Denaga, Jenny A.

MKTMGT-2101
Si Mabuti
Ni
Genoveva-Edroza Matute
Reflection Paper

“Si Mabuti” is a short story written by Genoveva-Edroza Matute. It is cited as the most
anthologized Tagalog language short story. The author used the first-person point of view
wherein the story was narrated by one of the characters who is a student of Mabuti. Additionally,
the author used different techniques that help readers to be fascinated and more interested to read
the story, this includes flashbacks and plot twists. Flashbacks were used to tell the past events
that happened before the current point in the story and plot twists to surprise the readers with an
unexpected ending. The story implies that no one is perfect.

The story of Si Mabuti started with a student who is silently crying at the library of their
school when the teacher, whom they called Si Mabuti approached her. Si Mabuti is a typical
teacher with a not-so-typical life. Both characters encountered different problems, but they found
each other in a place they didn't expect, to cry and to feel the comfort of one another. In this
story, I believed that no one is flawless, everyone makes mistakes and makes wrong decisions,
but the important the is we have the courage to deal with them, overcome them, and resolve
them. At the end of the story, the narrator found out the reason why the teacher only tells stories
about her child and avoids the father of her child. It is because they are not the first family, and
she probably thinks that they have no right to be proud of each other. She maybe knows that
what they did was an immoral act, especially since she is a teacher. On the other hand, if we look
further, we will know that she is very deserving to be called or to have the title of Mabuti. It is
because she became contented, “Si Mabuti” didn't seek greater attention from the father of her
child. She bears all her sufferings inside because she probably thinks that those are the payment
for all her not-so-good actions.

In this story, I believe that what we see is not always true or what really exists, she may
be happy on the outside but what we don't know is that she is lonely inside. We must always
know the story behind a person's actions. Everyone has their own good sides but not all can see
it. So, if you are given a chance, grab it, just like what the narrator or the student did. She didn't
judge the teacher but instead see the beauty behind her. Moreover, there are times that
surrendering and giving up was the best solution to all our problems, but we must understand
that everything happens for a reason and at the right time, we can experience the happiness that
we truly deserve.