Throughout history, class stratification exists everywhere, for example: in empires, in countries, even in a particular group or area. Class stratification can be defined as a form of social order that, in a society, tends to divide people of different ranks, resulting in different access to resources. Moreover, the world-building in this unique area is also different by class stratification or by the particular political institution. In the famous novel “Pedro Paramo” by Juan Rulfo, we can briefly understand that the main idea of ​​world-building in some societies is class stratification. For example, how land ownership and the absolute power of rulers could impact the situation of the lower classes. Class stratification is not just an aspect of advantages or disadvantages, but what is more important is how the leaders of different special groups could fairly use their power to ensure fair distribution in the world. The leader could use class stratification in a positive or negative way, which would also impact the world that constructs their society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay In the famous novel by Juan Rulfo, it mainly talks about a man called Juan Preciado who goes to his mother's hometown recently died to find her father who lived in Comala. The first reason that makes this work so popular is its unique writing style that uses fragmentary narration to gradually make the image of Pedro Paramo clear to the audience and readers. Death is one of the important themes of this novel that permeates both literally and figuratively. The novel begins with the protagonist's mother dying and asking him to find his father. After that he finds out that his father is also dead and halfway through the novel Juan also dies but tells all the stories from his grave. In this novel, death is not the end, as many people continue to tell their stories and communicate with each other after they die. There is not exactly a boundary between life and death, the purpose for which the author uses this strategy is to allow the reader to walk towards Pedro Paramo in several directions and gain insight into the lives of others in general. Because this fragmentary narrative leaves so many reasonable gaps in Pedro Paramo's life, the possibilities of the story are greatly increased and the reader's reading freedom is greatly enhanced. Additionally, everything related to death is dark and the novel fills the depressing and gloomy atmosphere through the description of the environment. Therefore, the author's main clue is death, which also reflects that the content of this book will not be positive. As we move forward, we gradually discover that the image of Pedro Paramo is a kind of negative leader in the world that we see in the novel. Another theme I focus on in this novel is land ownership, which also divides people into different ranks, and they would also have different access to resources. After reading the story of other characters who appear in the novel, we also discover that Pedro Paramo is a greedy, ruthless and immoral landlord. From his humble background, he relies on a variety of dishonorable means to become an authoritarian landlord. He is not only married to Juan's mother for wealth, but he also murders those who challenge his control. Ofthere we can see this owner, which means that he has some kind of absolute power in his village and there is exactly one class stratification there. In this village, Pedro Paramo seems to be a ruthless leader in this novel, not only because he had access to the most benefits or wealth to maintain his status or position there, but also because he could get whatever he wanted by monopolizing the land. . According to the text “And yet, Father, they say that the land of Comala is good. What a shame that the earth is entirely in the hands of one man. PierreParamo is still the owner, right? This quote demonstrates that the leader can use absolute power to do whatever he wants, but the desire to obtain this status could negatively impact the leader and cause discontent and injustice among civilians and the lower classes . The images of the world in this village look a bit like a manorial system populated in the middle of the century. The relationship within the manor was one of oppression, exploitation, and the Lord's dependence on the peasants or serfs. From this point of view, we can link the failures of Comala to the absolute power of the rich. It reflects the real world of rural Mexico under the plantation owner system. Art reflects life. Perhaps we cannot see the history of Mexico, but we can see the incompleteness of the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and the one that brought disaster to the countryside through Juan's writings. Based on this understanding we can see that the world constructed in the novel is foggy, gray and mysterious and we can feel that the village is full of death and just like hell because of the negative impact of the class stratification and abuse of leader authority. Another powerful evidence demonstrating that abuse of power by leaders could lead to negative influences and unrest in societies comes from Sarachek's article "Greek Concept of Leadership". In Sarachek's article, he points out the quantities and mistakes of leadership. This article mainly discusses the four important quantities in leadership and how leadership error leads to defeat of leaders. According to the text “When honor goes astray, it becomes vain pride”. The overconfident man who tries to act beyond the limits of his abilities inevitably faces defeat. Thus, pride is a poor personal evaluation of oneself which leads to error. This quote mentions that if the leader uses his power or authority in a negative way or simply for his own benefit, it obviously impacts his own action to go astray. Because gaining pride would make the leader confused and make inappropriate decisions, which would involve sacrificing others at some important points. The concept error is similar to Pedro Paramo's consequence. On the other hand, if Pedro Paramo is not obsessed with the power of wealth, to do something that benefits the whole village instead of exploiting the resources of the lower classes, the world that is being built in the new would be totally different. Pedro Paramo's result also implies that if the leader of a blinding team pursues his own power and position, it will ultimately lead to the destruction of the entire country. In Juan Rulfo's novel, there is another powerful example to show how some people in a particular position abuse their power for their own gain. For example, "Father" plays an important role in deciding who can go to heaven or not, meaning that Father might gain a particular advantage over others. However, if the Father abusesof his authority and right to earn money for his church, what then is the use of liberation and salvation? The Father, as the typical representative of the power holder, had the ability to decide who would forgive their sin and go to heaven. According to the text “He laces a handful of gold coins on the prie-dieu and stands up: Take this as a gift for your church” “He can afford to buy salvation. Only you know if it's the price. As for me, Lord, I throw myself at your feet to ask for the justice or injustice that each of us can ask for.” These two quotes illustrate that the father accepts the money to forgive Pedro's son who raped his niece. Also, if other people who ask their Father for forgiveness but don't have enough money would be refused into heaven. More importantly, Father being one of the most important people in this village, he did not properly use his power and authority to influence ordinary people to do the right thing, such as helping other people who need help, etc. On the contrary, even those who commit evil give money or coins to the church could obtain forgiveness and salvation. At this point, salvation could use money to measure and there is no principle to really do what they should do. If richer people did the same things, just like Pedro Paramo, it would bring overwhelming chaos to his village. The desire for wealth would push the rulers of a particular region in the wrong direction. Further evidence suggesting that class stratification would push leaders in negative directions that would result in creating a chaotic world comes from Hierro's article "Gender and Power." In Hierro's article, he emphasizes that the majority's desire does not come from a positive love of power, but rather from the fear of losing it. At this point, holding power or wealth gives them a sense of security, otherwise they would lose self-confidence, fearing that someone will take away their position or status. According to the external resource, “this translates into a willingness to sacrifice everything just to have power. For if someone who worships power decides to expand it, the only recourse available is submission to power or the creation of a stronger power to oppose it. This quote states that the desire for power would lead humanity to do anything to protect its own interests. More so, Hierro also illustrates that power is under "domination", which results in stratification of men over women, as men use their power to control these women. Therefore, in Juan Rulfo's novel, whoever the Pedro Paramo or the Father is, they both have special authority to control other ordinary people. To begin to understand better, we know that Pedro comes from a modest background that was not rich when he was young. After that, he married Juan's mother, he enjoys the benefits and advantages brought by wealth, but at the same time he also loses himself. Besides, all they were doing was maintaining their status in the village. For example: the father accepts corruption from rich people and is ordered to maintain his authority in the church, which means the father is proud of the church. If he leaves the church or the church collapses, he will own nothing. Similar to Pedro Paramo, he owns most of the land in the village, meaning he can do whatever he wants, even if something is completely wrong. The way he abuses his power reflects his fear of losing the power that is so difficult to obtain through hard work. Class stratification is not absolutely negative, it also has a positive impact which depends on how.