Po-on (Dusk)

Po-on A Novel is a novel written by Francisco Sionil José , a Filipino English-language writer.

This is the original title when it was first published in the Philippines in the English
language. In the United States, it was published under the title Dusk: A Novel. For this
novel's translation into Tagalog, the title Po-on Isang Nobela – a direct translation of Po-on
A Novel - was adopted.
Po-on A Novel is the beginning of the book -called Rosales Saga of F. Sionil José – a series of
novels about Rosales, Pangasinan in the Philippines. The Rosales Saga has five parts, all of
them individual but interrelated novels, composed namely of the following titles in terms of
historical chronology: Po-on, Tree, My Brother, My Executioner, The Pretenders, and Mass.
Among José's five-part novel series, the Rosales Saga, "Po-on" was the last to be written and
published but the first in terms of story-telling chronology.

Author’s Background
FRANCISCO SIONIL JOSE (1924-2022)
Born: December 03, 1924
Died: January 06, 2022
• A Filipino writer who was one of the most widely read in the English language and
one of the most celebrated authors in the Philippines. He is best known for his
novels and short stories that depict class struggles in Filipino society.

• A National Artist of the Philippines for Literature, which was bestowed upon him in
2001, José’s novels and short stories depict the social underpinnings of class
struggles and colonialism in Filipino society.

• His works—written in English—have been translated into 28 languages, including

Korean, Indonesian, Czech, Russian, Latvian, Ukrainian and Dutch.

• José was born in Rosales, Pangasinan, the setting of many of his stories.

• José attended the University of Santo Tomas after World War II, but dropped out
and plunged into writing and journalism in Manila. In subsequent years, he edited
various literary and journalistic publications, started a publishing house, and
founded the Philippine branch of PEN, an international organization for writers.

Notable works
1. Rosales Saga Novels

• A five-novel series that spans three centuries of Philippine history, translated

into 22 languages
 • Po-on (1984)

• Tree (1978)

• My Brother, My Executioner (1973)

• The Pretender (1962)

• Mass (1974)

2. Short Stories Collections

3. Children’s Books
4. Verses
5. Essays and Non-Fictions

Characters:
Eustaquio Salvador "Istak" - the protagonist in the narrative, was from a poor
Ilocano family of farmers.
Mayang- mother of Istak
Ba-ac - father of Istak, who lost one arm due to false accusation.
An-no - younger brother of Istak, who was taller and bigger than him.
Bitik- the youngest brother of Istak
Father Jose - parish priest, who taught Istak foreign languages such as Spanish and
Latin and other significant knowledge about nature.
Padre Zarraga - new patish priest ordered Istak to go home to Po-on as his services
was no longer needed.
Carmencita - the older daughter of Kapitan Berong
Dalin -was a beautiful stranger turned friend, whose old husband just died and
become a source of rivalry between Istak and Anno.
Capitan Gualbeto - the leader of guardia
Orang - Istak cousin and raped by Capitan Gualbeto
Don Jacinto - a generous man of wealth.
Po-on (Dusk) SUMMARY
At the start of the novel, Istak (known to the Spanish as Eustaquio) is working for
the sympathetic Spanish priest, Father José. He has learned Spanish and Latin and
there is a possibility that he will be trained to be a priest. However, Father José is
getting old, and his liberal views do not sit well with the authorities, and he is moved
out and replaced by a young priest. This young priest soon gets rid of Istak, not least
because Istak saw him having intercourse. Istak lives with his father, Ba-ac, his
mother, Mayang, and his two younger brothers, An-no and Bit-tik. Ba-ac is very
bitter.
A few years before, he had been called on to provide compulsory road building work
for the Spanish. As he had a fever he declined, offering to make it up later. However,
he was arrested and hung up by one arm, causing him to the lose the arm. He now
hates the church and the Spanish. An-no is jealous of his older brother, who has
received education. This jealousy is increased when a young woman, Dalin, arrives
in the village with her sick husband in a cart. The husband soon dies, and the family
offers to take in the young widow. She is clearly attracted to Istak but An-no is
attracted to her.
The young priest is determined to get rid of the family and orders them to leave the
land, which, he says, they have not been looking after properly. Ba-ac decides to visit
the priest to reason with him. However, when he meets him, he realizes that he is
the priest who ordered him to be hung up by the arm. In a fit of fury, he kills him
with a crucifix. The family, including all their relatives, has to hurriedly leave, taking
the back roads to avoid the police. En route, they go to other relations who have also
been expelled and join up with them. José recounts their various adventures
including the rape of the daughter of one of the relatives by the police officer
hunting them. It is this rape that persuades An-no to marry the girl in question and
abandon his pursuit of Dalin.
After a lot of adventures, including the death by drowning of Mayang, and the killing
of Ba-ac by a python, they finally arrive at Rosales where the local landowner, Don
Jacinto, is very sympathetic and helps them to set up a small village of their own in
the forest. They struggle with the initial work. Bitik is very lazy but the others work
to get the village going. The politics have been hovering in the background, with
opposition to the Spanish and the involvement of the Americans. The Americans are
now taking over but, by all accounts, are as bad as the Spanish, torturing and raping.
Cholera hits the village and Istak nearly dies and, while he is ill, An-no is taken away
to be executed for his father’s crime. We gradually learn that Don Jacinto is very
much involved in the independence movement and Istak soon starts helping him,
particularly when a man known as the Cripple (the real-life Apolinario Mabini)
stays. Finally, Istak is sent off on a dangerous mission to take a message to the
President but ends up at the Battle of Mount Tirad.
Setting:
Southern Pangasinan in the Philippines

Theme:
Freedom
Family
Perseverance
Courage
Nationalism

Purpose
To recreate the societal struggles, as the author of Po-on FRANCISCO SIONIL JOSE is best
known for his novels and short stories that depict class struggles in Filipino society.

Moral Lesson
A love for our country involves sacrifice
Remember these three: Faith, Hope and Love.
Fight for freedom, no matter how fruitless it may seem.
Choose to look and listen to your country’s cry.