Jean Franco on Femininity and Machismo in Juan Rulfo's Stories
This paper evaluates Jean Franco's claim that in Juan Rulfo's short stories, the feminine articulates qualities of survival, love, and common sense destroyed by machismo. Drawing on two stories — "Macario" and "Tell Them Not to Kill Me!" — the paper examines how Rulfo constructs contrasting feminine and masculine archetypes. In "Macario," the nurturing figure of Felipa is set against the authoritarian Grandmother, with both women shaping the inner life of a simple-minded boy. In "Tell Them Not to Kill Me!" a world governed entirely by revenge and masculine coldness leaves no space for compassion or forgiveness, illustrating Franco's thesis through absence rather than presence.
- Introduction: Franco's Argument and Rulfo's Fiction: Franco's thesis applied to two Rulfo stories
- Femininity in 'Macario': Felipa and the Grandmother: Contrasting feminine figures shaping Macario's world
- Hunger as Metaphor and the Archetype of Femininity: Food symbolizes love; Felipa as feminine archetype
- Machismo Without Gender: 'Tell Them Not to Kill Me!': Machismo as male dominance over male, not female
- Revenge, Isolation, and the Absence of Forgiveness: Colonel's vengeance excludes mercy and compassion
- Conclusion: Machismo and the Destruction of Human Qualities: Rulfo's Mexico ruled by revenge, not forgiveness
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What makes this paper effective
- It commits clearly to a thesis in the opening paragraph and consistently returns to Franco's original claim throughout both analyses.
- It uses close textual evidence — direct quotations from Rulfo with page references — to ground literary interpretation in specific moments from the stories.
- It extends Franco's framework productively: in the second story, the paper argues that machismo operates between men rather than over women, showing analytical flexibility.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates secondary source integration — using a critic's argument (Jean Franco's) as a lens through which to read primary texts. Rather than simply summarizing the stories, the writer tests Franco's claim against textual evidence, confirming it while also complicating it in the second story.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens by stating the critical claim and thesis, then moves story by story. The "Macario" analysis occupies three paragraphs: character introduction, symbolic reading of hunger and food, and the archetype of femininity. The "Tell Them Not to Kill Me!" analysis covers two paragraphs on machismo, revenge, and isolation before a brief conclusion. Each section builds directly on the Franco framework established at the outset.
Introduction: Franco's Argument and Rulfo's Fiction
Jean Franco has argued that in Rulfo's stories, the "feminine...articulates the qualities of survival, love and common-sense which have been destroyed by machismo." This paper argues in favor of that statement and examines two stories by Juan Rulfo: "Macario" and "Tell Them Not to Kill Me!"
Rulfo's story "Macario" is told by and from the perspective of a simple-minded Mexican boy whose age is unclear. The fact that the main character is also the narrator allows the narration to become very intimate and personal. The boy is caught between two very strong feminine figures. Although opposite in nature, his Grandmother and Felipa represent the two central figures in his life and are a source of tension and conflict in Macario's mind — a tension he feels even if he does not consciously recognize the opposition. The Grandmother represents authority and discipline as she runs the household. Her moral code is dictated by the Bible; she is deeply religious and uses fear to correct and control the boy's behavior. The other feminine influence on Macario is Felipa, who is gentle and nurturing.
References
Rulfo, Juan. "Macario." The Burning Plain and Other Stories. University of Texas Press, 1971. pp. 2–9.
Rulfo, Juan. "Tell Them Not to Kill Me!" The Burning Plain and Other Stories. University of Texas Press, 1971. pp. 83–105.
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