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Difficulty: MediumAuthor's Purpose and Point of View

Read the following excerpt from the English translation of the short story 'Don't You Hear the Dogs Barking?' ('¿No oyes ladrar los perros?'), written in 1953 by the Mexican author Juan Rulfo:

'You who are up there, Ignacio, tell me if you can hear anything or if you see any light anywhere.'
'I don't see anything.'
'We must be near.'
'Yes, but I don't hear anything.'
'Look hard.'
'Nothing.'
'Poor you, Ignacio.'
The shadow of the long, dark mountain fell over them, sliding down the rocks. The father carried his son on his shoulders, stumbling, stepping sideways, climbing up and down. His feet sank into the sand, then slipped on the stones. The son's body pressed down on him, his hands clasped around his neck, his feet hooked in his belt. Ignacio's weight felt heavier as the hours went by, and his knees seemed to dig into his father's chest.
'I'm tired,' the father said.
He let himself slide down a rock, without letting go of his son. His feet slipped again, and he fell to his knees, but he did not set the boy down. He remained still for a long time, catching his breath.
'Why don't you leave me here?' Ignacio asked in a low voice. 'You can go on alone and come back for me tomorrow.'
'I won't leave you here,' the father replied. 'I promised your mother I would carry you to Tonaya so the doctor could cure you. I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for her, because she is dead, and it would grieve her soul if I left you to die by the roadside.'

Based on the dialogue in the passage, which of the following best describes the father's point of view regarding his journey with Ignacio?

  1. A
    His journey is a strategy to hide his true affection for Ignacio, keeping his son's spirits high by appearing stern.
  2. His journey is motivated by a strict sense of duty to his deceased wife rather than personal affection for his son.Answer
  3. C
    His journey is a literal quest to rid himself of the physical weight of his son, which he views as a supernatural punishment.
  4. D
    His journey is depicted by an unreliable narrator whose descriptions exaggerate the father's anger to create suspense.

Answer

His journey is motivated by a strict sense of duty to his deceased wife rather than personal affection for his son.
The correct answer is correct because the father explicitly states that he is not making the journey for Ignacio's sake, but rather out of a promise to Ignacio's deceased mother. This shows that his point of view and his motivation are driven by a sense of obligation and duty to his late wife, rather than love or affection for his son.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the dialogue between the father and the son at the end of the passage.
The father explicitly tells Ignacio that he is not carrying him for his sake, but because of a promise to Ignacio's deceased mother.
This direct statement reveals the father's true motivation and point of view.
2
Evaluate the options against the father's statement.
The statement directly supports the idea that the father's journey is driven by duty to his late wife rather than affection for Ignacio.
This allows us to identify the correct option and eliminate distractors that misattribute the father's feelings or introduce incorrect literary concepts.

Key Concept

Analyzing author's purpose and point of view through dialogue and narrator perspective in a literary text.
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Author's Purpose and Point of View

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