Dead Stars by Paz Marquez Benitez

1. DEAD STARS
By Paz Marquez Benitez

2. Paz Marquez Benites
Born in 1894 in Lucena, Tayabas
(now Quezon). Marquez – Benítez authored the first
Filipino modern English language short story, Dead
Stars, published in the Philippine Herald in 1925. Born
into the prominent Marquez family of Quezon
province, she was among the first generation of
Filipino people trained in the American education
system which used English as the medium of
instruction. She graduated high school in Tayabas High
School now, Quezon National High School. She was a
member of the first freshman class of the University of
the Philippines, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1912.
Two years after graduation, she married UP College of Education Dean
Francisco Benítez with whom she had four children.
Márquez-Benítez later became a teacher at the University of the
Philippines, who taught short-story writing and had become an influential figure
to many Filipino writers in the English language, such as Loreto Paras-Sulit, Paz M.
Latorena, Arturo Belleza Rotor, Bienvenido N. Santos and Francisco Arcellana. The
annually held Paz Marquez-Benitez Lectures in the Philippines honors her
memory by focusing on the contribution of Filipino women writers to Philippine
Literature in the English language.

3. CHARACTERS

4. Alfredo Salazar
Son of Don Julian, a more than 30 years old man and a
bachelor. He is engaged to Esperanza but is still fleeting with
Julia Salas.
Esperanza
The wife of Alfredo. She is homely woman, literal minded
and intensely acquisitive. She is one of those fortunate
women who have the gift of uniformity beauty.
Julia Salas
The sister-in-law of Judge Del Valle. She is the other girl
of Alfredo that remains single in her entire life.
Don Julian
The father of Alfredo and Carmen.
Carmen
The sister of Alfredo.

5. Judge Del Valle
The brother-in-law of Julia.
Donna Adella
The sister of Julia . She is small and plump, a pretty
woman with a complexion of a baby with an expression of a
likeable cow.
Calixta
The note-carrier of Alfredo and Esperanza.
Dionisio
The husband of Donna Adella.
Vicente
The husband of Carmen.
Brigida Samuy
She is the illusive woman whose Alfredo is looking for.

6. SETTINGS
OF THE
STORY

7. Don Julian’s House
This is where Carmen is asking Don Julian about
Alfredo andEsperanza’s wedding.
Judge Del Valle’s House
This is the house where Alfredo went neighboring
with Don Julian and where he met Julia.
Calle Real
This is where the parade for the Lady Of Sorrows
took place and where Alfredo caught up with Julia.
Sta. Cruz
This is Julia’s hometown where Alfredo went looking
for Brigida Samuy.

8. The time of the story is the
Lantern Season because they
are celebrating the holy week
proven by the procession they
made with Our Lady of Sorrow

9. Summary
The story revolves around Alfredo Salazar, a
bachelor over 30 that has 2 women: Esperanza, his
fiancée of four years, and a young girl from out-of-
town named Julia Salas. Everyone takes it for granted
that he will eventually marry Esperanza. But although
he is ashamed to admit it, the intensity of his passion
for Esperanza has faded and he is attracted to Julia
whom he met at a dinner party but he is aware that all
his loved ones including Julia would disapprove to his
failure to honor his understanding with Esperanza so
he and Esperanza get married and have a family. Then,
eight years later, he goes on a business trip to the
town where Julia , still unmarried, lives. He goes to
visit Julia whom he has never forgotten but he is
surprised to find that he no longer feels attracted to
her. He compares the memory of his love for her to
dead stars whose glow is still visible from the earth for
years after they are gone.

10. Exposition
Carmen and Don Julian is talking about Alfredo and
Esperanza’s wedding and Alfredo reminisces how he
met Julia.
Rising Action
Alfredo met Julia and realize that he is in love with
her despite her engagement with Esperanza.
Climax
Julia found out about Alfredo’s wedding and
congratulated him. Alfredo needs to make a very
difficult decision between choosing what he wants to or
choosing what he needs to.

11. Falling Action
Julia didn’t want Alfredo not to honor his
understanding with Esperanza. She let him go as he
went back to Esperanza.
Resolution
Alfredo and Esperanza got married. Several years
later he went looking for a Brigida Samuy where during
his journey he met Julia and then he realize that he no
longer have feelings for her and compared it to a dead
star that is non existent.

12. Conflict of the story
Man vs. Circumstances
In the story, Alfredo struggles against his
fate and the circumstances of life and love
facing him. He needs to face problems in
choosing between difficult choices of his
life.

13. Theme
This story “Dead Stars” by Paz
Marquez Benites is conveying the
theme that pertains to forbidden
love. It says that forbidden love is only
apparent and its banes poisons the
person until such time that he realizes
his faults.

14. Symbolisms
 The symbol for forbidden love is
sometimes a heart with red drops of
blood leaking from the center or the
symbol might also be a heart with the
infinity symbol through the center and
a few drops of blood or tears.
 Lantern season symbolizes the
brightness but also love.

15. Plot Type/Devices
Episodic plot/Flashback
The story doesn’t follow a typical
chronological sequence but orders
events in a fragmentary way. The
character was started to turn back
to his memories before he stated
the reality. He recalled the events in
the past.

16. Point Of View
Third Person
The author is the one who tells the
story and uses the pronouns they, he,
she, it etc. We know only what the
characters knows ad what the author
allows him/her to tell us. We can see
the thoughts and feelings of characters
if the author chooses to reveal them to
us.

17. References
 Reference. (2016). Plot of the Dead Stars. Retrieved
from https://www.reference.com/art-literature/plot-
story-dead-stars-paz-marquez-benitez-
1e8cded5da91faf2
 Slideshare. (Jun 2, 2015). Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/03Nayer/dead-stars-by-paz-
marquez-benitez?next_slideshow=1
 The Bibliophilic Night Owl. (January 6, 2011) Summary
of the Dead Stars. Retrieved from
http://bibliophilicnightowl.blogspot.com/2011/01/sum
mary-dead-stars-by-paz-marquez.html

18. Members:
Danielle Rose Marquito
Angela Joy Roxas
STEM-A