Juan Rulfo Tell Them Not To Kill Me Analysis

Mad World In Juan Rulfo’s ‘Tell them not to kill me!’ Rulfo points out the reality of intense greed in people. In the story the reader is brought to trust Juvencio, who is a terrible, twisted, cold and rotten old man. The fact that the reader does so and allows themselves to be emotionally attached to him shows relativity between him and the reader in some way. Rulfo points out to you that you have some of the same feelings as Juvencio, his representation of essentially pure narcissism and greed. Readers relate to him, in the beginning and further in, because he’s the main character – or because he’s relatable. Rulfo shows how abominable these actions are, and eventually forces his readers to look back and be as disgusted with themselves as …show more content…
The entire second half of the story has a sense of discomfort, an awkward air that makes one want to leave a room. This gives an overall feeling of distance and wanting to remove yourself from the source, which in this case, was the personality Rulfo showed you how to care about and hold close. As you get more information, the events glossed over in the last section begin to hold more meaning. The imagery in “his body had become all dried up and leathery” is disgusting and nasty – ‘leathery’ isn’t a preferable word used to describe bodies. The same disturbed feeling is portrayed in “the dry earth … which was filled with that odor like urine that dusty roads have” or “hacked to death with a machete.” This isn’t pleasant imagery. To put it simply, it’s negative. These types of words, like leathery, dried out, hacked, and urine, make you feel uncomfortable with the current situation. This is mirrored in the fact that as Rulfo tears apart your relationship with Juvencio, you feel disturbed with the fact that you let yourself be in that relationship. You saw part of yourself in Juvencio, and Rulfo is now showing you that this was not a good