Pedro Close Read: chapter 1

This is basically the start of Juan's journey to fulfill his mom's last wishes by heading to Comala to find Pedro Paramo.  There is an overall tone of loyalty as he goes to retrieve what is rightfully his. Death is a large motif in this first chapter; it starts his journey and ends up giving him hope. In the end, death only contributes to the overall tone of loyalty to his mom. At the end of the chapter when Juan's head is swimming with thoughts of what Pedro has in store for him we see just a little bit of hope. Which contrasts with the death and sadness of the first paragraph. Also, promises are brought up repeatedly in the first paragraph.  Maybe making promises is Juan's way of dealing with death. Even if he doesn't plan to keep them.