Not only will the setting reveal the difference between the standard Filipino literature and the contemporary. For me, one interesting element to look at when comparing the standard from the modern is the story’s conflict and how values and/or issues of the present compare to that of the past. How does the character look at the self? What is their state of mind when placed in a certain situation?
Looking back at Rivera-Ford and Tiempo’s stories, the protagonists look at themselves as if they can only find self-worth if they are loved/admired by somebody (even if they have no feelings for that somebody whatsoever). Tinang of “Love in the Cornhusks” married a man she doesn’t love, probably to assure herself and others that there’s nothing wrong with her that made Amado leave – she is worthy of being loved, that someone is willing to marry her. Pilar of “The Corral” out of fear of being labeled an old maid decided to marry Mr. Perfecto even if she cannot stand being around him. On the other hand, in Noelle De Jesus’ “Games” the protagonist looks at herself as not a “real woman”, that she can only be loved and accepted if she was “Chiqui or Aleli or Teeny or Cookie or Sarina or Kay as she dreamed up… with sleek hair, curving bodies, linen suits and high heels, with green eye shadow and mauve lipstick, with dimples or freckles or a tiny beauty mark on the corner of her mouth…”
Another interesting factor to look at is who/what dictates the mentality that somebody can only find self-worth if one is admired/loved by somebody or one is a “real woman”. Where did Tinang for example got the idea that she can be more happy if she marries a man she does not even love? Who/ what made Pilar settle for Mr. Perfecto instead? Where did the protagonist in “Games” got the idea that she can only be interesting if she pretends to be somebody she’s not?
Blame it on culture and the media. Before, getting married was the end all and be all for a woman. In our collectivist culture, nobody certainly wants to be alone. Also, Filipinos tend to always think about who will take care of them when they get old. Nowadays, the end all and be all for a woman is having a sense of achievement and looking like Carrie Bradshaw of “Sex and the City”. Pinays are bombarded with local and foreign Billboard ads, commercials and magazines with flawless, ageless, figure-perfect women who get what she wants (the man, the career), that there is now constant pressure for the Pinay (and women of other countries as well) to be like them.
With culture and the media setting the standards, women get tangled up with who they should be. Although there are countless women who are now making names for themselves, there is still pressure for women to get married, the only difference now is that there is no time pressure. I know of a lot of women who want to fulfill their own dreams first before settling down with a partner as they now recognize (thanks to women writers ) that defining and discovering who they are first is essential before spending a lifetime with a partner. It does not matter how long discovering oneself would take.
Although there are campaigns that advocate for ageless beauty, the media still sets standards for beauty. Although a woman’s weight does not seem to be a factor nowadays, women are still pressured to look “healthy” - pearly white teeth for that picture perfect smile, cellulite-free thighs, shiny locks, wrinkle-free eyes and detoxified, even-toned skin complexion.
A Pinay’s conflict with herself and society may have changed over the years (as exemplified by the difference of conflict between the stories mentioned) but there is still that pressure to conform.

“Mahirap mag-assume”.
Such is the dilemma in the two stories “Document” by Katigbak and “The Tale of the Spinster and Peter Pan” by Hidalgo. In the “Document”, the male protagonist tries to read between the lines of the articles, essays, reaction papers of the girl he’s not sure he has feelings for. The words exchanged between them and the typewritten words are his only basis for evaluating the relationship that they have. He seems to be type who finds more comfort on tangible things (“actual printouts are a more reliable way of storing written material” – things that can be seen, touched, etc) and reflecting that they have “no official ties, not even memories of physical contact” makes it more difficult for him to assess this certain bond that they have. On the other hand, in the “Tale of the Spinster and Peter Pan”, the woman protagonist imagines the lead vocalist of the band to be Peter Pan and goes on fantasizing about the special friendship that they have. In the end, she’s frustrated with how far the malicious man was compared to the innocent, mischievous young lad she has imagined him to be.
What could be the possible cause of this blurring – the difficulty of coming up with the right conclusion, the right interpretation about other people’s actions, etc?
Fairy tales?
Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty – women in need of rescuing, the damsels in distress. We are all introduced to these fairy tales during our younger years to make reading more interesting, pleasurable, entertaining. And such became the pattern for romance novels where a woman actually waits one way or another for something magical to come to her life – a man who would rescue her from anything, keep her from harm, blah blah blah. And so is the woman in Hidalgo’s story who lived a monotonous life. Her life, her routine changed when this young lead singer started performing in a bar restaurant she goes to every Thursday. Something in her life changed. However she was not the cause of that change.
Technology?
While cellular phones, computers and email broke geographical boundaries and time zones, communication seems to be more difficult, most especially if one’s basis in interpreting a person’s message is via emoticons, smileys, and abbreviated SMS with its own language. Without body language/non-verbals, it is indeed difficult to evaluate a person’s sincerity and honesty. At times, even if you know the person so well, we still find it difficult to read between the lines of his/her message. The protagonist in the “Document” tries to look for clues from his friend’s files about how she feels about him or if she feels anything at all for him. The computer was the channel but without the girl’s facial expression or body language, it is difficult to draw conclusions.
Combine our orientation about fairy tales and technology and we are caught in a pit of countless unrealistic assumptions in our relations with others…

Watcha think?

