No Dogs Bark

Ben Gerth

Freshman English 1998

"No Dogs Bark" by Juan Rulfo

1.) How did you feel after reading this story?

I thought the story was strange. An aging father was carrying his son on his back through a desert, a mountainous desert at that, to some town around the mountain and they were listening for barking dogs. The son is somehow wounded (we are never told how, I assume in some kind of fight) because he was a bandit. The bandit's mother (the wife of the father) is dead.

2.) Why do you think Ignacio does not tell his father that he hears dogs barking?

I think the dogs might be a sign that a town is near by. If Ignacio is taken to a town in his helpless condition, he will probably go to jail after he heals. A bandit cannot survive wounded and weak so he would rather die a legend than a criminal.

3.) How would you judge Ignacio’s father as a parent?

Ignacio’s father is in a tough situation. His wife died, and his son is a criminal. I think Ignacio’s father is a good parent for the circumstances he's in. At least he is helping his son, which is probably a crime since his son is an outlaw.

4.) If Ignacio were to recover, do you think he would change?

I would think he would change especially if he went to jail. After the journey through the desert I would think he would see the only thing that will eventually happen to a bandit: they'll either die or go to jail.

Plot
In "No Dogs Bark" we are thrown into the story. There is no real setup or "exposition" in the story. We can only guess at each character's history. There is a conflict between Ignacio and his father though. His father wants to help him, but there is disappointment and disapproval inside of the father. The father then makes up the excuse that he is doing this for his wife, the mother of Ignacio. The father then opens up what is inside of him and scolds the son which is the rising acrtion of the plot. The climax of the story begins when Ignacio starts to cry. The story gets more emotional and then it leaves it up to you to resolve how it ends. How do you interpret the father's last line, and the father prying Ignacio's fingers of his neck? Does that mean Ignacio dies? Does it mean he lives?

Theme In "No Dogs Bark" the author, Juan Rulfo, is trying to show what can happen to people after the loss of a loved one. In one case they become gloomy and sad but still find a way to go on. (The father) In another case they become very angry and upset at the world sometimes turning into criminals. (Ignacio) Not as many people turn to the 'dark side' so to speak, as become sad and gloomy as in the case of such people as Edgar Allen Poe. Poe lost both his circus performer parents by age three. Even though he went to college and West Point he still turned out to be a gloomy person. This is probably why he wrote so many dark, scary stories. Maybe Rulfo lost someone close to him or had an experience similar to the story. If he did I would suspect he was closer to the father role rather than the Ignacio role because he seems to concentrate and describe more about the father. The family bond prevails through all odds. The father struggles to save his son even though he feels disappointment and bitterness. He says that he's saving his son not the outlaw.

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