▁and ▁dream ▁for ▁the ▁people ▁being ▁ruled . ▁ ▁Ast ur ias ' s ▁ambigu ous ▁use ▁of ▁detail ▁adds ▁to ▁the ▁confusion ▁between ▁reality ▁and ▁dream . ▁For ▁example , ▁the ▁title ▁pages ▁of ▁parts ▁one ▁and ▁two ▁state ▁that ▁they ▁take ▁place ▁between ▁April ▁ 2 1 ▁and ▁ 2 7 . ▁Part ▁three , ▁on ▁the ▁other ▁hand , ▁occurs ▁over ▁" We eks , ▁Month s , ▁Years ". ▁While ▁this ▁time - scale ▁initially ▁appears ▁very ▁specific , ▁no ▁year ▁is ▁indicated . ▁Furthermore , ▁the ▁novel ▁is ▁set ▁in ▁a ▁country ▁similar ▁to ▁Gu atem ala ▁and ▁includes ▁references ▁to ▁May a ▁gods ▁( such ▁as ▁in ▁the ▁chapter ▁" T oh il ' s ▁Dance ") ▁but ▁no ▁direct ▁statement ▁by ▁any ▁character ▁confir ms ▁this . ▁Ba uman ▁arg ues ▁that ▁Ast ur ias , ▁by ▁" pre fer ring ▁instead ▁to ▁distance ▁himself ▁from ▁the ▁immediate ▁historical ▁reality ▁and ▁focus ▁critical ▁light ▁on ▁the ▁internal ▁problems ", ▁att ends ▁to ▁what ▁" he ▁sees ▁there ". ▁This ▁enables ▁Ast ur ias ▁to ▁address ▁a ▁wider ▁audience , ▁not ▁restricted ▁to ▁Gu atem al ans , ▁that ▁can ▁relate ▁individually ▁to ▁the ▁experience ▁of ▁living ▁under ▁dict atorial ▁rule . ▁ ▁In ▁obsc uring ▁reality , ▁truth ▁becomes ▁unclear . ▁As ▁literary ▁critic ▁M ire ille ▁Ros ello ▁notes , ▁it ▁is ▁the ▁President ▁who ▁dec ides ▁what ▁is ▁true , ▁den ying ▁any ▁other ▁opinion , ▁even ▁if ▁other ▁characters ▁witness ▁an ▁event ▁with