A Feminist Literary Analysis By Gabriel M. Tamondong There is no doubt that Nick Joaquin’s work “The Summer Solstice” is one of the greatest literary works in the Philippines. However, the message of the story seems questionable since it presents a somewhat vague story. It is obvious, however, that the story favors women. It is centered upon the Tadtarin, a pagan celebration for a good farming season.
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The celebration itself is celebrated only by women and men would still have to dress up as women in order to participate and witness the pagan rituals. At the start of the story, we see the driver of the Moretas, Entoy, afraid to touch his wife. However, it shows that he has beaten his wife, Amada, several times even before this encounter. Entoy explained that Amada is now the Tadtarin, the spirit of which the celebration focuses upon. It is stated in the story: “’And you should have seen that Entoy,’ continued his wife [Dona Lupeng].
‘You know how the brute treats her: she cannot say a word but he thrashes her. But this morning he stood as meek as a lamb while she screamed and screamed.
He seemed actually in awe of her, do you know —- actually afraid of her.’” It shows how the men in the story are presented as hopeless and inferior to that of women. The story continued to the coming of St. John in an informal procession lead only by males. The men showed their devotion to St. John, and danced and shouted merrily while the procession continued down the path.
The carriage carrying the family, stopped as the procession passed. Dona Lupeng, however, stood in the carriage “with increasing annoyance.” The thought of how the behavior of men came to be crossed her mind. She persisted that it is the women who “had built it up: this poise of the male. Ah, and women could destroy it, too!” With this thought, she recalled the incident earlier that morning with Entoy and Amada. This clearly presents how men just depend on the women for their actions and behavior. It is the women who controls them. Pdf gratis libros.
It is the women who dominate. This is also expressed in the scene where Dona Lupeng is alone with Guido, a cousin who has studied in Europe and have come to back to Philippines. He, though well educated, still talked about ancient rituals and beliefs. He actually talked to Dona Lupeng about how “’the dominant figure [of the Tadtarin] is not the male but the female.’” Even as someone so educated, he still acknowledges that women are still superior and are actually the lord of men. “’It think it is to remind us men that once upon a time you women were supreme and we men are the slaves.”’ And he affirmed this by how he “solemnly kissed the tips of her shoes.” as Dona Lupeng was getting up to leave. Later in the story, after a fight, Don Paeng finally allowed Dona Lupeng to go to the Tadtarin, it being the last night of the celebration. It shows the helplessness of the man to the wants of the woman.
In the celebration, the wife joined in the wild celebration while the husband was beaten for trying to enter procession in order to find his wife. Back at their house, Don Paeng, after losing to an argument with his wife, realized how women are to be adored and not to be underestimated.
He accepted the fact but Dona Lupeng wanted more than just acceptance. She ordered him to kiss his feet and Don Paeng, without hesitation, fell to the ground in order to kiss her feet. “he sprawled down flat and, working his arms and legs, gaspingly clawed his way across the floor, like a great agonized lizard” This summarized how the story portrays the women as the more superior gender than the men. How the men are dependent on the women and how the women control the men.