Magical Realism in Juan Rulfo's 'Pedro Paramo' Term Paper

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Magical Realism in Juan Rulfo's 'Pedro Paramo' and Gabriel Garc'a-Marquez's 'Death Constant Beyond Love'

The use of Magical Realism, as a technique, in Pedro Paramo and Death Constant Beyond Love, is essentially one whereby elements of the unreal are inextricably woven into real life to question the difference, if any, between illusion and reality. The use of the technique is apparent in the overall story as well as in the way the principal protagonists are shown dealing with life.

In Pedro Paramo, Juan Rulfo leads the reader (and the narrator, Juan) into confronting many of life's basic issues such as death, love, religion and sex through the story of Juan's search for his lost father. However, both the narrator and the reader are also led into an illusionary world since the entire story of the life and times of Pedro Paramo is revealed to Juan through the voices and memories of dead people.
The use of magical realism in the book is so all pervading that one is left wondering whether anything at all is real and lasting in life. Perhaps, this is exactly Juan Rulfo's intention as exemplified by "Nothing can last forever. There isn't any memory, no matter how intense, that doesn't fade out at last" (93).

The issue of illusion vs. reality is explored throughout Pedro Paramo. Take for instance the character of Susana San Juan. Pedro's vision of Susana is shown as being chaste and otherworldly. In Pedro's own words: "a woman who is not of this world" (108) and "Hundreds of meters above the clouds...Hiding in God's immensity...where I cannot touch you or see you..." (13). This is Pedro's perception or illusion of Susana, whereas the real Susana is later shown as an earthy woman who unabashedly revels….....

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