DEAD STARS

by Paz Marquez Benitez

**SYNOPSIS

*The story revolves around Alfredo Salazar, a bachelor over thirty, and two women: Esperanza, his fiance of four years, and a young girl from outof-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 onesincluding Julia-would disapprove of 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. *Dead Star is a love story about a man named Alfredo Salazar,who has his fiance 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 with his father to a judge's house. He tries to seek love in her, but she kinda declines. in that way, Alfredo became 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 stars 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 which is so far away, and whose shine could actually be the leftover traveling light from it, he was a long way from getting the girl, and the love he thought was possible, never was. ** CHARACTERS \Alfredo Salazar - son of Don Julian, a more than 30 years old man and a bachelor. He is engaged to Esperanza but him still fleeting to Julia Salas. \ Esperanza - wife of Alfredo Salazar. She is a homely woman, literal minded and intensely acquisitive. She is one of those fortunate women who have the gift of uniformly beauty. \ Julia Salas - sister-in-law of Judge Del Valle. She is the other girl of Alfredo Salazar that remains single in her entire life. \ Don Julian - an old man, a father of Alfredo Salazar and Carmen. \ Carmen - sister of Alfredo Salas. \ Judge Del Valle - brother-in-law of Julia Salas. \ Donna Adella - sister of Julia Salas. She is small and plump, a pretty woman with a complexion of a baby with a expression of a 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. **SETTING house of Don Julian house of Judge Del Valle house of Don Julian in Tanda where there are coconut plantation and a 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 the Lenten Season because they are celebrating the holy week proven by the procession they made with the Our Lady of Sorrow.

DEAD STARS REVIEW

Dead stars is a short story by Paz Marquez Benitez, written in 1925. It is a story about a game of love. A game between three lovers trapped in a situation that might change their life forever. Alfredo Salazar is a lawyer and the main character in the story. He is the love of the life of Esperanza. They have been together for four years and meant to get married in May. Their relationship in the beginning was full of enthusiasm, full of love and happiness. But like other long term relationships, their feelings for each other changes as time goes by. Esperanza was beautiful, elegant, reserved, and distinctly not average type of a woman. She loves her Alfredo so much and trusted him with her whole heart. After their four years of engagement, Alfredo thought of finding his real wants. When Alfredo tried to do some neighboring with his dad Don Julian, he met Julia Salas, their neighbor's sister-in-law. She was just a visitor in town and been there for only six weeks. They found good company between themselves and as they knew it, it became a weekly habit for Alfredo to visit her after every Sundays mass. Julia is the average type, not so beautiful but still it interests Alfredo so much. As they grew their new friendship, Alfredo found new happiness and starts to fall for her. One day, his family invited Julia's family in their coconut plantation near their beach. It's a chance for them to have some quality time together, but this is also the time to say goodbye. Julia is planning to leave the town and go back home. It breaks the heart of Alfredo and made him more confused than ever. He is thinking of choosing Julia over his fiancee Esperanza, but what people will say is what he thinks matter most. He married Esperanza after Julia left the town, he was not unhappy and realizes that everything have fallen back into place. After eight years of marriage, Alfredo still can't get over Julia's memories. His thought of Julia is hunting him, and those what-ifs dilemma. Would he be happier if he chose Julia instead of Esperanza? One day, he had the chance to come to the homeland of Julia in Santa Cruz. He doesn't know the exact place where Julia lives but she mentioned the street one time they were chatting, Calle Luz. He tried to find a woman sitting in the window, and his right, he found her. There's nothing much changed, he missed sitting and chatting right next to her, but he found something missing. Everything about her seems to be just the same since she left, but there's something in her that Alfredo cannot find anymore. He never knew until he realizes that the magic is gone. The love he ever knew he has for Julia is gone. After all those years that he knew he loved her, was just like looking at a star. A star

he ever wanted to touch, to feel and the thing he wanted for the rest of his life. But this star is too far from his reach, it brights from a far but dies when you're near. It was all a dream, he thought he'll never wake but it's been years since he woke up. After all, it was loving a dead star, its already dead but still you see the light. Paz Marquez Benitez made her mark in Philippine literature because her work Dead Stars is considered the first modern Philippine short story. She presented the story under the perception of Alfredo Salazar, how he sets his mind, how confused he is and how he made his decision. She focused the story mostly between Alfredo and Julia because it's the only complication. Everything changed since they met and back to normal when they fell apart. She intends to tell the readers how to handle such situation that's too possible to happen to anyone. She knows how Filipino reacts in the past times, like they were very conservative and traditional, and it really affects every decision we make as seen by the society. The author also shows how hard it is to choose between two things you love and like, you want and need, you should and not, and it's all when love and fate collide. The story Dead Stars is a wonderful story about love that could inspire readers from every generation. The setting and date of the story was from a long time ago but we could still relate it somehow in our time today. The Filipino traditions that the author showed in the story, can still be seen in our modern life. The society and their affection for ones act, is still happening anywhere in the Philippines. We still couldn't make our own decisions without thinking what this so-called society will say. It could be a good or bad thing to ask or at least think of what people might say. Good, because everyone around us might be affected on every decision we make, and we should care about their feelings about the situation. Bad, because you are not being true to yourself and you're not free to listen to your own mind and heart, which is the very important source of every decision. For me, if I were Alfredo, I would do what my heart tells me and choose whom I really love no matter what the cost is, in the end. I believe that time doesn't matter, even if I love someone for a long time, it doesn't mean that I will love him forever. Everything in this world is just temporary and I'm ready to accept my fate if after all this feeling will just fade. In the situation of Alfredo and Julia, where he fell in love with a span of only six weeks, it could be the love that will last forever. If he chose Julia, he could have been happier, because it's true. He love her even though she's not so beautiful, he love her because of the reason love itself.