1. FORTRESS IN THE PLAZA
(An Analysis of the Novel)
I. EMPLOYMENT OF THE SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH
Linda Casper captures the moment in time when the Philippines is in a
state of political and socio-economic mayhem. In the start of the development
of the plot, she clearly sketches the social milieu. The political tension that
prevails is depicted as Miguel de Honorio is taking refuge in Inay’s house. The
following lines clearly describes this scenario:
...If he was to win in November, he must count the days
remaining, not in his mother’s house in Manila, but in San Ilde-fonso
– even if it was his term to be gunned down. Three May-ors
had been killed. Their towns formed the tips of a triangle in
the center of which was his... Soon after his first election to office
as mayor in 1965, when kidnappings and killings became wide
spread political measures, he had felt it was his turn to be struck
by the same arbitrary hand that had saved him time and time again...
The characterization of Jess, arouses an ardent aspiration to be an
agent of transformation in the depressing social and moral corruption and
economic crises prevalent at the time. In the following lines, the author depicts
these struggles:
Full of doubts, Jess felt he owed something to everyone,
not the least to his grandmother, although her needs were not
as crucial as those of people being exploited in the city by their
employers who made them sign away their rights to the minimum
wage under threat of firing them. Salted fish, a small can of evap-orated
milk wiped out the daily wage. Christ himself would not
2. know for whom to die in Manila; would not know what to do for
the poor of the country. How many loaves and fish would he req-uire
to perform his miracle daily?
Jess’ experience of working with the sacadas highlights the plight of the
poor in the country during the early 70’s. The succeeding lines picture the
reality of poverty in the country during that time.
April and May, he had worked with the sacadas who hauled
a ton and a half of sugar cane a day in order to afford dried fish
with their rice. There was no drinking water in the fields.
Social injustice was also captured in the following lines as Jess is
contemplating on his encounter with the sacadas.
All that he learned from working side by side with the
sacadas was that he could be hurt; just as the year before,
running from the Metrocom from the safety of the creek the
the bridge crossed at Mendiola – having seen a student’s
face slashed by bayonet as he fell, another strangle on his
own breath as a bullet reached him at the wheel of a passenger
bus he was trying to head toward the advancing troops – he
discovered he, too, could die... Men disappeared in the cane
fields of Negros. In the streets of Manila, students’ bodies
stopped bullets from high-powered armalites...
Casper in her depiction of the Honorios’ ancestral house along with
each character who dwells under its roof manages to come out with an
unfeigned representation of the social milieu. The tension that the nation is
going through is symbolized in the kind of relationships within the family
members, each one undergoing inner conflicts between self-fulfilment and
conformation to society, and as the author mentioned, “Parallels between
3. state and family authority disclose the way obligations to one arises from
obligations to the other so that, literally, individuals are at the mercy of their
deepest instincts to obey, to pay homage.” This conflict is portrayed in the
character of Jess whom Inay desires and expects to be a priest, who would
add honour to their clan. But having been exposed to the realities of injustices
and poverty outside the confines of the seminary, he has to choose between
his personal desire to break free and be an active agent of change or to
succumb to the dictates of his conscience to obey Inay. And finally, his own
will against that of Inay’s triumphed.
“Utang na loob” which is a Filipino custom is challenged by greed and
lust for materialism which may have their root from lack and deprivation in a
society where poverty dominates. This is clearly seen in the character of
Andres. He forgets how Miguel has helped his family, his father being Miguel’s
driver. He would kill for the price of one hundred pesos.
Soon, he would be wearing Banlons, gold and
purple to go with brown tetoron pants. Stateside shoes,
Converse for dayrime, Florsheim for night, a gold watch
with a calendar... an identification bracelet, gold, solid as
a gun. It might take all his life, but he could wait... waiting
and now: hitting. Pak! Afterwards no hard feelings. It was
just a job.
The character of Ging, one of Inay’s daughters depicts the lack of a
sense of indebtedness towards her own family. She inwardly hates her mother
and secretly envies and despises Annie, her own sister. In a social
atmosphere where there are inequalities, even the bond of a family is at
stake.
The author employs juxtaposition in Ging and Annie’s fate. Ging
married an ordinary man, Raul, mendicant in finances but affluent in
principles, and they live their lives in financial dependency upon Inay. Annie
on the other hand, marries a well-off influential man who has affiliation with
high government officials, and they live comfortable luxurious life – but without
children. This makes Annie as discontent as Ging. The pictures of their lives
mirror the social and economic dilemma in that point in time. Those who live
4. with their principles and integrity will suffer from scarcity, but those who yield
to conformity and self – service will live in comfort and luxury.
