The short story “Macario” is actually more of a monologue. In it the orphaned town idiot Macario describes in a flowing narrative style some of the aspects of his everyday life. He begins by talking about how his Godmother, with whom he lives, who has asked him to squash the frogs by the sewer which keep her awake at night. He then goes aspects of his life in her home and his relationship with Felipa, the other woman who lives with Godmother, in one long paragraph. We learn he suffers from being bullied by other townspeople who throw stones at him, and that he likes to bang his head on different surfaces to listen to the sound it makes. He also has an unusual relationship with Felipa who used to feed him her breast milk and tickle him in…

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• The Burning Plain and Other Stories Summary
• About The Burning Plain and Other Stories
• Character List
• Glossary of Terms
• Major Themes
• Summary and Analysis of "They gave us the land" ("Nos han dado la tierra")
• Summary and Analysis of "Macario"
• Summary and Analysis of “The Hill of the Comadres” ("La Cuesta de las Comadres")
• Summary and Analysis of “We’re very poor” ("Es que somos muy pobres")
• Summary and Analysis of "The man" ("El hombre")
• Summary and Analysis of “At daybreak” ("En la madrugada")
• Summary and Analysis of “Talpa”
• Summary and Analysis of “The burning plain” ("El Llano en llamas")
• Summary and Analysis of “Tell them not to kill me!” ("¡Diles que no me maten!")
• Summary and Analysis of “Luvina”
• Summary and Analysis of “The night they left him alone” ("La noche que lo dejaron solo")
• Summary and Analysis of “Remember” ("Acuérdate")
• Summary and Analysis of “No dogs bark” ("No oyes ladrar los perros")
• Summary and Analysis of “Paso del Norte”
• Summary and Analysis of “Anacleto Morones”
• Where is the Power in Rulfian Narrative?
• Related Links on The Burning Plain and Other Stories
• Suggested Essay Questions
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 3
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 4
• Author of ClassicNote and Sources

• The Burning Plain and Other Stories: Major Themes
• The Burning Plain and Other Stories: Questions
• The Burning Plain and Other Stories: Purchase the Novel and Related Material
• Juan Rulfo: Biography