A Literary Analysis of Nick Joaquin’s

“May Day Eve”

I. INTRODUCTION
This Filipino artist is a writer, poet, playwright, biographer and English essayist. He holds

people's literature author titles. He developed into an aptly named historian of Spain's rapid

golden age within the Philippines in as the author of folk Catholic short stories such as "The Eve

of May " by Filipino national artist Nick Joaquin. Written after World War II in this novel has

become one of Joaquin's signature stories that has become a classic of Filipino English. The

story, along with other Joaquin stories such as St. Sylvester's Mass, Donya Jerome, and

Candido's Latin American Fiction Trends published in 1947, was originally intended for an adult

readership of but later became necessary and important. Reading Resources for Filipino

Students As a playwright and writer. Joaquin wrote his work in English.

II.THE AUTHOR
Nick Joaquin, Nicomed Joaquin (born May 4, 1917; Paco, Manila,

Philippines - died April 29, 2004 in San Juan) is a Filipino writer, poet, playwright, essayist and

biographer of 4,444 Filipinos, to millions of Filipinos. Contributing history people. In

Joaquin was awarded a scholarship at a Dominican monastery in Hong Kong after directing La

Naval de Manila (1943), an essay describing Manila's fabled

resistance to Dutch invaders in the 17th century. After World War II, he toured the United

States, Mexico and Spain. he worked as a cultural adviser in the Philippines, Taiwan, Cuba and

China.
 III.THE SUMMARY
Agueda and Badoy’s story began in that first night of May. Agueda is a smart girl who seems to
mature ahead of her age.

Unlike girls of her age, she is bold and liberated. Badoy is much older than Agueda is. He studies
in Europe and likes to

play with girls as Agueda hears it from his stories with his friends. She hates him for that.

The party that night in the house of the Monitya’s was in honor of Badoy who just came from
Europe. The old people

have ordered to stop the dancing as it was getting late at night but Agueda and the girls went
upstairs to continue the

noise. The caretaker Natasha mentioned about the spell which allows one to see the face of
his/her lover. The other girls

were afraid but not Agueda. She convinced Anastasha to tell her the incantation. Alone in the
middle of the dark room

while holding a candle, Agueda whispered the incantation and there she saw the face of the
devil.

Badoy and Agueda both lived through it, thinking each other as devils. They severely hurt each
other. The tragedy is

when Badoy’s heart forgets how much he felt for Agueda. Both were not careful enough to
mend their drifting marriage.

Both Badoy and Agueda perceived their marriage to be a taste of hell.

Their prides prevented them from admitting that they saw each other’s face in that mirror.
They continued to claim that it

was the witch or the devil they saw. Each claimed that the devil bewitched them, tortured them
and ate their hearts. It was

so because it was how they were to each other as husband and wife.
Their contrasting attributes brought them together to that situation they suffered all along.
They were blessed with a

daughter. But even this did not soften the hatred each has for the other or maybe lowered each
other’s pride to admit the

truth between them.

Donya Agueda succumb to death after the long agonizing years with Don Badoy Montiya. Alone
after his wife’s death,

Don Badoy painfully recalled of the girl who had flamed so vividly in a mirror one wild May Day
midnight, long, long

ago and refreshed his memory of how she had bitten his hand and fled which surprised his
heart in the instant of falling in

love with Agueda.

Crying his heart out, Don Badoy realized that time has healed the wounds of their relationship.
The old love that was

blinded by hatred which brought pain has now resurfaced. The tragedy is that it is too late.
Agueda is gone. She never had

the chance to know the truth that he had actually loved her and she meant so much to her all
those times. Love didn’t go

away. It was just hidden in their proud hearts.

 IV. PLOT STRUCTURE

a. the main problem:

The conflict in the story takes place between Don Bada Montia and his wife Dona Agueda. It

shows the reader the story of regretting the breakup without being able to live a happy life

after marriage.

b. the climax:
Don Badoy remembered what he had seen before. He revealed to Voltaire that he saw

something when he saw the witch in the mirror reading a spell. And to his surprise, Voltaire's

grandson also revealed that his grandmother had seen a demon in the mirror.

c. the resolution:
Determination Don Badoy remembers seeing Agueda in front of a mirror and falling madly in

love with her. This old love was blinded by hatred and is now recovering, but it is too late

because Ageda is already dead.

d. Characters and their Characterization:

The main characters in the story are the following:

Young Agueda- A beautiful young woman who is curious, stubborn She was married to Badoy
Montiya but never bowed down to admit her admiration for Badoy.
Young Badoy Montiya-  a promiscuous young man who wanted to prove his machismo, he
realized that he was “deliriously in love” with Agueda

Anastasha- old woman who is obedient to her misstress and a mischievous who was called a
maga

Daughter of Donya Agueda and Don badoy - A curious girl who persistently knows her
mother's past

Voltaire - The grandchildren of Don Badoi and Doni Agueda, like their mothers, have heard of
witchcraft witches

e. Setting:

The story happened in the year 1847; on May Day Eve.

f. Style and Techniques:

The conflict:

Man vs. man ( Badoy vs. Agueda)

Man vs. self (Badoy vs. himself; Agueda vs. herself)

The symbolism:

Mirrors that refer to the physical appeal of Badoy and Agueda, respectively Illusions created by
others and these attractions.

The theme:

love is not founded on magic

g. Analysis:

On plot:

As Don Badoy Montiya comes domestic to his antique domestic at Intramuros, Manila overdue
at night time he unearths his grandson chanting an antique spell in the front of a mirror,
recollections of his adolescents got here back

On characters/characterization:
Agueda is one of the most dynamic characters in history with serious internal conflicts. not her
dynamism

Reflecting her personality change, she is responsible for the changes that occurred to Badoy

after her death. In his first meeting with Badoi, Agueda showed steadfastness, pride and
courage. but there was a moment

While living with Badoy, she chose not to show, but acknowledged respect for him.

About it. In other words, Agueda tried to suppress her feelings for Badoi as much as possible by
living like Badoi's wife.

Because of her pride and prejudice against Badoy, Badoy's vanity and beauty were not right for
Nick Joaquin to symbolize what a man wants.

Agueda. In fact, it was his charm that she hated the most. This charm made him an arrogant
man full of vengeance.

He did not confess his true feelings for Agueda because he also rejected Agueda. Anastasia's
belief in supernatural beings underscores other people's perspectives on the role of fate in
human life.

The story of "May Day Eve", and Badoy and Agueda believed they were trapped in the magic of
a mirror one night.

They thought their lives and they were for each other. Unfortunately the mirror seems to lie,
but he did not.

Whatever it is, just preserve what was in them so their relationship can win.

On setting:
The story took place on the eve of May, 1847. She fascinated me.

“She sucked my blood and ate my heart, seasoned with fiction, as expressed in

Superstitious beliefs about witches and demons coming out of the mirror when everything in

the ritual goes wrong. these

A description of the pain a person must endure when he or she decides not to be sincere about

his or her feelings.

On conflict:

We can see Agueda and Badoy regret the past they had together after they had a bad life with

each other, and this is shown in Agueda's hatred for each other. In the way Agueda describes

the devil to her granddaughter as Badoy, and as Badoy describes the witch in the mirror to her

grandson, as Agueda

On symbolism:

Don Badoi and Agueda. First, Don Badois is looking for Agueda's hand in marriage, but conflict

arises when she rejects him. Nevertheless, he believes that he loves her very much and

continues to stalk her and she scolds her family. She later agrees to marry him after seeing his

face as her future husband in an enchanted mirror. However, more controversy arises when

Don Badoy hears from her grandson how Agueda had called him "the devil" in the past. He

continues to refer to her as a "witch," and since then the couple have shared a bitter marriage

tainted with conflict and sorrow.

On the theme:
The story of Badoi and Agueda, which is based on physical attraction, is proof that love cannot
be based on passion. alone. This should be based on respect and acceptance of each other. You
need to constantly strive and nurture on this. It is obtained and given voluntarily, not on the
basis of superstition and fate. Only by these standards can love grow and thrive. Otherwise, as
in the story of Badoi and Agueda, love is Blind and turned to hate. Then you regret and realize
what has already happened. all written

V. CONCLUSION

If the mirror is a symbol of fantasy, then this story will be about someone's fantastic love.

different characters. Or is it another piece of literature from Quijano de Manila that depicts
something more serious?

By disguising women's weaknesses and limitations, as in his story "Summer Solstice"? but why
always

Do you portray women as creatures of limitations and weaknesses, but retain hidden
strengths? Given the fact that some of the author's literary works are autobiographical, perhaps
in the story

Does it have anything to do with Nick Joaquin's failed romantic relationship? In his biography,
there is no mention of romantic relationships with the opposite sex, except for the admiration
of many fans of Joaquin.