TITLE OF THE STORY AND THE SMALL KEY 1927

YEAR OF LAUNCHING

AUTHOR AND HIS/HER Paz Latorena (1907 - 1953) was born in Boac, Marinduque in 1907. At
BACKGROUND a young age she was brought to Manila wherever she completed her
basic schooling, first at St. Scholastica and later at South High School.
In 1925 she enrolled at the University of the Philippines for a degree
in education. Working by day as an elementary school teacher, she
attended evening classes. One of these was a short story writing class
conducted by Mrs. Paz Marquez Benitez. It was not long before Mrs.
Benitez invited Latorena to write a column in the Philippines Herald,
of which she was then literary editor. In 1927 Latorena joined some
campus writers to form the U.P. Writers Club and contributed a short
story, “A Christmas Tale” to the maiden issue of “The Literary
Apprentice. That same year, her short story “The Small Key” won
third place in Jose Garcia Villa’s Roll of Honor for the year’s best short
stories. Some of her other stories received similar prizes over the
next several years.

SETTING/S At the house. At the backyard

CHARACTERS AND SHORT Pedro Buhay- husband of Soledad(Choleng). Also called as

DESCRIPTION ABOUT THE Indo.

Soledad- wife of Pedro Buhay(Indo). Also called as Choleng.

Tia Maria- housemaid of Pedro Buhay and Soledad.

Doctor Santos- Doctor of Soledad.

CONFLICT Man vs. Circumstances, Man vs. Self

POINT OF VIEW Third Person

It was very warm. The sun, up above a sky that was blue and
Geraldine Bragais tremendous
12-HE-F2 PROJECT IN LITERATURE
and beckoning to birds ever on the wing, shone
bright as if determined to scorch everything under heaven, even
PLOT: the low, square nipa house that stood in an unashamed relief
against the gray-green haze of grass and leaves. It was lonely
dwelling located far from its neighbors, which were huddled
close to one another as if for mutual comfort. It was flanked on
both sides by tall, slender bamboo tree which rustled plaintively
1. EXPOSITION under a gentle wind. On the porch a woman past her early
twenties stood regarding the scene before her with eyes made
incurious by its familiarity. All around her the land stretched
endlessly, it seemed, and vanished into the distance. There
were dark, newly plowed furrows where in due time timorous
seedling would give rise to sturdy stalks and golden grain, to a
rippling yellow sea in the wind and sun during harvest time.
Promise of plenty and reward for hard toil! With a sigh of