Elements of Fiction Guide CLAY by JUAN T. GATBONTON (Post-War) Philippines (1951) Characters Clayton but everybody called him Clay. Clay was one of the army mechanics. He talked too fast that many natives could not understand him. Ms. Rosete was a teacher at the high school Point of View First person point of view stands out as a character and refers to himself or herself, using “I” Setting/Local color 1951 — The granting of political independence did not in fact end American domination. On the contrary, many features of colonialism remain even today. The army camp was on the east side of the main street; the gray, two-story building of concrete and galvanized iron that was the army barracks Candaba’s main street. The Americans had built a bridge and gouged out a new road on the left bank of the river The period from 1946 — 1960 was an era of effective American control of the Philippine economy, political life and military affairs. ¢ The teenager introduced the American friend Clay to Ms. Rosete his crush. After a while, Clay was already striking his fist against the shoulder of the teenager, he was veryhappy ! * Old Clay had a good time! He told the teenager that he won't be understood because the teenager was still very young only sixteen. ¢ The girls of most of the soldiers were there. In a corner, a woman was sitting on a soldier’s lap. She was giggling shrilly. ¢ The high school boy heard Clay said “The little babe’s just playin’ hard to get, that’s all. She can’t stay away from me anymore”Elements of Fiction Guide CHILDREN OF THE CITY by AMADIS MA. GUERRERO(More Recent Short Story, 1971) Philippines Characters Victor, a third — grader, dropped out of school, to be employed as a newspaper boy. Victor’s activist father was shot and killed when he was eight years old. Unfortunately, not long after his father’s death, his mother abandoned him to be with her lover. Tio Pedring — Older brother of the mother of Victor. Tio Pedring made plans to employ Victor as a newsboy with the assurance of help. Tio Pedring that time was a newspaper agent. He did not mention of resuming the boy’s interrupted schooling. Nacio - Enjoys a popularity among newspaper boys and friendly to Victor. He taught Victor to keep a sharp eye for customers, how to swiftly board a bus or jeep and alight from it while still in motion ... Point of View Third person point of view Setting/Local color e The story happened in the late 1980s. Everything occurred in the dark perilous busy streets of Manila. * Inone of the shanties that stood in Intramuros; along the Boulevard; Rizal monument in Luneta , Ermita district, Blumentritt area, Boulevard district, and Avenida Extension * An organized defiance, and the setting up of picket lines in piers against shipping management, with the strikers and their families subsisting on funds raised by student, labor and civic-spirited elements. « The Boulevard by night began to attract the boy, the bars filled with foreign sailors, for a7 her parents. Never again would he hold her face. © According to their culture, life is not worth living without a child. Tribal people would mock a childless man behind his back. ¢ Aman has to have a child so that his name will live in their tribe. © Awiyao made a promise to Lumnay to go back to her arms when he failed to have a child with Madulimay. Both of them will vanish from the life of their tribe. © She would go to the chief of the village, to the elders, to tell the it was not right. Awiyao was hers. Let her be the first woman to complain, to denounce the unwritten rule that a man may take another woman. Conflicts * Man vs. society’s customs ‘Symbol/s The gongs of the dancers clamorously called in her ears through the walls. * The beads are worth twenty fields given to Lumnay, they stand for the love of Awiyao for Lumnay * Awiyao not long ago, decided to throw his spear on the stairs of her father’s house in token of his desire to marry her. ¢ The unwritten law demanded that all their men in their tribe must have a child * Before, she would dance like a bird tripping for grains on the ground, beautifully timed to the beat of the gangsas ¢ She would stretch her hands like the wings of the mountain eagle. Was not their love as strong as the river?Elements of Fiction GuideThe Day The Dancers Came (1967) Bienvenido N.Santos (Philippines) Characters Filemon Acayan - Filipino, fifty years old, a U.S. citizen, He has been a corporal in the US Army, training at San Luis Obispo. In 1945, after his work in the US Army, he worked in a hospital as a menial. He has been in charge of the human embryos inside their bottles. He has always having nightmares because of those fetus and infants. So much so, he