It is obvious, however, that the story favors women.

It is centered upon the

Tadtarin, a pagan celebration for a good farming season. The celebration itself is
celebrated only by women and men would still have to dress up as women in order to
participate and witness the pagan rituals.
At the start of the story, we see the driver of the Moretas, Entoy, afraid to touch
his wife. However, it shows that he has beaten his wife, Amada, several times even
before this encounter. Entoy explained that Amada is now the Tadtarin, the spirit
of which the celebration focuses upon. It is stated in the story: “’And you should
have seen that Entoy,’ continued his wife [Dona Lupeng]. ‘You know how the brute
treats her: she cannot say a word but he thrashes her. But this morning he stood as
meek as a lamb while she screamed and screamed. He seemed actually in awe of her,
do you know —- actually afraid of her.’” It shows how the men in the story are
presented as hopeless and inferior to that of women.
The story continued to the coming of St. John in an informal procession lead only
by males. The men showed their devotion to St. John, and danced and shouted merrily
while the procession continued down the path. The carriage carrying the family,
stopped as the procession passed by. Dona Lupeng, however, stood in the carriage “…
with increasing annoyance.” The thought of how the behavior of men came to be
crossed her mind. She persisted that it is the women who “…had built it up: this
poise of the male. Ah, and women could destroy it, too!” With this thought, she
recalled the incident earlier that morning with Entoy and Amada.
This clearly presents how men just depend on the women for their actions and
behavior. It is the women who controls them. It is the women who dominate. This is
also expressed in the scene where Dona Lupeng is alone with Guido, a cousin who has
studied in Europe and have come to back to Philippines. He, though well educated,
still talked about ancient rituals and beliefs. He actually talked to Dona Lupeng
about how “’…the dominant figure [of the Tadtarin] is not the male but the
female.’” Even as someone so educated, he still acknowledges that women are still
superior and are actually the lord of men. “’It think it is to remind us men that
once upon a time you women were supreme and we men are the slaves.”’ And he
affirmed this by how he “…solemnly kissed the tips of her shoes.” as Dona Lupeng
was getting up to leave.

Later in the story, after a fight, Don Paeng finally allowed Dona Lupeng to go to
the Tadtarin, it being the last night of the celebration. It shows the helplessness
of the man to the wants of the woman. In the celebration, the wife joined in the
wild celebration while the husband was beaten for trying to enter procession in
order to find his wife. Back at their house, Don Paeng, after losing to an argument
with his wife, realized how women are to be adored and not to be underestimated. He
accepted the fact but Dona Lupeng wanted more than just acceptance. She ordered him
to kiss his feet and Don Paeng, without hesitation, fell to the ground in order to
kiss her feet. “…he sprawled down flat and, working his arms and legs, gaspingly
clawed his way across the floor, like a great agonized lizard…” This summarized how
the story portrays the women as the more superior gender than the men. How the men
are dependent on the women and how the women control the men.
The story is concrete and logical until it reached the ending of the story. Somehow
it tackled some psychological aspect when it reached the end of the story where the
Don Paeng finally submitted to the demands of his wife. This story clearly upholds
the image of a woman as someone to be respected and taken care of, not actually to
be adored and worshipped. This shows the women are just as capable as men, even
though it has been greatly exaggerated.