In the past, class stratification has been present in all areas, including empires, nations, and even certain groups or regions. In a class stratification, people are divided into groups based on their social status. The result is that they have different accesses to resources. In addition, the way the world is built in the unique area differs due to class stratifications or other special institutions. We can see in Juan Rulfo’s “Pedro Paramo” that class stratification is the key idea behind the construction of the world for some societies. As an example, we can see how land ownerships and absolute power could affect the lower class. Class stratification does not just have one side, it also has many. It is important to see how leaders from different groups can use their power fairly in order to achieve a fair distribution of wealth. Class stratification could be used by the leader in a positive or negative way that will also affect their society.
Juan Rulfo focuses his novel on a man named Juan Preciado. Juan Preciado travels to Comala, the hometown of his recently-deceased mother, to search for his deceased father. First, his writing style is unique. He uses fragmentary narratives in order to reveal Pedro Paramo’s image to readers and audiences. This novel is dominated by the theme of death, both in a literal sense and in a figurative one. The novel opens with the protagonist being asked to locate his dad after his mother dies. Juan’s story is told from the grave of Juan who died half way through the book. Death does not end in this book, as many people tell stories about their lives and communicate after they’ve died. This strategy allows the reader the opportunity to look at Pedro Paramo’s life from many different angles and gain a general understanding of the lives of others. The reader is given more freedom to read the story because of the fragmentary narrative. In addition, all things related to death are dark. This gives the novel a somber and depressing feel. Thus, the main clue given by the author is death. It also suggests that the book’s contents will be negative.
We gradually discover that Pedro Paramo’s image is a negative leader in the world of the novel. In this novel, I’m also focusing on the theme of landownership. It divides individuals into different classes and provides them with different accesses to resources. Pedro Paramo’s greed, ruthlessness and immorality are revealed after we have read the stories of other characters. His humble upbringing has led him to use a variety dishonorable tactics in order to dominate the rental market. He not only marries Juan’s mother for the money, but also kills those who challenge his control. This landlord is a powerful man in the village. He has absolute power. Pedro Paramo is portrayed as a brutal leader in the novel. This is not just because of his access to benefits and wealth, which he needed to maintain status, but more importantly, he can get anything he desires by monopolizing a piece of land. The text says “And yet Father, they claim that the soil of Comala’s is good. How sad that all of the land in Comala is owned by one man. Pedro Paramo still owns the land, doesn’t he? This quote demonstrates that the leader has the power to do whatever he pleases, but his desire for power could have a negative impact on him and could make lower-class citizens feel unfair and disgruntled. The village has a similar world view to a medieval manorial society. Within the manor, the relationship was one of oppression by the Lord and exploitation. The serfs or peasants were also dependent on him. We can see that the failures in Comala are closely related to the absolute power held by wealthy people. It shows the rural Mexico of today under the plantation system. Art is a reflection of life. Juan’s writing shows us that we may not be able to see Mexico’s history, but the Mexican Revolution of 1910 was a disaster for the rural areas. According to this understanding, the world that Juan creates in his novel is hazy and mysterious. It is like a village that is filled with death.
Sarachek s article on Greek Concept of Leadership is a powerful source of evidence for the fact that leaders who abuse power can bring about negative influences in a society and create disorder. Sarachek’s essay highlights the errors and quantities in leadership. This article discusses four quantities that are important in leadership, and how leadership errors can lead to leaders being defeated. The text states that “when honor is abused, it turns into vain pride.” Overconfident men who try to go beyond their limits will always fail. Pride is the result of a misperception about oneself that leads to errors. This quote explains that when a leader misuses their power or authority, or does so for personal gain or self-interest it is bound to lead them astray. The leader would be influenced by pride and take some wrong decisions, including sacrificing others in some crucial points. Pedro Paramo’s mistake is the same as this concept error. In contrast, if Pedro Paramo wasn’t obsessed with power and wealth, he could have created a world completely different. Instead of exploiting lower-class resources, he could have built a village that was beneficial to the entire community. Pedro Paramo shows that a leader who is obsessed with power and status will lead to the demise of the entire country.
Juan Rulfo is a novel that shows how certain people abuse their position to further their own interests. Father plays a key role in deciding if someone is allowed to enter heaven. Father therefore has an advantage. If Father uses his power and authority to make money for his Church, then what’s the point? As a representative of the power owner, Father had the ability to decide which sinners would be forgiven and sent to heaven. According to text, “He laces some gold coins onto the prie-dieu” and then gets up to say: “Take this as a donation for your Church.” “He could afford to purchase salvation. You are the only one who knows if it is worth this price. I, for one, am at your feet, asking for any justice or injustice you may want to grant. These two examples show how Father accepts Pedro’s son’s money as payment to forgive him for raping his daughter. Father would also deny forgiveness to anyone who asked him to do so but did not give enough money. Father was a leader in the village and he failed to use his position and authority properly to influence the people of the village. He didn’t force them to do good things like help others who were in trouble. Even those who do the wrong thing and donate coins or money to the church can be forgiven. In that case, the church could measure salvation by money and it would not be a matter of principle. The village would be in chaos if more wealthy people followed Pedro Paramo’s example. The leaders in a certain area would do the wrong thing because they are driven by greed.
Hierro, in his article “Gender and Power”, provides yet another proof that class stratification is a factor that can influence leaders negatively and create chaos. Hierro points out in his article how the majority of people do not love power as much as they fear losing it. They feel safe when they are in power. The outside resource says, “This is a disposition that will sacrifice anything to gain power.” The only way to stop someone who is obsessed with power from extending it would be to either submit or to create an even stronger one to counter it. This quote states that the desire to have power will lead people to do anything to protect themselves. Hierro further illustrates the ‘domination of power’ that results in men dominating women. The Father or Pedro Paramo in Juan Rulfo can both control others, regardless of whether they are Father or Pedro Paramo. Pedro is a young man from a poor family. Once he got married to Juan’s mother he began to enjoy the advantages of the wealth. But he lost his identity. They also did nothing but maintain their status within the village. Father is required to accept bribes in order to keep his position as a priest. He would lose everything if he left church or the church collapsed. As Pedro Paramo does, he also owns most of the land within the village. That means he’s allowed to do anything even when it is wrong. He abuses power because he is afraid of losing the power he worked so hard to achieve.
Class stratification has both positive and negative effects, depending on the way in which leaders of a society use it. Class stratification has a positive impact on society because it creates order, which is a result of each level performing their duties. Social stratification can also be a positive force in society. For instance, if it is clear that upper-class people have the upper hand in a resource, then this would be considered as an impetus for lower-class people to work harder to obtain the same level of access. If the motivation is in the right place, this will encourage everyone to be more active and promote an economic boom. The Juan novel gradually reveals that the owners of power are not always in control, and have time for a tangle. The last thing that Juan wanted to remember was his time in Contla. He had confessed to a fellow Priest who refused to forgive him despite the pleas he made. We can see that Father also considers accepting the money when he confesses. But he makes the decision to stay in his church job. In addition, power owners are often forced to take actions they do not like. The world that is built under leaders may not be what they want because of many especial circumstances.
Power has been a desire throughout history. You will always have a desire for power, and to climb the social ladder. I used reasons to show how the stratification of society can have a positive impact on some people, but mainly negative. Juan Rulfo, despite being aware that extreme desires can lead to scaring others, still strives to avoid those who might take their power or dispute their rights. Class stratification cannot be defined in absolute terms as positive or negatively. In my entire paper, I try to prove that how leaders use power and rights can make a world progressive or degraded.
