Desire Lit 001

DESIRE Paz M. Latorena

Author

Paz Mang Mangue uera ra Lato Latore rena na is the the young younges estt among among the the four four child childre ren n of Flor Floren enci ciaa Manguera and Valentin Latorena. She was born on January 17 1!"# in the $ro%ince of  &oac Marindu'ue. She finished her basic education at St. Scholastica(s )ollege and later  she went to South *igh School in Manila. For her college education in 1!+, she enrolled at the -ni%ersity of the Phili$$ines for a degree in education. Latorena was a hard wor/ing student. She wor/ed during day as an elementary school teacher and in the e%ening she attended classes li/e short story writing which was then conducted by Mrs. Paz Mar'uez &enitez.

Latorena 0oin many school organizations and together with other cam$us writers they founded the -ni%ersity of the Phili$$ines riter(s )lub. &efore the year ended she won the third $rize for her story 23he Small 4ey5 in Jose 6arcia Villa( Villa(ss oll of *onor for  the &est Stories of 1!+7.

8uring Latorena(s senior year she transferred to -ni%ersity of Santo 3omas to finish her education degree. She graduated in the year 1!9" in the said institution. She earned her master(s and doctorate degree while teaching literature courses in the same school. *er dissertation entitled 2Phili$$ine Literature in :nglish; . ?mong

her many students were then as$iring writers li/e Juan 6atbonton F. Sionil Jose =ita -mali 6eno%e%a :droza Matute @enaida ?mador <$helia 8imalanta and ?lice )olet Villadolid to name a few. Some of her students are now giants in Phili$$ine letters. &ecause of the in%ol%ement in academic wor/ she wrote fewer stories and $ublished her  last /nown story 2Miguel )omes *ome5 in 1!>A. hile being a$$ointed to su$er%ise students in a final eBamination Latorena suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage which  $ro%ed fatal. 3he said cerebral accident was the cause of her death. She died on A in 3awitawi.

Characters

1.

hite man ? blueeyed man with white blood in his %eins who belie%e in the inferiority of 

colored races. C guess he is from the est. ? man who was then 0udgmental to the Fili$ino race who recognized a woman and 0ust too/ interest in meeting the lady. *e is a  $rotagonist ha%ing a round character. +.

-nnamed woman ho had %ery broad forehead ga%e her face an un$leasant masculine loo/. *er eyes

which were small slanted at the corners and made many of her ac'uaintances wonder if   $erchance she had a few dro$s of celestial blood in her %eins. *er nose was broad and flat and its nostrils were always dilated as if breathing were an effort. *er mouth with thic/ li$s was a long straightD gash across her face made angular by her unusually big  0aws. *er body is the ob0ect of the desire of men. She is the $rotagonist ha%ing a round character. She is the main character but her 

name didn(t mention in the story. 3he story is in the first$erson $oint of %iew because the 2C5 is directly in%ol%ed in the story.

Conflict

3he conflict of the short story is between herself and between characters can be e%idently seen in the story. Cn this story the woman has inferiority com$leB o%er her face and considers her beautiful figure as a curse and she(s hiding her figure through wearing long and massi%e dresses.

Foreshadowing

ill the woman find lo%e from a man who acce$ted by what she isE
Plot

3he $lot of the short story is that the difference between the $hysical a$$earance of a  $erson and a $urer lo%e of a $erson. 3he story is in the first$erson $oint of %iew because the 2C5 is directly in%ol%ed in the story.

Characterization

3he short story signifies the o%erall eB$erience that it could ha$$en to any indi%idual. 3he woman in the short story is intellectual and educa ted one. C can(t con%ince myself that the $ersonality of being wea/ is shown by her. Cn our society nowadays more often most $eo$le %alues much the eBternal beauty of a $erson rather than the

 $ersonality within the $erson. Most mens don(t care much if women are dumb wise gullible intelligent or not. Loo/s are more im$ortant.

Setting

3his short story ha$$ened at the Manila &ay inside the car at the )ha$el and *ome. Ct was written in 1!+#. 3his was written by a woman during a $eriod were not much res$ect and recognition gi%en to women.

Thee!

?ccording to its own title itself 28esire5 you can 0ust sim$ly $redict what(s the story wants to em$hasize to the readers. 3he woman was longed for a lo%e li/e all other human  beings do e%en though she is homely yet she has a gorgeous body that most men ensla%ed for. She did not want a lo%e that her body ins$ired in men. hat she wanted is something  $urer cleaner.

Anal"sis Made #"! Elfe $. Deraa

3he short story 28esire5 was written by Paz Latorena in 1!+#. Ct was about a woman who longed for a $urer and cleaner lo%e to be %alued for what she is des$ite of her  ha%ing a homely face.

3he short story started with a detailed descri$tion of a woman that nowadays called as shrim$ or hi$on in a gay language. acial discrimination is somehow $resent in the story. &ecause the man at first when he recognize the woman that was the same with his race he 0ust too/ an interest to the woman. hen he disco%er the woman that she has the right cur%es in her body he said he lo%es the girl but not the total being of her but only her body. ? short story that discusses about the reality of todays lo%e. ? short story against the men that lo%e lust.

3he story was $lain and sim$le yet it $ro%ides an im$act to the readers when the time they read the story. 3he story tells the earthly desires of a man. omen should be aware of the sinful desires of men that could hurt feelings and could destroy relationshi$s. &eing a reader you could also felt the sadness and frustration of the woman for being desired and not lo%ed by a man. 3he author stressed the idea that if you read this you could actually assume yourself or you could $robably thin/ and assess yourself if you are similar to the $erson in the story. 3his story could be in two inter$retations first is the desire of men for her body and second is the desire of the woman for a $urer and cleaner 

lo%e. 3his will 0ust $ro%es on how man and woman differ in their $ers$ecti%e.

Cn the end of the story the woman said 2 Gou ha%e 0ust been yourself... Li/e other  men5 and with a weary smile the story ends. 3he ending of the story is related to the  beginning and to all other e%ents in the story. Ct has the same idea with that of the  beginning and did not resol%e the $roblem because the result is similar to the beginning.