There is a man named Alfredo Salazar who is engaged to Esperanza but feels attracted to another woman, Julia Salas. He marries Esperanza and they have a family. Eight years later, Alfredo visits Julia but finds that he no longer feels attracted to her. The story uses the metaphor of a "dead star" to represent Julia - Alfredo's love for her was like the light from a star that is still visible from Earth even though the star is gone.

1. By: Paz Marquez-Benitez

2. Born in1894 in Lucena City into the prominent Marquez
family of Quezon, Paz Marquez Benitez authored
the first Filipino modern English-language short story. She
was among the first generation of Filipinos trained in
American education system which used English as the
medium of instruction. Marquez-Benitez 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 English language, such as
Loreto Paras-Sulit, Paz M. Latorena, Arturo B. Rotor,
Bienvenido N. Santos and Francisco Arcellana. The
annually held Paz Marquez-Benitez Lectures in the
Philippines honor her memory by focusing on the
contribution of Filipino women writers to Philippine
Literature in English language.

3. The story revolves around Alfredo Salazar, a bachelor over thirty, and
two women. Esperanza, his fiancée of four years, and a young girl
from out-of –town named Julia Salas. Everyone takes it for granted
that Alfredo 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 meets at a dinner party.
But he is aware that all his loved ones- including Julia would
disapprove of his failure to honor his understanding w/ 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.

4. Dead star is a love story about a man named Alfredo Salazar,
who has his fiancé in the person of Esperanza and they have
been engaged for quite some time. Society views them as an
ideal couple. Their wedding is about to take place in the near
future. Prior to the wedding however, he sees another girl,
when he goes w/ his father to a judge’s house. He tries to seek
love in her, but she declines. In that way, Alfredo become a little
bit confused in his upcoming wedding where he is about to
chose between two options, to do what he should do by
marrying Esperanza as prescribed by his parents or to do what
he wants to do by having Julia Salas, his dream- the dead star in
his life.
In the story, dead star symbolize a dream for something that is
nonexistent. The guy loved the girl. She was his dream, his star.
He thought there was love there. But like a dead star w/c is so
far away, and whose shine could actually be the leftover
travelling light from it, he was a long way from getting the girl,
and the love he thought was possible, never was.

5. A. Introduction:
There is a guy named Alfredo Salazar, a bachelor over thirty, and two
women. Esperanza, his fiancée of four years, and a young girl from
out-of –town named Julia Salas.
B. Beginning of the Action:
Alfredo Salazar got attracted to Julia Salas even though he’s
getting married to Esperanza .
C. Middle of the Action:
Alfredo and Esperanza got married and have a family.

6. D. End of the action:
Eight years later, he goes on a business trip to the town
where Julia, still unmarried and lives. He goes to visit Julia,
whom he has never forgotten. But he is surprised to found
that he no longer feels attracted to her.
E. Conclusion:
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.

7. Characters
• Alfredo Salasar – son of Don Julian, a more than 30 years old man an
d a bachelor. He is engaged to Ezperanza but him still fleeting to Julia
Salas.
• Esperanza – wife of Alfredo Salazar. She is homely woman, literal min
ded and intensely acquisitive. She is one of those fortunate women w
ho have the gift of uniformly beauty.
• Julia Salas – sister-in-law of Judge Del Valle. She is the other girl of Alf
redo Salazar that remains single in her entire life.
• Don Julian – an old man, a father of Alfredo Salazar and Carmen.
• Carmen – sister of Alfredo Salazar
• Judge Del Valle – brother-in-law of Julia salas
• Donna Adella – sister of Julia Salas. She is small and plump, a pretty
woman w/ a complexion of a baby w/ a expression of likeable cow.
• Calixta – note- carrier of Alfredo Salazar and Esperanza
• Dionisio - husband of Donna Adella
• Vicente – husband of Carmen
• Brigida Samuy- she is the illusive woman whose Alfredo is looking for

8. Settings
• House of Don Julian
• House of Judge Del Valle
• House of Don Julian in Tanda where there are coconut planta-
tion and beach
• Church of our lady of sorrow
• Calle real
• Sta. Cruz particularly in Calle Luz, hometown of Julia Salas
• The time of the story is Lenten season because they are celeb
rating the holy week proven by the procession they made w/
the our lady of sorrow
Point of View:
Third Person