Cervantes, Aaron Joshua E.

BSEE-ELE181

Plot Elements: Rice, by Manuel E. Arguilla

1. Exposition
- Exposition acts as the story’s introduction to its readers. In this story, the exposition
tells us the story of our protagonist, Pablo. He is a hard-working rice farmer who
has a family and they live in poverty. We are also introduced to the supporting
characters Osiang, their neighbor, and Andres, a man who seeks to regain what
has been taken from them. The normal for these characters is that they all live in
Hacienda Consuelo working for their landlords, the Elis.

2. Rising Action
- The rising action element of the story starts when Mang Pablo and several
other tenants rode to the house of the senora that morning, with their hard-earned
cavanes of rice. They expected the typical arrangements when they arrived, but
when they left, they were not even sure if there will be a next batch of rice. The
outrageous demands of the Senora and the owners were simply too much for the
tenants, and to batter home the demands of the owners, they even threatened the
poor tenants with blackmail and starvation. Pablo then approached Andres about
the latter’s plans to ambush the trucks as they deliver it to the city. Andres asked
him to join, knowing the hardship they all share. Pablo is skeptical about his plans
because he knows its robbery but as Andres stated, is it stealing if you steal from
another thief? Or getting back what your tired, worn-out, shaking, sweaty hands
personally made? Andres and the others are getting desperate, and he knows
Pablo is getting desparate too.
3. Climax
- The climax of the story starts with the appearance of Pablo’s wife and three
children, who were coming home from the fields after getting caught finding snails
they can eat for dinner. They came home with the watchman who stated that as a
punishment for what they did, they will give five cavanes of rice. After the
watchmen left, Pablo could just have asked himself “Could this day gat any
worse?” after what he just heard. He knows that it is not his wife nor his children’s
fault they were starving. Pablo was fighting someone, for he was fighting with
himself, he did not know whether he should fight because it would put himself, his
family, and his fellow tenants in danger.

4. Falling Action
- In a story, a falling action’s job is to release the tension from the previous 3 parts
of the story. But in this story, the falling action serves as the validation of Pablo’s
choice. The part where he releases all his anger and suffering on the carabao was
both haunting and heart-breaking to read. After seeing his daughter Sabel starving,
he decided to cheer her up by putting her on the carabao. But in keeping with the
theme of the story, the carabao whimpered and apparently hurt Sabel. This led to
him beating the carabao. Finally, he decided that he has had enough, and he grabs
his bolo and his straw hat.

5. Resolution / Denoument
- The resolution of the story is the part where everything in the story has been
resolved, giving a sense of closure. There are other stories that during the
resolution of the story and when it seems the story’s door is closing, there is a
tease for what is next for the story and its characters. Another example of
resolutions is in the form of epilogues, which takes place after the main plot.

The resolution also shows the new normal for the characters. Since Pablo decided
to fight, the new normal for these characters tells us they for the rest of their lives,
they will be fighting against injustice. No matter what happens with their foray
towards the house, they will fight knowing that they tried to do something for their
families.

The story ends on a cliffhanger. A cliffhanger is a plot element that leaves readers
on the edge, not knowing what is about to happen next, which will be revealed in
a sequel. It can also be argued that despite ending on a cliffhanger, there is still a
sense of finality in the story. That finality is entirely dependent on the imagination
and speculation of the reader, relying on the clues in the story, to how it will end.

In my opinion, after Pablo decided to come to Andres and silently go with him to
Eli’s house to fight, they will be successful. Since the owners does not expect
resistance and they are under the cover of darkness, they have the upper hand.
Even after that, the story could go in different ways. It could be that after their first
successful attack and raid of the house. The owners will call on reinforcements
and within the next day or two, they could quell the resistance of the tenants. It
could also go in a way that there will be an endless cycle of bloodshed, politics,
and injustice after their choices.