The short story "Tell Them Not to Kill Me!" by Juan Rulfo tells of a man who murders his neighbor and then spends most of his life on the run from the authorities. It begins with a prelude in which Juvencio Nava, the killer, is talking with his son, begging him to intercede with the colonel who has captured him. His son objects, saying that the colonel might kill him too, and then there would be no one to care for his wife and children. His father doesn't care about that. He is willing to risk his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren to save his own life. This sets the tone for the entire story. Later we learn that Juvencio also let his wife leave him without a fuss so that he could remain in hiding and save his own life.

After the opening dialogue between Juvencio and his son, Rulfo flashes back to the story of how Juvencio came to kill his neighbor Don Lupe. It all happened due to an argument over pasture land for Juvencio's livestock. Juvencio cuts holes in Don Lupe's fencing so that his animals can graze on Don Lupe's grass. In retaliation, Don Lupe kills one of his animals.

It is at this point that Rulfo switches the point of view from third person to first person. The next several paragraphs are an interior monologue by Juvencio. Rulfo does this so that readers can understand Juvencio's state of mind as he runs away. It is important to note that Juvencio does not dwell on the act of murder he has committed but only on his own difficulties of escaping the authorities, being on the run, and growing old. He is completely self-centered, expressing no thankfulness to his son for sheltering him and no sympathy for the widow and children of the man he has killed.

Despite his utter selfishness, this interior monologue may inspire some measure of sympathy in readers for Juvencio as a tired and discouraged old man. We see that in the end, even the son of the man he has murdered relents at the old man's pleading, allowing him to get drunk so that his execution will not be so painful.