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Jean Franco on Femininity and Machismo in Juan Rulfo's Stories

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Abstract

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.

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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!"

Femininity in 'Macario': Felipa and the Grandmother

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.

Felipa is the character who possesses the qualities of survival and love that help Macario cope with his fears: "Felipa used to come every night to the room where I sleep, and snuggle up to me, leaning over me, or a little to one side" (Rulfo 5). The hunger Macario refers to on several occasions is in fact nothing more than a hunger for love and comfort — a hunger he says can never be satisfied: "They say a person does get filled up eating, but I know very well that I don't even though I eat all they give me" (Rulfo 3). Food is a metaphor for his desire to be loved and accepted, both by his Grandmother (i.e., authority) and by the villagers (i.e., society). However, the only love and nurturing he receives comes from Felipa, who seems to possess all of the qualities the other characters lack entirely.

Hunger as Metaphor and the Archetype of Femininity

Macario's mind operates simply, which gives the narration a clear tone and direct language as he unfolds his life to the reader while sitting by the sewer. The character-narrator uses a suggestive comparison to illustrate the opposition between the Grandmother and Felipa: he compares Felipa's eyes to a frog — which Macario notes is good to eat — while the Grandmother's eyes remind him of a toad, black and bad to eat.

2 Locked Sections · 335 words remaining

Machismo Without Gender: 'Tell Them Not to Kill Me!' · 165 words

"Machismo as male dominance over male, not female"

Revenge, Isolation, and the Absence of Forgiveness · 170 words

"Colonel's vengeance excludes mercy and compassion"

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Conclusion: Machismo and the Destruction of Human Qualities

In this world there seems to be no room for compassion or forgiveness. Neither the colonel nor the old man can truly hear what the other is saying, because the conclusion Rulfo wants to convey is that man is lonely and isolated. In this sense, there is an almost Biblical quality to this story, in which human nature struggles to reassert itself through the old man's desire to live and his desperate anxiety to convince the colonel that he has already paid for his sins by living the life of a "leper." Mexican society as described by Rulfo — particularly in this story — is dominated by the idea of revenge and offers no place for forgiveness. Instead, this society is built on the concept of "an eye for an eye," and the colonel is moved not by human suffering but by vengeance and hatred.

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Key Concepts in This Paper

Jean Franco Machismo Femininity Survival and Love Macario Felipa Revenge Mexican Society Narrative Voice Feminine Archetype