decided to look for another pleasant job as a policeman in the post office in 1945. He has no more immediate family even in the Philippines. Fil wants to join the company of dancers from the Philippines, show them around, walk with them in the snow, answer their questions, tell them about the changing seasons in the US. He enjoys eating adobo and the best stuffed chicken with Tony in their apartment. Fil shows greater mastery in their dialect. He has always been florid, sentimental, and poetic. Fil is also very sentimental... he can not easily let go of the things. He is perhaps stuck in the past that after years of not being able to visit his beloved couniry, he thought things wouldn't change. But he has been unfortunately wrong in his expectations. ‘The erasure of all the recorded concert will help Fil to accept that time never stops. Beautiful memories will always be in our hearts and minds. It is a kind of sentimentality that he wants to have a record of memories of the Filipino young dancers, but he ends up losing them all instead. But then again, maybe it was for the best. « Tony Antonio Bataller — a retired porter and unfortunately has been bedridden most of the time for the last two years. His face has been healing from severe burns. He has not been feeling alright. He thinks it’s cancer or leprosy. He has shared a lot with Fil. They have tried to be merry on Christmas days, most of the times get drunk and they become loud. Fil loves to recite poems in his dialect and Tony curses all the railroad companies of{ : America. But, they didn’t talk last Christmas, they have decided not to celebrate last time. Point of View Third person point of view Setting/Local color | Chicago; sleep valley, drowsy gray; snowy morning in Chicago; New York Plot pany times, Fil stares at Tony moaning, crying and screaming because of the severe pain in his abdomen. Tony will usually scream that he’s dying. « Filhas arrived at the Hamilton Hotel, to see the Philippine dancers. Fil has been amazed to remember how beautiful Philippine girls are. They are all very young. But there are few elderly men and women who must have been their chaperons or well-wishers like him. ¢ Fil wants to ask them: Ilocano ka ? Bicol ka? Paisano? Comusta? But, suddenly he feels that he is an outsider. Suddenly he feels that he doesn’t belong there. The age is in his face already. His hands is already horny, Fil doesn’t like to shake hands with the boy who stands close to him. He seems to be friendly but Fil has decided to put his hands in his pocket. How he wishes Tony is with him. Tony knows more how to socialize with those young people. Once in a while, Fil hears them talking in their own native dialects. Fil could really feel the nostalgia of—| Plot military exercise to be held within a few days The story is about the life of Victor, an eight year old boy whose father was involved in a company menace because of unjust salaries and compensations. His father joined the employee's strike and there he met his death when he was shot by the police officers managing the chaos in the strike. Victor was shocked to know the sudden death of his father on a newspaper. He and his mother were in deep pain upon hearing his father’s death. Soon, her mother had a new husband. She left Victor to his older brother. There, he was trained to be a newspaper boy in the dangerous streets of Avenida. He met there many children doing just like what he is. In those dark street he learned how to curse-say bad words and smoke cigarette because he was influenced by a group of unmannered teenagers. He found himself alone in the street, sometimes being beat up by bullies. The story ended when the author realized how cruel the world is... "... And Victor, swirled the life of the city: this city, flushed with triumphant charity campaigns, where workers were made to sign statements certifying they received minimum wage, where millionaire politicians received Holy Communion every Sunday, where mothers taught their sons and daughters the art of begging, where orphans and children from broken homes slept on pavements and under darkened bridges, and where best friends fell out and betrayed one another." Conflict One evening four months after the strike began, the silence of the piers was broken by the six-by-six trucks. They ran over three strikers and shot to death two more men. ¢ That evening at the appointed hour he went over to the newspaper’s building in downtown, and was greeted by the sight ofTheme/s )Respect for old customs, tradition and unwritten Tule in the tribal groups in the northern Philippines Cultural Values TRADITION, RESPECT, COMMITMENT TO CUSTOMS/TRADITIONS, CULTURE AND RELIGIONTheme/s A