How we cite our quotes: (Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
And he lowered his stick against the burros for no reason at all, because they had been far ahead of us, guided by the descending trail. (2.38)
The fact that Abundio hits his mules for "no reason at all" gives us a little teaser-taste of the bloated Thanksgiving feast of gratuitous and unnecessary violence that follows. Mmm, war-crime pie and mashed assault. Oh, wait, that sounds disgusting.
Quote #2
"Rumor has it that your brother was murdered by my son, and you believe that your niece Ana was raped by him. Then there were his insults, and his lack of respect." (13.13)
Whoa, skewed perspective. Murder, rape, insults, and lack of respect are all thrown in the same "miscellaneous bad things" pile. Pedro Páramo is fully aware of the charges against his son, and owns up to them even as he is asking the priest to forgive the boy. The rich get away with murder, literally.
Quote #3
"I could only feel his body on top of me, and feel him beginning to do bad things to me.
"I thought he was going to kill me. That's what I believed, Uncle. Then I stopped thinking at all, so I would be dead before he killed me. But I guess he didn't dare." (14.17-18)
When Miguel rapes Ana, it is as traumatic as murder for her, and she wishes for death. This book doesn't pull any punches (or any other acts of violence, for that matter).
Quote #4
Then one of us will die, but he's not going to get his way on this." (26.14)
One of the victims of Pedro's land-grabbing shows his willingness to fight Pedro to the death over his property. Unfortunately, Pedro made sure to always be on the winning side in these fights. Pedro is the Monopoly Man, and he always has a spare Get Out of Jail Free (or Get Into Heaven For $$$) card.
Quote #5
I wouldn't mention it except that when I see him tossing in his sleep like that I remember what happened to me the first time you did it to me. How it hurt, and how bad I felt about doing it." (30.27)
Here we see sex as an act of violence. Donis takes his sister as his bride, leaving her feeling pain and shame. This gives a whole new meaning to "sisterwives."
Quote #6
"I knew one over at the Media Luna who called himself a divine. What he never 'divined' was that he was going to die as soon as the patrón 'divined' what a bungler he was." (31.14)
This offhand comment by Donis just demonstrates the ease with which Pedro Páramo kills people who displease him. He's like a Mexican Queen of Hearts, complete with a "off with their heads!" motto.
Quote #7
"That damned Fulgor! I'm going to give him a lick that'll make his eyes whirl." (37.27)
Miguel has inherited his father's quick temper and urge to solve his problems with violence. He sure is a chip off the old block—the old butcher's block.
Quote #8
"I forgot to tell him that yesterday someone came by and said he'd killed a man. If he keeps up like this…" (37.32)
Miguel's murdering of a man is worrisome for Fulgor, but doesn't seem to bother him more than, say, a mother who is preoccupied about her son playing too much Xbox. We imagine the full sentiment would be something like "If he keeps up like this he'll never get a '5' in AP Economics!"
Quote #9
A mother he had forgotten, forgotten many times over, was telling him: "They've killed your father!" (39.4)
This scene might be the root of Pedro's violence, because it spurred his first killing spree and is a memory that he hates to recall. Not that we blame him; it is pretty grisly.
Quote #10
"…I was covered with blood. And when I tried to get up my hands slipped in the puddles of blood in the rocks. It was my blood. Buckets of blood. But I wasn't dead. I knew that. I knew that don Pedro hadn't meant to kill me. Just to give me a scare." (42.22)
One of the victims of Pedro's revenge for the death of his father understands and forgives Pedro, because such violence is so embedded in Comala that it seems natural. Wow. Remind us to book our next vacation at the Overlook Hotel before we go to Comala.