SOURCE: Duncan, Cynthia. “The Theme of the Avenging Dead in ‘Perfecto Luna’: A Magical Realist Approach.” In A Different Reality. Studies on the Work of Elena Garro, edited by Anita K. Stoll, pp. 90-101. London and Toronto: Bucknell University Press, 1990.

In the following essay, Duncan finds elements of magic realism, which are based on Mexican folklore, in Garros’ story “Perfecto Luna.”.

Nowhere is the Mexican fascination with death more evident than in the folklore of that country. For example, the notion that the dead sometimes remain among the living as almas en pena [suffering souls] is a familiar one that appears in countless songs, stories, and legends. These unfortunate spirits are said to wander the countryside of Mexico paying penance for the wrongs they committed in their lifetime or seeking revenge for wrongs committed against them. Many of the rituals performed on the Day of the Dead (2 November...