father guilty of incestuous desire for his own daughter. Love, Freedom & Sacrifices CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENT, INTELLIGENT, PERSONAL VALUES SUCCESS, OBTAINING SOCIAL APPROVALSymbol/s ] Filemon’s dream of Tony telling him what to do in case of a shipwreck "Say ina ship... I mean, in an emergency, you're stranded without help in the middle of the Pacific or the Atlantic, you must keep floating till help comes...” This line pertains to the scene that happened in the Hamilton Hotel when he has tried to be friendly and accommodating with the Filipino dancers, yet he has been rejected, and thus left him feel so much loneliness. e Relating this with the dream, it means that he should not let himself feel so down with the burden of loneliness that he is carrying. “He must keep floating till help comes.” Help can pertain to someone comforting him, perhaps it can be Tony. ¢ ”Now, let me teach you how to keep afloat” Those words were not Tony’s words. Perhaps, the voice who said this could be his own, telling him that the only one who can help him to not break down emotionally is himself. Take things in stride... Theme/s ‘A story about an old timer Filipino in the US. This story is a blend of irony and tenderness into the rootless and lonely lives of men residing in America but carrying their nationality like a winter coat they cannot discard. e About loneliness, alienation, homesickness, all postwar maladies. CULTURAL VALUES UNIVERSALISM, NATIONALISM, SOCIAL JUSTICE, EQUALITYElements of Fiction Guide- a THE WE! 1953 Philippines) DDING DANCE by AMADOR T. DAGUIO Lumnay - She does not want othe! Awiyao. She has been a good wile hives has | nothing to say against her. But unfortunately, seven harvests was just too long to wait for a child. She has prayed to Kabunyan so much. Still Kabunyan never blessed her a child. Well in fact, she has sacrificed many chickens during her wives in the whole fervent prayers. One of the best village. She had been very proud of her husband's humour. Awiyao - He has been a good husband to Lumnay. He does not want any other woman either. He had a sense of lightness in saying things, which made people laugh. Just like Lumnay, he would always Pree pigs to Kabunyan only for them to have a child with Lumnay. But still, Kabunyan does not see them fit to have a child. Madulimay - She is not as strong as planting beans, not as fast in cleaning jars, good in keeping a house clean. Third person point of view Lumnay in not as Point of View Setting/Local color Early families are dependent to farming as a means of sustaining their daily needs. Rice paddies, dikes, mountain ranges, and rice field. Plot + Awiyao did not ‘want to force Lumnay to join his second wedding ceremony. He didn’t have a choice. He needed to be subservient to their culture of a man should have an offspring. The moment that Awiyao has married Madulimay then, Lumnay would go back toPlot The entire household revolved in submission around Pablo Cabading. The daughter, mother, the foster-son, the maids and even the dogs trembled when he lifted his voice. In 1946, he had shot dead two American soldiers he caught robbing a neighbor’s house in Quezon City. Pablo Cabading couldn't bear to see Lydia and Leonardo rise and go up together to their room. The patriarchal father said “Lydia, you sleep with your mother tonight. She has a toothache. So, Leonardo went to bed alone and the incident would always be repeated with several reasons. Leonardo became anxious to take his wife away from that house. The father said “If she goes with you, I'll shoot her head before your eyes.” Pablo Cabading got his submachinegun and trained it to Gene Quitangon (brother of Dr. Leonardo) “Produce my daughter at once or Tl shoot you all down! The entire room on Zapote Street was spattered with blood. Lay Mrs. Cabading, shot in the chest and stomach but was still alive. Lydia was shot in the heart, and Leonardo was shot in the breast, they are both dead. And, Cabading shot himself fatally, two times. Conflict/s Symbol/s Man VS himself/ psychological Lydia was always clasping a large crucifix. There was no expression on her face. e The drama of the jealous father...CULTURAL STIMULATION, CHALLENGE IN LIFE, DARING VALUES LIFEElements of Fiction Guide-THE HOUSE ON ZAPOTE STREET by Quijano de Manila (Philippines) 1968 Characters Dr. Leonardo Quitangon, a soft-spoken, mild — mannered, cool-tempered Caviteno medical doctor. Lydia Cabading - a medical intern and looked like a sweet unspoiled girl, but there was a slight mystery about her. Pablo Cabading, Lydia’s father was a member of the Manila Police Department. This father had been known to threaten to arrest young