The house symbolizes a fortress for the Honorios. Miguel sees it as his
fortress against the attacks of his opponents. It is evident in the following lines:
Miguel Honorio remembered his mother’s house as
a fortress. About to enter it again, he felt safe seeing the
steep slant of the red tile roof, the shell panes which def-lected
the light, the heavy wooden gutters from which hang
large birds’ nests ferns as impenetrable shields. The accor-dion
steel doors of the rented ground floor shops complet-ed
the sense of barricade.
Parallel with Inay’s house as a fortress is every Filipino’s mode of self
preservation during that era of upheaval. The author sketches variety in the
characters’ responses to the tensions they face in various faction of society.
Jess resorts to activism from a former mode of seclusion and contemplation.
Impatient with God, he embraced the political chaos,
throw himself into the demonstrations, thinking this would
bring God’s world into the temporal one.
Miguel continue to fight for the principles which he believes in. He exhausts
material resources for the cause which he believes is worth fighting for,
sacrificing comforts and luxury.
In that parking lot, the car he was driving was
the oldest one...Maybe Inay had given him the money
to buy a new car...Maybe, he had contributed it to the
party. Mang Pulo could not imagine how Miguel could
allow himself to be seen in an old car in Manila.
And there is Pura, who continues to hide inside her shell for protection from
the shame and guilt of that traumatic moment. There is Ging who’s inner
longings are satisfied through her antagonistic exploits – her daughter Becky,
5. mirroring her spiteful spirit. Annie, drowns herself in luxurious living to cover
up her longing for a child, Martha, resorts to penitence and long prayers to
appease her soul for all the burdens of the Honorios. These are pictures of
social struggles arising from the complex cultural, socio – economic and
moral problems that a nation face.
The author has depicted well the real life drama that transpires in
the bombing of Plaza Miranda. The fortress that promises hope for
reformation from these complex upheaval collapses. Miguel’s and Jess’ noble
principles are washed away with their own blood. Together with them, the
hope of the nation for a true change in that moment in time died.
2. EMPLOYMENT OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH
Fortress in the Plaza as a whole unveils man’s innate desire for security
and self preservation. The characters’ existence in a milieu where political,
social and economic havocs coexist, makes it easy to understand that their
primary purpose in life is survival. In a society where pressures from politics
challenge the integrity of life of the people, where moral decay and economic
crises prevail, different responses are generated in the characters for self-defence
and protection.
The Honorio’s house in Anloage symbolizes a place of refuge for the
characters in the novel. For Miguel, it is his safe place against death threats,
an assurance that he could continue with his pursuit of justice and freedom for
his fellowmen. Miguel’s assurance of his safety is shown in the following lines:
“Built in the past century, the house appeared
likely to survive into the next. A few days there, at
the most a week, and Miguel felt certain he could
return to San Ildefonso where he was mayor and
running for re-election... The slow swinging of
the door into the darkness of the stairs as large and as
tall as a main altar, reinforced Miguel’s sense of safety...
6. Miguel is a type of a hero with high moral values, holding high his
ideals. He projects strength of character and gallantry amidst numerous
threats on his life. He denies all forms of cowardice. His masculine super ego
conceals the fear for his life that he feels deep inside. The following lines
reveal this.
Flight had always grated against his sense of
himself as a man. He did not even duck when in January
a gunman started spraying the steps of the municipio as
officials and employees began leaving for the day. But his
hand on the knocker of his mother’s old house, at four in
the morning on Monday meant exactly that.
Tough as he is, Miguel could not conceal the feeling of gloom as he
contemplates on his fate, the ideals that he is fighting for causes grief in his
heart, thinking if anything that he does has lasting worth. And when he has to
face his mother, he knows that it would be hard to conceal his feelings.
Maternal power as revealed in the following lines surpasses age and time.
He guided himself on the banister, his mind
fumbling for an excuse to give to his mother. She would
ask, would know without asking, even if he lied... Miguel
did not think he could face his mother that early and with
a lie...
The author has captured the drama of deep attachment between a
mother and her son. They both draw strength and comfort from one another,
each one provides a means to cope up with the inner turmoil they are
experiencing. Casper has well depicted the ruling power of a woman in a
matriarchal society. Established with a life of his own, yet, Miguel’s character
portrays a sense of dependency on his mother, needing her approval and
protection, this is mother complex. On Inay’s part, she is aware of her power
over her son and she uses it on her own advantage. The following lines
support this.
“You don’t have to do as they say, Inay,” Miguel
drew comfort from his mother’s conspiratorial tone. Her
7. manner made him feel set apart, the favoured one on
whom she depended... “If you promise to live in this house,
Migueling, I’ll have it put in your name. This is just between
us.” She tossed the offer with the confidence of one who
had tied the enemy...one who could wait for everything she
wanted. Restored by her cunning, removed out of the reach
of all who might wish to harm him, Miguel felt protected and
almost ready to return to San Ildefonso...
