Pedro Paramo Gender

Juan Rulfo provides a critical view of gender roles in rural Mexico during the time of the book because the characters must fill social positions that they are assigned merely because of their gender. For example, women are expected to take care of the household, while men can do almost whatever they want. In the case of Pedro Paramo, he has an entire town of sex workers at his disposal, many of whom are not willing to do that job. His rape of Margareta further cements his belief that women are merely sex objects for his pleasure and Pedro is so powerful that he can merely pay them for their “service” or kill them for disobedience to hush them up. Even his son, Miguel, who commits many acts of rape is allowed to go free. While this inequality may be attributed to wealth
As old as he is… I'd never forgive myself if something happened to him because of me. I'm the only one he has to see that he takes care of himself" (45). Clearly, Chona is torn between her duty as a good daughter who would take care of her father and an independent woman who wishes to pursue her own dreams. However, She is unable to fulfill both desires so she must chose the decision society has deemed correct. The great tragedy with this conundrum is that Chona must sacrifice her aspirations in order to appease the men in her life. Another case of tragedy is found in the marriage of Dolores. When inquiring about Juan’s mother’s marriage, Juan hears, “she always hated Pedro Paramo. Dolaritas! Did you tell them to get my breakfast? Your mother was up every morning before dawn. She would start the fire from the coals…” (18) which indicates that Dolores was used as a house “slave” by Pedro. She was forced to work hard in order to appease her “master” and this is most likely why she left Pedro. Ultimately, these women have no control over their lives and this makes breaking traditional gender roles an impossible