Pedro Paramo Women

The Analysis of the Roles of Women as Symbols of Subjugation in Juan Rulfo’s Pedro Paramo All throughout history, women have been universally known to be subjugated by men who are considered to be the leaders of society. Juan Rulfo develops a connection to this history of women as subjugated subjects of society in his novel Pedro Paramo as he presents the Mexican women as inferior and vulnerable beings under the authority and power of the men. In his non-sequential novel, Pedro Paramo, Rulfo establishes female characters, such as Dolores, Dorotea, and Susana, respectively as symbols of subjugation representing pain, loss, and sacrifice who are emotionally, economically, psychologically and spiritually affected by the actions taken by male
Rulfo focuses on Paramo’s control over Susana’s life by attributing the possessive dialogue of “I wanted to have it all. Not just part of it, but everything there was to have…” to Paramo in reference to his relation with Susana, (Rulfo, 82). The repetition of phrase of wanting to “have” all or everything depicts Paramo’s internal desire to own Susana and be the sole subject of all her thoughts and feelings. By presenting this idea of possession in relation to the most intimate relationship developed in the novel, Rulfo illustrates how men in the Mexican society aim to control the lives and the hearts of the women through even their most caring actions. Rulfo’s message that men desire to own their love is further developed when Paramo refers to Susana as the “crowning achievement,” (Rulfo, 83). Since the word “crowning” is often associated with crowns that serve as symbols of power, the phrase “crowning achievement” classifies Paramo as the king and Susana as a trophy or prize in society. Rulfo’s connection between Susana as an inanimate object reinforces women as the symbols of subjugation that represent the loss of personal identity in