Talpa (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Juan Rulfo
- First Published: 1953
- Type of Plot: Philosophical realism
- Time of Work: 1926-1929, during the Cristero uprisings
- Setting: Western Mexico
- Principal Characters: Tanilo Santos, Natalia Santos, His brother, His mother-in-law
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: Twentieth century, Sin or Original sin, Guilt, 1920’s, Adultery, Death or dying, Sick persons, Bible, biblical imagery, or biblical symbolism, Funeral rites or ceremonies, Mexico or Mexicans, Central America or Central Americans, Terminal illness or terminally ill, Latin America or Latin Americans, Pilgrims or pilgrimages, Tombs or graves
- Locales: Mexico
The Story
“Talpa” is one of Juan Rulfo's best-known short stories. The story is related by the unnamed narrator, Tanilo's brother, who accompanies Tanilo Santos and his wife, Natalia, on their pilgrimage to Talpa, where they hope Tanilo's illness can be cured at the shrine of the Virgin Mary. The story begins after Tanilo has died and the travelers have returned to Zenzontla, with Natalia seeking solace from her mother. The reader believes that the narrator will be an objective observer of the events until he reveals in the second paragraph that he helped Natalia bury...
[The entire page is 1287 words long]
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