Even horses are forced to endure the purgatory of Comala, to attempt restitution for committed sins. However, more important are the themes of death and remorse that are established here. The first is an introduction to the unfettered id of Miguel, which is represented in the horse's inability to stop moving, its constant desire to gallop uncontrollably. She is describing the ghost of Miguel Páramo's horse, which killed its owner by throwing him off during one of their many wild gallops. 21ĭoña Eduviges speaks these lines to Juan Preciado as they wait in her house. Even animals realize when they've done something bad, don't they? doña Eduviges, p.

It may be that the poor creature can't live with its remorse. It roams the countryside, looking for him, and it's always about this time it comes back. The reasons for this difficulty are explored at length in the story that follows. Considering the deep messages of sin and guilt in the novel, the idea expressed here is that it is very easy to fall down into the pits of sin, but much more difficult to pull oneself out. In other words, the trip away will be 'uphill' and not easy to accomplish. Indeed, Comala will prove something of a purgatory that requires a long period of difficult self-reflection to escape. The idea of heading 'downhill' into a location helps establish the quasi-epic nature of the work, which echoes stories where heroes descend into the afterlife (e.g. For the reader, this immediately establishes a metaphoric significance to Comala before we discover how truly supernatural the town is. 4Īs Juan Preciado approaches Comala, he hears the voice of his mother (set apart in italics). If you are leaving, it's uphill but as you arrive it's downhill. It rises or falls whether you're coming or going.

Pedro paramo english