SCENT OF APPLES

By Bienvenido N. Santos

1. INTELLECTUAL VALUE

Does the author make us think seriously of life? Why do you say so?

Yes, because it reminds us of the struggles that Filipino’s experienced in other countries
like the United States. Sometimes they have to let go of their homeland like what Celestino
Fabia did in order to continue a living there as a farmer, a husband, and a father. Life in the
other country is no different from his homeland which is the Philippines because it is also a life
in process of building bridges that is hoping to stand the test of time. In Fabia’s twenty years of
existence there, he proved that he can as an immigrant and of course there’s still this curiosity
of what was life in his homeland currently. It gave us a hint that he misses the Philippines and
there’s no turning back as his choice for he is already forgotten.

2. EMOTIONAL APPEAL

To what emotions does the story appeal?

The idea of a story that was told from an author’s perspective is very fascinating. He met
this someone whose curious about his past and wanted to tell how his life is at the moment
after he left his country. Who hasn’t struggled with a life changing decision especially when it
comes to do with your life? The fact that Fabia’s decision in the end is permanent is a little sad
because of the reason of being forgotten and the fact that he wants to live with his whole life in
the US adds to the pressure and plays into our curiosity and fears of making the wrong choice.

3. SPIRITUAL VALUE

Does the theme of the author have spiritual significance?

Yes. The spiritual meaning of the author that he is trying to convey in the story is the
smell of the apples itself which reminds the nostalgic feeling that people who are far away from
their home. The theme is connection where the first generation immigrants feel a connection
to their country even though they are in the new world. As for Fabia who has an apple orchard,
it is a reminder that he is far away from home and can’t return to his native country. The scent
of apples is a symbol of longing for his homeland. From the beginning paragraph “where could
he be now this month when leaves were turning gold and the fragrance of gathered apples was
in the wind?” The smell of apples makes the parents wish for their sons to come back from the
war.

4. ARTISTRY
 Does the character have elements of beauty? Where does the beauty lie? In nature, in
human character or in human relationships?

Yes. The simplicity of living between the couple who lives in a farm with their child. The
beauty of having a wife who does anything to support his husband from all the challenges that
their life has to offer and even being nice to his husband’s visitor. The beauty of having a child
of their own and not even asking for more from his father who works hard in their farm. The
beauty lies in their characters and relationships with each other and as for the author, he
knows that it’s not the ugly state of the family that their living but the beauty of being still
together as a family after all the longingness that Celestino felt on his hometown for the last
twenty years.