Synopsis: They Have Given Us the Land (Nos han dado la tierra), a story by Juan Rulfo published in El llano en llamas in 1953, narrates the journey of four peasants walking under a scorching sun after receiving land from the government. Across an arid and desolate landscape, the story shows their tiredness, silence, and uncertainty about the future that awaits them. With simple prose, Rulfo portrays the harshness of the countryside and the frustration of those who the system has forgotten. The story, full of symbolism and social criticism, exposes the silent struggle of the dispossessed in an unjust world.
Warning
The following summary and analysis is only a semblance and one of the many possible readings of the text. It is not intended to replace the experience of reading the story.
Summary of They Have Given Us the Land by Juan Rulfo
In the short story They Have Given Us the Land, Juan Rulfo tells the story of four men walking under a scorching sun across a vast, arid, dry plain. They have been walking since dawn, and now, close to four in the afternoon, they feel exhausted with every step. There used to be more than twenty of them, but the group has been dispersing until only the narrator, Melitón, Faustino, and Esteban remain. In the distance, the barking of dogs and the smell of smoke announce the proximity of a village, but they still have a long way to go.
The road is hard and monotonous. The heat is suffocating, and the words dry up in their mouths, so they can hardly talk to each other. A water-laden cloud passes over their heads, generating a brief moment of hope, but it only drops a drop on the parched earth before being carried away by the wind. The plain does not change; it is still barren land without trees, shade, or life.
As they move forward, the narrator reflects on the land given to them. They used to have horses and weapons, but now they only have their feet and the weight of reality. The government has given them this immense plain as part of an agrarian distribution, but they know the land is useless. They wanted fertile land by the river, where the trees grow and the soil is moist, but instead, they were given this infertile, rock-hard terrain. They tried to protest and explain that nothing would grow there, but the government delegate would not listen. He handed them the papers and dismissed them with the indifference of someone who had already done their duty.
Melitón resigned and commented that this was the land they had been allocated. Faustino, incredulous, barely responds. On the other hand, the narrator thinks it is absurd to consider that plain as a real inheritance. Not even the vultures stay in that dead expanse; they only fly over it in passing. For his part, Esteban has a chicken hidden under his coat, as if it were a symbol of how little they have left. He explains that he brought it with him because he didn’t want anyone to go hungry in their empty house.
When they reach the ravine, the landscape changes. The land becomes more fertile, the dust rises with every step, and they can feel the air of the nearby vegetation. For the first time all day, the men experience a feeling of relief. Flocks of chachalacas fly over the river, and the sound of the dogs is now more precise. Esteban separates from the group and gets lost with his hen among the trees. The others continue advancing towards the village.
But reality is still there: the land they have been given is ahead, in the dry and hostile plain. It is a useless gift, a piece of dead land where nothing will grow, where life cannot take hold.
Characters from They Have Given Us the Land by Juan Rulfo
The narrator is the leading voice of the story. He is a reflective man who carefully observes and analyzes the environment and the situation he and his companions live in. Although his name is not mentioned, his vision of the world is full of bitter lucidity. With an attitude somewhere between resignation and disbelief, he expresses deep skepticism about the usefulness of the land they have been given. In his gaze, one perceives the physical exhaustion of the walk under the sun and the emotional fatigue of one who has been stripped of all hope. He is the character who most questions the government’s decision. Although he does not openly rebel, his inner monologue reveals the irony of the situation: they have been given an uninhabitable territory, an empty gift.
Melitón is another of the peasants who form part of the small group. He is quiet and resigned, as if he has already accepted his fate without questioning it too much. He sums up the disenchantment of the story with a simple phrase: “This is the land they have given us.” His attitude conveys the weight of submission, as if suffering and injustice were already a natural part of his existence. Their passivity and lack of reaction to reality contrasts with the critical thinking of the narrator.
