Cobilla, De Jesus, Dela Pea, Dimailig, Lansangan

CAPS & lowercase

By: Manuel Arguilla
PLOT:
Settings :

Accesoria in Sta. Cruz near Dulongbayan market, were Santos and

Marta lived in. Stiflingly hot at night, in daytime the suns rays and flung
them up, it became baking hot in the little room. (p.459)
Quiapo where Marta bought their kitchen utensils, and shirts at Calle
Echague p.461
Lopez building - publishing company of Illustrated Weekly.
o Editorial room
o Press room
Characters:
o Lowercase:
Alfredo Santos a proof reader at the Illustrated Weekly, he gets very excited
because the pay is much higher than his previous job. Little does Santos
know how back-breaking the job really is. Aside from working long hours, he
faces constant abuses from his boss and co-workers. The meek Santos can
only take the abuses without complaint. As his wife becomes pregnant,
Santos needs more money. But he just can't bring himself to as for a raise
from his boss, Mr. Reyes. The harsh work and constant emotional torture
finally leads to his sickness.
Marta the wife of Alfredo Santos. She wants to pay the house rent on time.
She was excited when she knew that Fred got a job with a minimal pay of
forty-five pesos every month.
Mang Siso - empathizes with Alfred and Marta by patiently telling them, I
understand. You do not have to tell me how hard it is to get money these
days. Mang Siso advocates for his fellow Filipinos as he expresses his
understanding of their financial hardship. Although Mang Siso himself must
worry about how own family of three full-grown boys, two daughters, and
ailing wife, he advocates for the Santos couple by easing their worries about
losing their home due to lack of funds.

o Caps/Upper Case:
Don Vicente the owner of the publishing company, he is the super upper
class of the story who can dominate all of his own employees.
Mr. Reyes the editor. Mr. Reyes would not hesitate to degrade and put him
down to make him feel worthless; who doesn't have a conscience and continues to exploit
and threaten Santos.

Mang Doro the burly foreman of the press department. (p.463)

Cobilla, De Jesus, Dela Pea, Dimailig, Lansangan

Exposition

At five o'clock in the afternoon in a hot oppressive day in summer, Alfredo

Santos, proof reader for the Illustrative Weekly, began the long climb up the
stairs of the Lopez Building from the press room in the basement to the editorial
room three floors above.

Having had no qualification for the job except that he was a college graduate
with the degree of bachelor of arts abd had been a reporter for one year on the
university paper. Santos was started at his present salary of forty-five pesos. At
the time, five months ago, he had regarded the prospect of receiving twenty-two
and fifty centavos every fifteen days with almost tearful gladness.

Rising action

There were many other sources for gratification that the steady income of
forty five pesos a month had afforded them.
He added secretly, deciding that on his next pay day he would invest one
peso for half a sweepstakes ticket.
The initial joy, however, of having at last found steady employment had
quickly vanished for Alfredo Santos.
In hissecond week he received a bawling out from Mr reyes, the Editor, for
a typogtaphical error in the subhead of an article
Mr Reyes had pushed away from him the copy of the copy of the
illustrated weekly that was opened on the page where the error.
The editor had picked up the copy of Illustrated Weekly on his table.
Santos took the paper which Mr. reyes without looking up had thrust at
him.
In the weeks that followed, Santos had speedily seen sort of particular hell
it was to proofs read for the illustrated weekly.
The sound of Santos name being cold by Mr reyes as enough to make him
jump and lose color
On the top of all this, Santos was constantly haunted by the fear of some
glaring typographical error escaping. He read and reread his proofs until
he felt his eyes would pop out of his head at any moment. He tried not to
be in so much of hungry. He stayed longer and longer after office hours;
and, going cut at last in the evening.
His wife, who loved him and thought highly of him, grew to think that her
husband working harder than anybody in the office of the illustrated
weekly.

Cobilla, De Jesus, Dela Pea, Dimailig, Lansangan

Marta, looking at him from across the table at supper, noticed the long
hollows of his cheeks, the stubble on his chin. His lips were cracked and
peeling.

Climax

He sat there doing nothing. There were proofs for a form to be run tonight
that he must read and bring down to the press department before he could
get home. He waited for his breathing to become easier. He watched Mr.
Reyes, angrossed in his paper. Almost Santos wished the editor would get up
and prepare to leave. A sudden feeling of shame at his weakness came over
him. He got up, hesitated just one brief instant, then resolutely he walked
down the aisle between the deserted desks of the staff members until he
reached the table of Mr. Reyes.

Falling Action

Ill tell you what Ill do, Mr. Reyes said as Santos remained silent. You wait
until December and I promise you a ten peso raise he watched for a
brightening up of downcast face of Santos.
Unable to think of anything to say, Mr. Reyes watched him walk away. Then
sudden vindictive rage broke out inside of him. He trembled with the passion
of it.
He experienced a curious thrill of a pleasure at the nervous expression that
wrenched Santos face. He lifted the newspaper; he didnt want to look at the
boy again and strangely enough he had no wish for the boy to be gazing back
at him with those big, scared eyes of his.
His mind kept wandering. No raise, not even five pesos. And he had hoped for
fifteen! But he had been promised a raise of ten pesos in December
He must hurry back to his proofs. He spat once more into the urinal. At sight
of the yellow enamel stained with the blood from his mouth, an overwhelming
sense of disaster, futility, hopelessness came upon Santos. Tears sprang to
his eyes. Oh, God, why should this come to him now? He placed his arm
against the cold cement wall and leaned his hot aching forehead against it.

Epiphany
This is life, there are people we need to follow and respect more than our own
personality and render great moderations due to various concerns. Indeed in this

Cobilla, De Jesus, Dela Pea, Dimailig, Lansangan

story, money is important because they can be considered as gods
(Caps/Uppercase) who can dominate people in society that is commonly relevant
these days. As Santos, he could suffer and just swallow his own pride. As the gods in
his office, they also swallow their pride because they also have gods. Gods that is
powerful and wealthy. Santos needed to sacrifice his own happiness, respect
himself, then the life of someone you love, forced to cover up the disease, the pride
very difficult to ignore.
Sources
Philippine Short Stories 1925-1940 (Manuel Arguilla)
http://bluemango.tabulas.co/2005/08/17/@962976/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Arguilla