In High Heels

Kudos to Rivera-Ford and Tiempo! As our instructor said, if not for their stories and the stories of other women writers during those times, there is a huge probability that we Filipinas would still be suffering the same plight.

The stories also remind me of Rizal’s novels. His writings revealed how women were not given the opportunity to vote and be heard, how they were trained to do household chores, how they were measured and regarded by society depending on who their fathers were, how they have limited choices and how they suffered living in a society where there is pressure to tie the knot with somebody of equal social status.

Fast forward to the 40s/50s - Americans giving equal opportunities to education opened doors to the Filipina. High, pointed heels gave her the confidence that she needed to stand up and be of the same height as men.

But still the 1940-50s Filipina suffers the same plight of the women in Rizal’s novels– only this time they were made to believe that they have options to choose from. They may have the right to vote and to education. But one thing remains the same – although they were given opportunities to pursue their careers, they were still expected to drop their jobs the moment they get married and be a fulltime ‘Ina ng Tahanan’. Marriage was not a choice, it was more of standard measurement of becoming a true Filipina woman – to be a mother, to take care of her husband, to raise her children well, to do household chores, to host parties for her husband. To be a spinster means there might be something wrong with you that nobody is willing to take you for a wife!? The tendency of Filipinas back then was to get married primarily out of fear for being discriminated against. Love simply comes in second place.

Tinang of Rivera-Ford’s “Love in the Cornhusks”and Pilar of Tiempo’s “The Corral”, although coming from different social classes, suffers the same dilemma. I believe Tinang got married to assure herself that she was worth something. Amado leaving without explaining why crushed her and it might’ve gotten her thinking that she wasn’t worth pursuing. What guarantee does she have that Amado loves her? Is she not worth marrying? Marrying the Bagobo however guarantees their family’s survival. She is also certain that she will be marrying a man who is really willing to marry her. To assure herself of her worth, she marries the Bagobo.
“The Corral” ended with Pilar thinking to herself that she will end up with Mr. Perfecto. Pilar was a teacher and her family has their own business and household servants. Mr. Perfecto would seem more apt for her as he is educated as well and was the school principal. He seems to have a good relationship with her father – “Often they got coarse in their talk as between two men who understood each other well”. Her options were limited. If Pilar chose to marry the woodcutter Gregorio, how would she and their family survive? If Pilar chose not to marry, she would be labeled an old maid. Choosing Mr. Perfecto was more of a convenience for her – she not need beg for her father’s approval and they belong to the same social class.

I’m relieved that women today are not pressured to be married at a certain age. Nor are they limited with the choices that they can make. Now, not only can Filipinas juggle household chores, they can pursue their careers and be a supportive mother and wife in high heels. Or they can opt to be single, take time, get a master’s degree, or climb up the corporate ladder in pointy Manolo’s. Being a true Filipina in this generation simply means being able to pursue the goals she has set out for herself while not forgetting her heritage and her values.

Bread of Salt and Summer Solstice

Nick Joaquin’s “The Bread of Salt” and NVM Gonzalez’s “Summer Solstice” show how the male characters understand the meaning of ‘adore’ and the relationship that exists between the rich and the poor. The fourteen year-old musician of Joaquin’s story adored Aida, constantly dreaming of her admiring him as he plays his violin or writing her a love note that she would later discover in a math book which he borrowed. Guido of the “Summer Solstice” adores women, the power they could possibly have over the male and sees the ‘holiness’ and the mystery of what is vulgar” (I could only assume here that Guido may be referring to ‘being adored’ as something vulgar. Gonzalez’s story has a clear distinction between love and adore.) Don Paeng also sees adoration as different from love and respect – “A gentleman loves and respects Woman. The cads and lunatics, they adore the women.”

In the ‘Bread of Salt’ Joaquin did not describe how Aida offered the male lead a big package, but the male lead’s embarrassment and reaction (“I felt all ardor for her gone entirely”) reveals how derogatory the offer must’ve been for a him, especially during those times when they see the musician as, in the words of his aunt, ‘always eats last during parties’. The middle part of the story narrated how the young lead felt as if his aunt was ‘thinking of a pack of dogs scrambling for scraps tossed over the fence by some careless kitchen maid’. He must’ve felt the same way when Aida made the offer. On the other hand, Dona Lupeng of “The Summer Solstice” treats their house help the way a typical senora would – she gives commands, without ‘pakiusap’, and there is no room for objections and complaints.


We always value being a ‘maginoo’ or being a conservative Filipina, and so sex and lust are not usually talked about. I’m not sure if its true or its unique in our culture, but I heard stories of how the husbands would not dare talk about their sexual fantasies with their wives. In ‘The Summer Solstice’, Don Paeng even seems to struggle to admit to his wife that he ‘adores’ her.


The relationship between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ is the same today as it was during the time the stories were written. Although we value being a gentleman and being conservative, how our culture regards sex and gender relations has changed due to influence of western and Asian cultures, technology and the media.