's death. He is never sad about it or anything.