men who stared at his daughter Lydia on the streets or pressed too close against her on jeepneys. An Ilocano, he looked every inch an agent of the law, looked younger than his inarticulate wife, who was actually two years younger than him. Mother Anunciacion Cabading —- A mousy woman unable to speak save at her husband’s bidding. Point of View Third-person point of view. The author makes comments or describes his characters vividly like Quijano de Manila’s description of the antagonist “the drama of the jealous father” Setting/Local color The house of Zapote Street is in the current architectural cliché, a person standing in the sala can see the doors of the bedrooms and bathroom just above his head. Lydia and Leonardo wed at the Cathedral of Manila, with Senator Ferdinand Marcos and Mrs. Delfin Montano, wife of the Cavite governor as sponsors. Then the newlyweds went to live on Zapote Street.Conflict * Man VS other people’s practices Symbol/s Theme/s CULTURAL VALUES Galvanized iron that was the army barracks Clay symbolizes this type of person: Somebody who's always laughing and acting like a happy guy. However, the source of his laughter is meanness, not friendliness. He laughs at innocent people, takes advantage of them, uses them like his toys or pets * Ms. Rosete is an example of a sweet, pure, person who is used by Clay. He talks about her as if she is his possession or plaything ¢ The main character is the most innocent person at all. He is young and at first he thinks that Clay is a true friend. When he overhears how Clay talks about Ms. Rosete, he finally realizes that Clay is bad. After that, he wants nothing more to do with Clay. Subservience to the dictates of the US, courting political disaster. Needless to say, culture during this period developed according to the ideological direction set by the U.S. e Asa former colony of the US, the Philippines upheld the tine that the salvation of the world lay with free enterprise and American protection against communism. NATIONAL SECURITY, STABILITY OF SOCIETY, SAFETY AND HARMONYthe misa de gallo, barrio fiestas and evening on the plazas. Fil smells their fragrance also of camia, ilang-ilang, and dama de noche. ¢ He wants to invite those young people to have a free tour of Chicago. He wants to take them around the lakeshore drive, gardens and parks, museums, department stores, planetarium. And finally, he wants to offer a dinner at his apartment on West Sheridan Road - to eat pork adobo and chicken relleno. He wants to say “how about it, paisanos?” e Alas, he has now the courage to invite them. Fill has started with the boys: “May I invite you to my apartment?” The boys turned. down Fil’s invitation. He approached the group of girls, but they have answered him “Thank you, but we have no time” © At long last, Fil has decided not to invite the young people anymore. “Let them have fun on their own schedule.” Fil wants to invite those youth because he remembers the good old days when he was exactly like them many years ago. « Perhaps, they have been advised carefully not to talk with strangers, to be extra careful in New York and Chicago, beware of old-timers, most of them are bums. ¢ To his dismay, none of the dancers take notice of him or accept his invitation to come over to his apartment Conflict Man VS himself/ psychologicalSymbol/s | Theme/s ‘scores of barefooted newsboys awaiting the call to duty. The noise of their conversation, loud with putang-ina filled the newspaper's © The destination of Victor was Blumentritt. Perhaps it wasn’t so difficult after all to sell a newspaper. The customers included a dressmaker, a barber, a pharmacist, and a beautician. « Victor was able to see young scavengers, slept inside their pushcarts. * Onhis second night on the job, Victor met a group of street boys who began to beat him up and got all his newspapers ! ¢ His best friend Nacio met his death — violently; he had been run over by a car. Victor grieved for his friend, and from that time on he became even more taciturn and withdrawn. * The ring-leader, went over to him and, as a kind of peace offering, held out a cigarette. Take it. It is very nice to smoke, and it is easy. Man vs circumstances/fate In this city, flushed with triumphant charity | campaigns, where millionaire politicians received Holy Communion every Sunday, where orphans and children from broken homes slept on pavements and under darkened bridges, and where best friends fell out and betrayed one another. | —} The city, flushed with charitable projects, where millionaire politicians continuously enriching themselves at the expense of the lower class sector, where street children slept on pavements and under darkened bridges.