Children of the City

By: Amadis Ma. Guerrero

About the Author

1941 1965
Amadis Ma. Guerrero was born in Ermita, Graduated from the Ateneo de Manila
Manila in 1941 in 1965 from the University of Santo
Tomas in 1959.
 Setting

 The story happened in the late 1980s. Everything occurred in the dark
perilous busy streets of Manila.
 In one of the shanties that stood in Intramuros; along the Boulevard; Rizal
monument in Luneta , Ermita district, Blumentritt area, Boulevard district,
and Avenida Extension
 An organized defiance, and the setting up of picket lines in piers against
shipping management, with the strikers and their families subsisting on
funds raised by student, labor and civic-spirited elements.
 The Boulevard by night began to attract the boy, the bars filled with
foreign sailors, for a military exercise to be held within a few days
 Characters of the Story
Victor - The protagonist and
a dynamic character. Once
an innocent boy but was
tainted by the harsh reality
of life.
Tatang - Victor's father that
stood up for what's right for
the people. He is a static
character.
Mother - Victor's
Tio Pedring - He pushed conservative mother that
Victor in becoming a wanted nothing to do with
newsboy to earn money. He strikes and protests. She
is also a flat character. would rather be safe than
sorry. She is a flat character.
Newsboys - Victor's
Nacio - Victor's only friend in
colleagues in the business
the business who taught him
who despised him. They are
the ropes of Manila. He is
stock characters.
also a flat character.
 Plot of the Story

The story is about the life of Victor, an eight year old boy whose father was involved in a
company menace because of unjust salaries and compensations. His father joined the
employee's strike and there he met his death when he was shot by the police officers managing
the chaos in the strike. Victor was shocked to know the sudden death of his father on a
newspaper. He and his mother were in deep pain upon hearing his father's death.
Soon, her mother had a new husband. She left Victor to his older brother. There, he was
trained to be a newspaper boy in the dangerous streets of Avenida. He met there many
children doing just like what he is. In those dark street he learned how to curse-say bad words
and smoke cigarette because he was influenced by a group of unmannered teenagers. He
found himself alone in the street, sometimes being beat up by bullies.
The story ended when the author realized how cruel the world is...
"... And Victor, swirled the life of the city: this city, flushed with triumphant charity campaigns,
where workers were made to sign statements certifying they received minimum wage, where
millionaire politicians received Holy Communion every Sunday, where mothers taught their sons
and daughters the art of begging, where orphans and children from broken homes slept on
pavements and under darkened bridges, and where best friends fell out and betrayed one
another."
 Conflict
 One evening four months after the strike began, the silence of the piers was
broken by the six-by-six trucks. They ran over three strikers and shot to death
two more men.
➢ That evening at the appointed hour he went over to the newspaper’s
building in downtown, and was greeted by the sight of scores of
barefooted newsboys awaiting the call to duty. The noise of their
conversation, loud with putang-ina filled the newspaper’s building.
➢ The destination of Victor was Blumentritt. Perhaps it wasn’t so difficult after
all to sell a newspaper. The customers included a dressmaker, a barber, a
pharmacist, and a beautician.
➢ Victor was able to see young scavengers, slept inside their pushcarts.
➢ On his second night on the job, Victor met a group of street boys who
began to beat him up and got all his newspapers !
➢ His best friend Nacio met his death – violently; he had been run over by a
car. Victor grieved for his friend, and from that time on he became even
more taciturn and withdrawn.
➢ The ring-leader, went over to him and, as a kind of peace offering, held
out a cigarette. Take it. It is very nice to smoke, and it is easy.
Point of View
❑Third person point of view
Theme

The city, flushed with charitable projects, where

millionaire politicians continuously enriching themselves at
the expense of the lower class sector, where street children
slept on pavements and under darkened bridges.
 Moral Lesson

 STIMULATION
 CHALLENGE IN LIFE
 DARING LIFE
GROUP 1

 Lawas, Joviecca P.
 Lanuza, Aizza