Literary Analysis of Manuel Arguilla’s “ How My Brother Leon

Brought Home a Wife”

Introduction

Written by Manuel Aguilla,”How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife” is the story of a
man introducing his city-born wife to his more provincial family. Transpires in Barrio
Nabregcan in La Union, the birthplace of Manuel E. Aguilla himself you’ll immediately
realize how the writers loves his hometown by the vividimagery and sensuality that
heffers on the plate. From the shapes and the sounds to even the scent of the air,
Aguilla spares no detail to prove that beauty exists in Nagrebcan, because the place
was very provincial in which there is a peaceful and simple leaving which will serve as a
challenge to Maria, Leon’s wife that will lead to the main idea which is Maria being
tested with Leon’s family specially his father, if she will be able to live a simple life in
provine away from their city.
Maria was a wife of Leon. She was lovely and beautiful. Her fragrant like a morning
when papayas are in bloom. Leon was lived in far place of Nagrebcan. Leon brought
Maria to Nagrebcan to introduce to his father. The couple enjoys talking while in
traveled riding in the cart hitch to Labang. Baldo who is quiet and observing his brother
and spouse. When they arrived home, Baldo went to the room of his father. The room is
quiet and dark. His father was smoking while sat in the big armchair by the western
window. And they talk about Maria. Afterwards the door opened, and Leon and Maria
came in. Baldo looked to Maria and went out to watered Labang which his father told to
him.
Baldo is the narrator of the story because he is the one who relates us what happened
to the story. Were Baldo is the younger brother of Leon. Baldo is a quiet person. It is
very detectable that Baldo is observing his brother Leon and spouse how is Maria.
When his father asks him “Was she afraid of Labang?” Baldo lied and says “No, Father,
she was not afraid.” Even though Maria afraid. It means that Baldo like Maria as a wife
of Leon but inside, he also admires the beauty of Maria. In here, the main characters
were the couple Leon and Maria. Leon has a strong personality because he did not
afraid to present Maria to his father as her wife. He was very proud of Maria as her wife.
Maria truly love Leon because she fight for what she believe was right, it doesn’t matter
if the world told her that it’s wrong. I could say that Maria and the mother of Leon plays
and represent the Filipino women. The father of Baldo has a deep personality. He was a
responsibly father because he use his righteous way as a head of the family. It only
means that the father or the man is the authority. He doesn’t want Leon to go to the
wrong way. So, he makes some trials to Maria trying to test Maria’s characteristic, her
attitude, her looks, how she talks and the way she handle the situation. His mother was
a responsibly mother. She does the light of the family and represents the Filipino
women.
 Body
The plot is compose of inciting action, rising action, climax, falling action, and
conclusion. The inciting action was when “She stepped down to the Carretela of Ca
Celin with a quick, delicate grace. She look lovely, she was tall. She looked up to my
brother with a smile, and her forehead was on level with his mouth.” The rising action
was when they took the dry bed of Waig as a substitute of passing the Camino Real and
it was the wish of there father to go by Waig. The climax of the story was when Maria
told Leon that she was afraid of his father in law maybe his father thinking of not liking
her. The falling action came when Leon was searching for their father and her mother
told them that his leg is bothering him again. The conclusion was when Baldo cross the
threshold of his father and ask him about Maria. Afterwards the door opened and Leon
and Maria came in. Baldo looked to Maria so lovely and went out to watered Labang
which his father told him.
My reaction of the story is the story is good and it reflects to the modern youth even if
the story is very old. I describe Maria as an example of Filipino women and also her
attitude as a “mahinhin”. The couple Leon and Maria faces many trials while in traveled
to Nagrebcan. Even though, Maria passed those trials. So, therefore Maria is very
understanding kind of girl. The story talks about the characteristic of Maria, her attitude,
her looks, how she talks and the way she handle the situation that riding a bull and
passed through Waig. Therefore, basically a woman creates for men.
Conclusion
The setting of the story was in Nagrebcan, Leon’s hometown. This story takes place in a
farm where people would usually ride in carabao. The place was in the local province. In
the story, Maria who was Leon’s wife described physically and with her posture as a
conservative and traditionalist which would probably described as a Filipino woman. As
an alternative, they took a shortcut in a field. In my opinion, one can visualize that there
is some kind of a test for the two of them. Maria must surpass that trial. It was as there
family of Leon is trying to test Maria’s characteristic, her attitude, her looks, how she
talks and the way she handle the situation.

The theme of the story is Love makes Maria and Leon go straight whatever struggles
come will be ignore to them. I don’t know if there relationship will last long because
Maria is a city girl while Leon is a barrio boy.