You Don't Hear Dogs Barking by Nectar Ramirez-Marichal

Event 2

nectaralejandrarm — 2024-08-27 15:45:03 UTC

Rulfo depicts Ignacio, the son, as a load (liability, burden), causing his father pain. The father, in his quest for respite and support, is unable to fully relieve himself of the burden of carrying his injured son. The father's action of shifting the load without letting it down is a powerful demonstration of his determination to keep moving forward, driven by a sense of duty and perhaps guilt or unresolved issues with his son.

Event 3

nectaralejandrarm — 2024-08-27 15:49:17 UTC

It is now night, and the pair have traveled through the vast arroyo. In this passage, Rulfo used repetition to showcase that the father has labored all his life and that his son is a burden that he must carry.

Event 1

nectaralejandrarm — 2024-08-27 15:49:22 UTC

The father carries his son on his back through an arroyo, the shadow a lingering presence of a burden in their relationship. Its description as "diminishing and increasing" reflects the father's shifting hope and anguish.

Event 4

nectaralejandrarm — 2024-08-27 15:49:27 UTC

In this chapter, Rulfo employs verbal and situational irony, as the father's words contradict his actions. He says he hates his son but risks his life to save him. The father knows that communication or reconciliation is no longer possible, now blinded by his resentment.

Event 6

nectaralejandrarm — 2024-08-29 12:44:45 UTC

In this final paragraph, Ignacio dies, emphasizing the inescapable turmoil of their relationship. With this conclusion, one could assume that the dogs were the ones deployed to pursue criminals, thereby explaining why the father is concerned about them. He is assisting his runaway son in saving his life for his deceased mother. Furthermore, the father's ability to hear the dogs after his son's death indicates that he is free of the load he formerly held and is now in sync with all of his senses.

Event 5

nectaralejandrarm — 2024-08-29 13:19:43 UTC

Ignacio is slowly dying, and while for Mexicans, water means life, it also means forgiveness. His father denies the act of solace, saying that if he did, his son would be "redeemed" or "saved." Additionally, the fact that he cannot give his son water is worse than choosing not to, as there is no way he can get water, which means the father is unable to forgive his son.