Man, do these characters in Pedro Páramo know how to suffer. They're always sighing, sobbing, thrashing about, and dying. They just can't catch a break.
The important thing to notice is the way that the economic structure of their community affects them and contributes to this suffering. Even though there is plenty of land and money, it is consolidated in the hands of one man, which leaves everybody else behind to, well, suffer. Their pain doesn't end with the sweet release of death, either—these poor saps can't afford fancy funerals so their souls don't make it into heaven, and they continue their suffering as ghosts or wandering souls even after they die.
Questions About Suffering
- If you had to choose a character to represent suffering in the novel, who would it be and why?
- How does suffering relate to religion in the novel?
- What purpose does the suffering seem to serve in the novel, if any?
Chew on This
People like Susana San Juan suffer publicly, while Pedro Páramo suffers silently.
Father Rentería listens to the sufferings of his flock, but refuses to help them.