For Inay, her house is her own fortress against the pang of loneliness
being left behind by those whom she loved and her traumatic experiences
about the Revolution in 1896 and the war with the Americans which she
manages to push hard at the back of her consciousness. The following lines
show this:
She rarely slept any more, just drifted in and
out of her thoughts, awake asleep: all those she had
nurtured and loved coming and going in her thoughts,
the way they had come and gone in her house. Long
ago she had stopped having dreams that frightened her.
Inay’s sense of power and strength seems to come out from her tough
experiences in the past. She has insulated herself from pain and suffering.
“...I don’t know how the Japanese missed us with their
flame throwers. I have live long enough to see things I never
wanted to see...”
And as her eyes are fixed on the television on that night in Plaza Miranda,
where three men in her life present, you can discern her numbness as the
ones fearful scenario folds back in front of her.
...when everything exploded a second time and again,
And emptied chairs, washed with blood, overturned, Inay
8. remained watching. She did not flinch, for her mind had swung
back to the past – to candles flooding old streets that began
and ended in the churches, breaking against high windows
that walled the gates of the old city, very much like the sea
lifting above the breakwaters to smash what lay behind.
Jess suffers dilemma between self and the pressure to conform, to
remain trapped in the spirit of indebtedness for all that Inay has done for him.
And as he is exposed to the harsh reality of life outside the seminary, he
begins to question the value of being imprisoned in pious solitude when the
outside world is perishing. He feels he must do something... but still he feels
that his primary desire is self preservation. The following lines prove this.
Locked in his fear, he wrote: When the kingdom
comes/ if I am saved in it and brought to the tree that first
yielded/ I must remember to ask/ if I might be granted a
moment to myself/ my own skin.
...Yet working with the sacadas he found himself
publicly concerned with them but secretly caring for himself.
...Eyes swollen with the dust raised by the hacienderos’
Mercedes Benzes, he did not think of anything but
escape, back to freedom and into himself – where the sacadas
could not follow.
Having experienced the real life drama of suffering from poverty and
hard toil under the scourging heat of the sun, there arises a drastic change in
his belief system. The following lines prove all these:
April and May, he had worked with the sacadas...
He had certainly discovered the limit of his endurance,
but not the closeness of God that he thought humble
Work would produce. Whoever said that suffering enabled
9. one to experience one true self... did not speak from
experience... What convinced him to leave the seminary
was what compelled him to enter: he wanted to be human
and humane...So his presence among them failed to be
the sign that God was alive in the world.
His decision to leave priesthood leaves an imprint of guilt in his soul, but
to appease his conscience he resorts to justification. As he feels condemned
because of his decision, he tries to make himself believe that any commitment
is a calling, a vocation as sacred as priesthood and since truth could change
from day to day, the object of one’s commitment certainly could.
In Martha’s character, she eliminates her guilt through penitence and
spending long hours in prayers. Pura has her own way of coping with her
shame and guilt, and perhaps with the anger that she feels inside for her
misfortunes. She chooses to insulate herself through silence and withdrawal.
In the father and son relationship between Miguel and Jess, male ego is
clearly depicted. The following lines reveal this.
...His father’s reasons now were his private affairs,
unless he offered to share them. But that was unlikely, they
spoke so rarely to each other. sons remained forever boys
in their father’s eyes. Sons and fathers could reasonably
presume each other’s love, but not each other’s need to
speak – as if they competed for the same dreams.
Here we can see the contrast between mother to son relationship where
there is openness against that of a father to father relationship where there is
absence of communication. A mother has the power to soften her son’s heart
and to expose his vulnerability as we have witnessed between Inay and
Miguel. A father on the other hand has no such power, subconsciously, both
males are expected to show nothing but strength and stability, emotions are
the least expected to show up. This is clearly portrayed in the characters of
Miguel and Jess.
The characters portrayed by Jess’ aunts Pura, Ging and Annie all depict
10. the inner desire to be at peace with their inner selves, they are all employing
their own coping mechanisms. Siblings but with different personalities,
sentiments and moral values. And the irony of it is that together with Inay, they
are so close to one another physically, yet each one of them is imprisoned
inside the four walls of their own fortresses. Ging is scape goating. She
blames everybody for her ill fate. Annie resorts to pleasure, leisure and
extravagance to cope up with her loneliness for having no child. And Pura,
who remains wearing her black attires long after her husband died and
keeping herself detached is like a dog licking its own wounds. All of them are
so close to their mother but there’s no instance in the whole story when they
have spent an intimate moment with her like Miguel does. They are separated
with silent contempt toward each other, the only reason that they coexist is
because of the benefit they get for their own survival.
Andres’ evil desire to satisfy his desire for a comfortable life causes him
to lose all sense of morality and ethics. In a sense his character is parallel to
that of Ging. They both pursue self gratification to the extent of inflicting harm
to others.
