With its complex structure, following Pedro Páramo's characters is no easy feat. Its heterglossic nature requires readers to carefully channel all of their attention into the narrator, making it difficult to follow the development or relationships of individual characters. However, the use of archetypes of Mexican men and women, as revealed in “The Labyrinth of Solitude” by Octavio Paz, helps to understand Pedro's relationships formed between men and women as he subscribes to the archetypes and breaks them down. To understand these relationships, it is necessary to review the basic understanding of Paz's analysis of Mexican men and women. According to Paz, Mexican men must always be unyielding figures who “never break, never back down” since “opening up is a weakness” (Paz 30). For this reason, the Mexican man must always take on a tough appearance, often "closing in on himself" (Paz 31). As man becomes more “virile,” he becomes more powerful by excluding himself from those around him and protecting himself. The Mexican woman is traditionally a submissive creature because the woman “opens up” (Paz 30), which is, as mentioned, a weakness. She becomes a “reflection of male will and desire” as she has no power and often must exercise “feminine modesty” (Paz 35). Women are “domesticated wild animals” and their “place is in the home” (Paz 36). With this basic understanding of the archetypes an analysis of Pedro's relationships can be conducted, starting with his relationships with other men. As one of the richest and most powerful men in Comala, Pedro works above many other men in the novel. He sets himself up as the “boss boss” and does not allow other men to become his equals. This is evident... middle of paper... relationships, with characters like Fulgor and Susana, which he considers particularly important. Although it is clear that, compared to other men, Pedro will always be the boss, with women Pedro struggles to maintain a stable relationship due to this personality. Because of his expectation that women are submissive, his two marriages to Dolores and Susana fail. Following these character archetypes closely, many of Pedro's relationships are somewhat strained. Works Cited Paz, Octavio. "Mexican masks". The labyrinth of solitude. Trans. Lysander Kemp, Yara Milos and Rachel Phillips Belash. New York: Grove, 1985. 29-46. JSTOR. Network. 10 January 2014.02/assets4/1311/8862/OP_The_Labyrinth_of_Solitude.pdf>.Rulfo, Juan. Pedro Paramo. Trans. Susan Sontag. New York City: Grove, 1994. Print.