Pedro Paramo Close Reading: Chapter 1

The first chapter of Pedro Paramo informs the reader as to why Juan is on a journey to Comala. In fact, it just jumps right into the story. There is no introduction of any sort which leaves the reader wondering who exactly the narrator is. This theme of confusion and mystery is prevalent throughout the rest of the book. Juan, who we later learn is the narrator of this chapter, is headed to Comala because he promised his mother he would travel there in search of his father. His mother seems to be upset and wants Pedro to "make him pay for all those years he put us out of our mind." Soon after his mother tells him this, she passes away. This is another interesting aspect of the first chapter; we are faced with a death within the first couple of paragraphs. Furthermore, his mother's attitude towards his father is an insight into what we will later learn; that Pedro Paramo was not a very good man at all. Despite the sadness and mourning one would typically associate with death, "I began to build a world of hope around the man who had been my mother's husband. That is why I had come to Comala." Rulfo juxtaposes loss and hopefulness in this chapter, and also has an interesting play on words when he wrote 'the man who had been my mother's husband' rather than 'my father.' It is as if Juan is (already) disassociating himself with his actual father, again giving insight into the attitudes that the majority of people have/had towards Pedro Paramo.