And those people who gather in Plaza Miranda on that night, they
decided to come because the place is their fortress, beyond their personal
agenda is their noble desire be an instrument of change for the better, their
only resort left for national change, for redemption... but time has denied them
the chance to build that fortress for themselves and for the whole nation...
There is Miguel, there is Jess, there is Uncle Tadeo... and there are those who
share their ideals...But man’s corrupt nature dictates him to do anything to
survive, and on that particular night, history repeats itself as Inay has
witnessed, men of corrupt morals take advantage to preserve themselves.
3. EMPLOYMENT OF PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACH
The real life drama of human struggles depicted in the novel proves
what King Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes (King James Version):
...Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities;
all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labor which he
taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and ano-ther
generation cometh...all things are full of labor, man cannot
11. utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled
with hearing. The thing that hath been, it is that which shall
be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and
there is no new thing under the sun...And I gave my heart
to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that
are done under heaven, this sore travail hath God given
to the sons of men to be exercised therewith...all is vanity
and vexation of spirit... And I gave my heart to know wisdom,
and to know madness and folly: I perceived this is also vexa-tion
of spirit: For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that
increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow...Because sentence
against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the
heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil ... Let us
hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, keep his
commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God
shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing,
whether it be good or evil.
“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be, and that which is
done is that which shall be done.” - Maxima Illustre de Honorio has survived
the Japanese Occupation followed by the war with the Americans soon after.
She has witnessed human sufferings back then, and true to the preacher’s
words, history repeats itself. That night in the Plaza Miranda bombings, Inay
has witnessed afresh the horrible scenario that she has seen in the past, only
this time, it is much more painful because three important men in her life are
the casualties.
Miguel has sacrificed a lot for his noble principles of justice and
integrity, losing his life for his ideals.
12. “For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth
knowledge increaseth sorrow” - Outside the confines of the four walls
of the seminary, and having experienced the reality of sufferings,
hunger and pains, there is a shift in Jess’ character. He begins to doubt
God’s calling in his life. The sacadas’ piteous flight causes him an
aversion for priesthood, seeing it as a passive endeavour that would not
bring change in the lives of those who are in dire need. He pursues law,
desiring to be an active agent of change. But like his father, his ideals
are washed away with blood in Plaza Miranda.
Suffering has a potent effect to bring change in man. This is true
with Jess. But the change that results from his experience with the
sacadas, though in a way leads him to what he believes is a higher
cause, leads him to question the reality of God and His concern for the
plight of those who are suffering. Hardships expose weakness in the
foundation of his faith.
Tadeo, Inay’s brother, also comes out a changed man from trials
and difficulties in America. Before, he was impatient and impulsive, but
after going through tough times, battling even over death, he comes out
a different person.
The following lines show how the principle that runs in the veins
of the these three men:
What he wanted was for Jess to know the strength
that run in the men of their family – the strength that came
to them in moment of weakness that prevented them, at
any rate, from falling all the way down. That was more
important to inherit than money. He wanted to remind him-self,
too, of that strength. It survived deaths in the family,
the way country survived the deaths of its best sons.
They are survivors, this is what Miguel is pointing out. And for
him, they will survive for a good cause that they want for themselves
and for the nation.
...Because sentence against an evil work is not executed
speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do
13. evil. – This verse is quite true in Miguel’s character, a prototype of
Judas Iscariot. Without morals and fear of God, he willingly enters into a
connivance to kill Miguel, and even has the heart to ask Jess to drive for
him on his way to the mastermind.
And on that night in Plaza Miranda, it seems that Miguel, Jess
and Tio Tadeo is destined to have their rendezvous with
death...together with their ideals.
What profit hath a man of all his labor which he taketh under the sun?
One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh, but the earth
abides forever. All things have I seen in the days of my vanity, there is a just
man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that
prolongeth his life in his wickedness...There is no man that hath power over
the spirit to retain the spirit; neither had he power in the day of
death...Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily,
therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a
sinner do evil a hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know
that it shall be well with them that fear before God. (Ecclesiastes – KJV)
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His
commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every
work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it
be evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13 - KJV)
Living with a purpose, living for a cause, is what the characters of
Miguel, Jess and Tadeo want to convey. But to live the quality of life as theirs
in the time and milieu where they exist, entails guts and gallantry. It is risky, it
guaranties nothing. As what happens to them during that time of the
bombings, no one can be sure of the result. As the Preacher declares, “all is
vanity.” What matters is you live and you die fighting for what is right and
noble because all your toils under the sun will be rewarded by God in due
time. But for Andres and for those who are responsible for the bombings in
Plaza Miranda, God also promises to bring their evil works into judgment.
.