Faustino, meanwhile, is a reasonably silent character who hardly intervenes in the narrative. His only noteworthy participation is when he responds almost automatically to Melitón’s statement. He represents those who have been reduced to the role of spectators in their own lives, too exhausted or unmotivated even to express a complaint. His lack of words reinforces the idea that the peasants have been so profoundly disheartened that they no longer see any point in protesting.
Esteban is the only one in the group who shows any tangible attachment to anything other than his survival. He carries a chicken hidden under his coat, which is a trivial detail but one that is full of symbolism. While the others have abandoned all hope, he still retains a link with his home and his past. He says he brought it because there was no one to feed it in his empty house, which suggests that he has no family waiting for him. Even so, he takes good care of the animal, talking to it and protecting it from the heat. When they reach the village, he separates from the group and disappears with his hen, as if looking for a way to continue his life elsewhere. His attitude contrasts with the resignation of the others and shows that however minimal, there is still a will to hold on to something.
Analysis of They Have Given Us the Land by Juan Rulfo
Juan Rulfo’s They Have Given Us the Land is a short story full of meaning. At first glance, it narrates the journey of four peasants crossing an arid plain. Still, in reality, it is a profound reflection on injustice, hopelessness, and the failure of agrarian reform in Mexico. To understand it better, it is necessary to analyze its content and what the author wants to convey through his unique style and symbolism.
The title already gives us a clue to the central conflict: the characters have received land as part of an agrarian distribution policy, but the problem is that the land is useless. There is no water, the soil is as hard as stone, and nothing can be grown on it. It is a worthless gift, a way of making them feel that they have benefited when, in reality, they have been abandoned to their fate. This point is key to understanding Rulfo’s critique: the government hands out land but does not worry about whether it can be cultivated, so the peasants find themselves in the same or a worse situation than before.
The space in which the story takes place is fundamental to understanding the emptiness and hopelessness pervading the story. The plain is a dead place without shade, water, or life. Rulfo describes it with short, direct sentences and conveys the fatigue and exhaustion of the characters. The scorching sun, the dust, and the absence of vegetation reinforce the idea that the peasants have been condemned to an impossible fate. The environment is so hostile that even the language is affected: the characters hardly speak because the heat dries out their mouths and takes away their desire to communicate. The silence is a metaphor for their resignation.
The characters’ attitude also tells us a lot about the story’s message. There are no significant rebellions or protest speeches; there is only weariness and silent disenchantment. The government delegate did not listen to them when they tried to prove that the land was useless. He ignored them because the decision had already been made. This episode reflects the powerlessness of the peasants in the face of a system that gives them no voice. Instead of fighting or rebelling, they accept their fate with resignation and despair. Their passivity is not a sign of conformism but the result of years of being ignored and mistreated.
One of the most important symbols in the story is the chicken that Esteban carries. In the middle of a landscape where everything seems dead, this small animal is the only thing that represents life. While the others have left behind ties to their past, Esteban still clings to something, even if it is as insignificant as a chicken. This contrasts with the barren land they have been given: while the plain cannot sustain life, Esteban clings to the little he has. When they reach the village, he separates from the group and disappears with his hen, which can be interpreted as a small act of resistance against the imposed destiny. Unlike the others, who continue to wander, he chooses a different path, although we do not know where it leads him.
The end of the story is one of the most shocking parts. Although the peasants reach the village, the land that belongs to them is still up there, in the dry and uninhabitable plain. The ending leaves a bitter taste: they have walked for hours and suffered from the heat and fatigue, but in reality, they have not advanced. They are still as destitute as they were at the beginning. This ending reinforces Rulfo’s criticism: the distribution of land has not improved the lives of these men; it has only given them an empty illusion of progress.
In short, They Have Given Us the Land is a story that, with very few words, conveys a profound message about social injustice and hopelessness. Through the description of the plain, the character’s attitude, and small details such as the hen, Juan Rulfo shows us the silent suffering of the peasants and the irony of a system that promises them a better future but, in reality, condemns them to a life in misery. It is a story that talks about Mexico’s agrarian reform and is still relevant in any context where inequality and lack of opportunities condemn people to survive in impossible conditions.
