Nick Joaquin, byname of Nicomedes Joaquin, (born

May 4, 1917, Paco, Manila, Phil.—died April 29, 2004,

San Juan, Phil.), Poet, fictionist, essayist,
biographer, playwright, and National Artist whose
works present the diverse heritage of the Filipino
people.

Trivia: As a writer, Nick Joaquin was extremely

shy and elusive. Such was Joaquin’s reclusiveness
that up until he died, he refused to give the exact
date of his birth, saying that he did not want people
coming over to celebrate his birthday. Conflicting
sources cite May 4 or September 17, 1917 as his
birthday. But he was named after Saint Nicomedes,
whose feast day falls on May 4, so we can deduce that
that is his real birth date.

Trivia: As a writer of short stories suffused with

folk Roman Catholicism.

He decided to quit after three years of secondary

education at the Mapa High School. Classroom work
simply bored him. He thought his teachers didn't know
enough. He discovered that he could learn more by
reading books on his own, and his father's library
had many of the books he cared to read. He read all
the fiction he could lay his hands on, plus the lives
of saints, medieval and ancient history, the poems
of Walter de la Mare and Ruben Dario. He knew his Bible
from Genesis to Revelations. He started writing short
stories, poems, and essays in 1934. Many of them were
published in Manila magazines, and a few found their
way into foreign journals.
 He joined the Philippines Free Press, Joaquin
rose to contributing editor and essayist under the
nom de plume “Quijano de Manila” (“Manila
Old-Timer”). He wrote feature articles and they were
a great hit. Soon they appeared regularly and Quijano
de Manila became one of the most famous journalists
in the country.

The following are Joaquin's published books:

Prose and Poems (1952)
The Woman Who Had Two Navels (1961)
Selected Stories (1962)
La Naval de Manila and Other Essays (1964)
The Portrait of the Artist as Filipino (1966)
Tropical Gothic (1972)
The Complete Poems and Plays of Jose Rizal (1976)
Reportage on Crime (1977)
Reportage on Lovers (1977)
Nora Aunor and Other Profiles (1977)
Ronnie Poe and Other Silhouettes (1977)
Amalia Fuentes and Other Etchings (1977)
Gloria Diaz and Other Delineations (1977)
Doveglion and Other Cameos (1977)
A Question of Heroes (1977)
Stories for Groovy Kids (1979)
Almanac for Manileños (1979)
Manila: Sin City and Other Chronicles (1980)
Language of the Street and Other Essays (1980)
Reportage on the Marcoses (1979, 1981)

Short stories May Day Eve and The Summer

Solstice are just some of his pieces that became
standard readings in high schools in the Philippines.
These are short stories he published right after the
Second World War, an event that clearly left him
shaken and yearning for escape abroad.The war left
him feeling so defeated and shaken that he described
being drained physically and mentally because of it.
Every day, he saw corpses lying in the streets while
he worked. He also lived in constant fear of being
killed or his family being harmed.

According to biographer Resil Mojares, the

experience of the war filled Joaquin with the desire
to leave the country and go somewhere far. It was so
bad that he dreamed of pursuing a religious vocation
by going to a monastery in Spain or somewhere in Europe,
“somewhere where you could clean up.”

Nevertheless, it was during the war when Joaquin

produced some of his best literary pieces: La Naval
de Manila (1943), It Was Later than We
Thought (1943). In rapid succession after 1945, he
published some of his greatest works: The Summer
Solstice, May Day Eve, and Guardia de Honor. At a time
when American influence was snuffing out the Filipino
identity in literature, it was Joaquin who eloquently
proved that it was okay to recognize our own history,
to acknowledge the Filipino in the Spanish colonial
period.

Introducing one of Nick Joaquin’s works: “Summer

Solstice” An Analysis

Written by Nick Joaquin, the story takes place in

1850s Philippines during the festival days of St. John.
There is a pro-woman feel to the story, which has
garnered a lot of debate and attention considering
the setting is in a time where women must be submissive.
In this analysis, learn about the setting, the themes
and symbolism that this short and interesting story
incarnates.
Summary
The Tatarin, or otherwise known as the Tadtarin, was
a three day festival that celebrated a ritual of
fertility. This was done only by women. Many men
frowned upon the extravagant dances and plays
surrounding the ritual. “Summer Solstice” is set
during the three days of the St. John’s festival.
Lupeng, a Filipino woman who feels closed to her
womanhood, is married to Paeng, who is no doubt loyal
to her. They have three small boys and live a somewhat
wealthy life as they have a carriage driver named
Entoy and a maid and cook named Amada.

