Magnifecence By: Estrella Alfon

Settings:

The Story happened at the house of the two children

Characters: 

• Vicente- the bus conductor who teaches the two children
• Mother- the parent of the two children.
• Oscar- the little boy
• Little girl

Plot

       This story  Magnificence is written by Estrella Alfon, was born in San Nicolas Cebu City on March 17, 1917. Alfon was a writer who unashamedly drew from her own real-life experiences. In some stories, the first person narrator is "Estrella" or "Esther". She is just not a writer, but one who consciously refers to her act of writing the stories. Alfon is still easily identifiable in her first-person reminiscences of the past: evacuation during the Japanese occupation; estrangement from a husband; life after the war.In the Espeleta stories, Alfon was editorial "we" to indicate that as a member of community, she shares their feelings and responses towards the incidents in the story. But she sometimes slips back being a narrator. The impression is that although she shares the sentiments of her neighbors, she is still a distinct personality who detaches herself from the scene in order to understand it better. This device of separating herself as narrator from the other characters is contained within the larger strategy of... distantiation? that of the writer from her strongly autobiographical material.
       
       This story  portrays a family who has trusted someone and at the end was betrayed by the very same person. It is a common experience of everybody that after having trusted someone, a person would soon lose his or her trust on that person because, in the end, the person betrayed them.

       There is couple with a son and a daughter. Their parents have a good job.  They go to school. Their mother is a president in their village. In a meeting the man volunteered to be their tutor because he doesn’t do anything in the evening also for an extra job. His name is Vicente. He is a bus conductor. So he went to the house every night to teach the kids.

       He promised the kids to give them 2 pencils each.  One night he gives the pencil to the kids. That time it was the "it". The children in this time want pencils. Vincent is nice to the children. He knows their wants. But when he gave the pencil, he gives 3 pencils for the girl and 2 for the boy. Their mother said to say thank you. The boy kissed Vicente but Vicente told him that boys don't kiss boys. Then the girl goes to Vicente to say thank you. He hugs her so tight and the girl started to get out of his too tight hug. The girl looks at Vicente with a little wonder on his face. The next day they were so proud and happy with their new pencils. They showed it to their friends in class. They also thought of asking Vicente for new pencils. 

     In dinner they talked a little about Vicente but the father is busy reading something. He did not listen to what the mother said. The mother thinks that Vicente is fond of the children with the way he is treating them. That evening Vicente arrived earlier. The children are proud of the pencil. Their classmates are jealous with their new pencils given by Vicente. He asked the little boy to get him a glass of water. Then he put the girl on his lap. Then he let the girl write her homework. The little girl told him not to carry her because she is heavy. Vicente is perspiring, and his eyes are strange. Then the girl jumped out of his lap because she became afraid. Then their mom arrived. She rubs the girls back and told them to go upstairs. The mother slapped the man repeatedly.  Vicente just accepts the entire slap that the mother gave him. Then he went out of the house. The mother closed the door. She gives a bath to the girl. Then she asked them to throw the pencil. Then she put her to sleep.

Art and Delivery

        This time, the author combined language and point of view. The language was kind of confusing because the narrations include the dialogues  of the charaters and the point of view was no one in the story. in the past, this story is really unthinkable. But now, who wouldn't have taught that this kind of story could happen in our generation.

Conclusion

       
       Alfon's story is artful and graceful in dealing with a disturbing subject. Indeed, it shows how the mother fight when it comes to the abuses of her children and I must say it shows also the empowerment of a woman, to the right of every woman especially to the mother who fights their of being a mother to their children.