Fathers and Sons

Justino got up from the pile of stones which he was sitting on and walked to the gate of the corral. Then he turned around to say, "All right, I'll go. But if they decide to shoot me too, who'll take care of my wife and kids?"

"Providence will take care of them, Justino. You go there now and see what you can do for me. That's what matters."

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"Guadalupe Terreros was my father. . . . They told me he lasted more than two days and that when they found him, lying in an arroyo, he was still in agony and begging that his family be taken care of."

(Rulfo, Tell Them Not to Kill Me!)

I'll be honest, this story was kind of painful to read because it portrayed such a sad relationship between Juvencio and Justino! What kind of father tells you to possibly abandon your family because his life is more important??? A bad one! That's who! This guy is repulsive. And poor Justino gets to see the contrast between his relationship with his father and the relationship of Don Lupe and his son's relationship:

Juvencio Nava was willing to risk his son's life to have a chance of surviving. Don Lupe was mortally wounded and would not let himself die until he was sure his family would be taken care of. 

Pretty stark contrast.

Unfortunately, strained relationships between fathers and sons is a pretty common problem, as shown in the media today. Here are just a few pop culture examples that came to mind.

1. Faramir and Denethor in Lord of the Rings. Faramir loves his father and would give his life to gain Denethor's love but...Denethor's a jerk.

2. Buddy and his daddy in Elf. Buddy only wants his father to be proud of him. 

3. Tommy (and his brother Brendan) and their dad in Warrior. Tommy and Brendan's dad basically caused their family to fall apart.

And although these are just a few examples, Rulfo's story shows that this problem is universal. Why is it such a common problem? Wouldn't the world be a better place if father's would just love their sons?