Guido is a cousin of Paeng’s who comes back to the

Philippines after studying in Europe. The story
starts when the family is enjoying the days of the
St. John’s festival until Guido makes suggestive
comments to Lupeng, and even bending down to kiss her
feet. This makes her leave abruptly and have a
discussion with her husband the coming night.

Lupeng secretly found herself intrigued by the

attention of Guido; she felt that he was correct in
saying that women should be ravished and men should
adore them. This causes her to participate in the
last night of the festival, which is the Tatarin
ritual. Paeng goes with her and tries to drag her back
once the dancing begun, but she runs from him to the
women. He tries to take her back but the women in the
crowds beat him out, leaving him helpless. As the two
return home, Paeng says he must whip his wife because
he loves her and feels that she needs to be put in
her place. To this, she shouts and says she wants to
be adored, not respected and orders him to kiss her
feet.

Setting and Conflicts

Setting – Since the story takes place in the 1850s,
women were repressed and felt shut in. Lupeng may
seem to be happy in her routine life, but she also
feels angry. You can notice this when she states to
the children “Hush, hush I implore you! Now look:
your father has a headache, and so have I. So be quiet
this instant — or no one goes to Grandfather." It
indeed sounds like she feels as though she has a duty
that she must carry on but she gets annoyed at her
family because of her subdued state of womanhood.
Although she tries act horrified when Guido tells of
her woman should be adored rather than beneath their
husbands, she contemplates and realizes she wants to
be the leader of the pack.

External and Internal Conflicts – The

stereotypes of masculinity and feminine traits
run rampant in the story. Women are supposed to
look after their husbands and children while the
husbands work and wait for their supper. Not
only is this seen in the story but in daily life
as well, which makes the story shocking to
readers since it is about women wanting to be
free. Lupeng shatters the concept of the
suppressed woman when she gains control of her
husband, who kisses her feet at the end of story.
This makes it seem as though the internal
conflict was that women are the ones who want
to be the rulers of men, as seen in the Tatarin
festival.

Themes and Symbolism

Main Theme: St. John’s and Tatarin Festivals –
The St. John’s festival is about men and their
fertility, which seems quite vulgar to Lupeng
and makes her start to realize how she wishes
women could be seen in the same way. The Tatarin
festival is the exact opposite, showing women
as leaders of fertility since they carry
children. This festival is the last trigger to
make Lupeng feel as though she is stronger than
a man and deserves adoration.

Symbolism

Amada – When Lupeng rushes to find her cook,

Amada, she sees her in a compromising position
on the bed which makes Lupeng blush and feel
restrained about her own sexuality. This is the
first trigger for Lupeng before she announces
she wants admiration.

Guido’s Speech – When Paeng’s cousin Guido

returns from Europe, he tells Lupeng of his
travels. He also says “I remember that you are
a woman, yes. A beautiful woman. And why not?
Did you turn into some dreadful monster when you
married? Did you stop being a woman? Did you stop
being beautiful? Then why should my eyes not
tell you what you are — just because you are
married?" This makes Lupeng lash out and call
it simple comedy but it is also the second set
off before she feels liberated. She takes his
words to heart as well as when he lowers himself
to kiss her feet in appreciation.

After reading this analysis of “Summer

Solstice” by Nick Joaquin, you should now
understand the controversy, the symbols and the
themes and symbols in the story. What did you
think of it?

References
  Joaquin, Nick. Summer Solstice. Manila:
Albierto Florentino: January 1st, 1962

"Nick Joaquin is, in my opinion," wrote Jose Garcia

Villa, "the only Filipino writer with a real
imagination--that imagination of power and depth and
great metaphysical seeing--and which knows how to
express itself in great language, who writes poetry,
and who reveals behind his writings a genuine
first-rate mind."

"Joaquin has proven the truism," said Alejandro

R. Roces, "that to understand the present, you have
to first know the past. And by presenting the present
as a continuation of the future, he has traced the
roots of our rotting society to our moral confusion.
He is doing for the Philippines what Faulkner has done
for the [U.S.] South."

Closing quote for the reporting: "Nick Joaquin,"

said Manuel A. Viray, "a gifted stylist, has used his
sensitive style and his exciting evocations in
portraying the peculiar evil, social and moral, we
see around us and in proving that passion as well as
reason can never be quenched."