DEAD STARS
Even he is so passionate that he doesn’t disclose his
INTRODUCTION
Dead Stars is a short story of an over thirty years old bachelor, Alfredo
Salazar who was about to get married to his fiancée, Esperanza. His love
and passion for his fiancé started getting fade as he was attracted to
another woman named Julia Salas. As Alfredo knew that his family will
disapprove his desire of having another woman, he unwantedly married
with Esperanza and started his own family. Later, after eight years, Alfredo
went on a business trip to Julia’s place. In his visit to Julia, to his surprise,
he recognized that he no more feel attracted to her anymore. He compared
his love for her as dead stars, his memory of a long way to get a girl he
thought he loved.
DEAD STARS SUMMARY
The story of the short story Dead Stars revolves around a man, Alfred
Salazar, and his affairs. Alfred Salazar believes in true love and optimism
to discover ecstasy in its stir. Esperanza is the first woman he falls in love
with.
The families of both of them are acquainted with each other and hence
they start a loving relationship. Both get engaged after three years of their
relationship. Alfredo is a lawyer who has strong desires and wants warmth
and compassion, however, Esperanza is an impassionate woman having
strong will and principles. Alfredo’s love for her soon fades away when he
meets Julia. Julia, now, becomes a new object of his desire.
Julia Salas is sister in law of the Judge, who is a friend of Alfredo’s father.
Julia is an optimistic and enthusiastic person having her own dreams and
desires.
When Alfredo comes across her, he is strongly attracted to her. On his visit
to her with his father, he engages himself in conversation with her and is
attracted to her charm.
engagement to Esperanza.
So as to avoid the discovery of his fiancée, he keeps secrets from
Esperanza too. His eyes are doomed when he learns about Julia’s return to
his native town. With the fear of losing her, Alfredo decides to declare his
true feeling for Julia.
When the Church’s function ends, Alfredo goes to meet her, though his
fiancé is waiting for him. When he reaches there, he learns that Julia has
already known about his engagement to Esperanza. She wishes him for his
marriage and leaves him.
On his return home, he gets a double blow. He finds Esperanza talking to
her friend about loyalty and faithfulness. Alfredo senses a desire to
communicate. He supports the reason for craving and choice over
dishonesty.
Esperanza soon confesses that she knew about his affair with Julia. In
pursuit of his lust and heart’s content, she encourages him to cancel the
wedding. However, the wedding goes ahead as scheduled and Alfred
surrenders to reason.
Near Julia’s native town, Alfred, after eight years, is sent to some work
duty. On his visit, he feels nostalgic and cannot resist his lust for Julia and
soon finds an excuse to meet her.
Julia is still single that forces Alfred to dream about starting a new life
with her; however, he soon realizes that everything is not the same as it
were before. Moreover, Julia has also changed lost something.
THEMES IN DEAD STARS
FORBIDDEN LOVE:
Dead Stars expresses the subject of forbidden love. Forbidden love is only society as it sees the man rational and logical while woman as emotional
apparent and curses and disturbs the person until a person realizes his or and kind.
her faults.
SYMBOLISM:
RESPONSIBILITY:
Dead Stars symbolizes the unspoken present things. The affection and love
Responsibility is another underlying theme of the story. Alfred is engaged between Alfredo and Julia seemed to be existing and real, however, with
to his beloved to get married, yet, he distracts himself with another woman the passage of time, it fades away like a dead star. Hence, the
Julia. He forgets his responsibility towards his to-be wife, even after eight disillusionment and memories of the past do not exist anymore. After the
years he still thinks of Julia until he realizes that Julia has changed herself. eight years of reunion, the fading love was not because of the fading
youth, but because Alfred finds her different from what he perceived in the
DEAD STARS LITERARY ANALYSIS
past and all the gone years. He is disillusioned. The illusions that he
Dead Stars is a narrative short story by Par Marquez Benitez. The story is concealed all the years turns out to be nothing but dead stars; it was dead
written in the third person point of view using the pronouns he, she, it, long ago, yet it emits apparently real lights to travel the long distance.
they, etc.
The devotion of Esperanza for Alfred also symbolizes love, however, she
The short story Dead Stars, written in 1925 has a significant place in believes more in the reformative virtue than true love, that why we can say
Philippine English Literature as it gives birth to modern English writing in that she is in a relationship because of moral obligation.
Philippine. At that time, English was newly introduced and the writers
were struggling hard while using English as a medium of expression.
Dead Stars is the masterpiece of Paz Marque Benitez. In this short story,
he didn’t only talk about love. His writing is significant as it reflects the
spirit of the time. It depicts the language, norms and the manners of the
people during that time. The readers are enabled to understand how
marriage, fidelity, and courtship were viewed during the early twentieth
century. This serves as a mode to compare the past and the present, and the
fading traditional culture and the predominating modern culture.
The short story also illustrates the rising conjunction of sociopolitical
feminism. In this story, women are represented as meek and dependent on
men. Men are considered to be superior to women. Women are faithful
who easily falls in love while the male is shown as uncertain, inconsistent
and rational. However, the story also ruined the concept of patriarchal
 b. What was it thathe had to do ?
 He had to continue the wedding since he was engaged to
Esperanza, who he has the romantic relationship for a long time.
1. How was characterization done by the author?
4. Were you in such a situation before? Which one did you choose?
 The author just gave a good quality of characters, the personality
What was the result of the choice you took?
or traits that the author gave to the character are somewhat helpful
to distinguish the problem that may occur. Because upon reading
to the story, it mentions that the quality of Julia is different to
Esperanza that cause Alfredo to fall in love with her. At the same 5. Where did the story get its title from? What does "dead stars" refer
time the personality of Alfredo who has a man with his word is to?
what I think the characteristics of man in real life.  For me, a dead star is like the feelings of Alfredo to Julia. At first,
2. How did the writer hint or insinuate the mutual feelings of love the love of Alfredo towards Julia is like a powerful and shining
stars, but he figures out that after several years those love towards
between Julia and Alfredo?
Julia is already gone. It is also the feelings that are shining so
 The story is straight forward where the author gave the hint at the bright are like the stars that are not existing anymore.
first part of the story. It was given that the way Alfredo talk to
6. What did Alfredo realize in the end?
himself about love is somewhat will gives hint to the reader that
there will be something happening to his feelings towards  Alfredo realized that the memories that keeping him to love Julia
Esperanza, and for me the way of how Carmen asked her father is not the same when he touches her hands so he figure out that he
about the wedding of Alfredo and Esperanza. loves Esperanza and the things that keeps on stock him to Julia are
just the happy or good memories that he have.
3. Where is the conflict in story? Is it a problem between man and
nature? Man against himself? Man versus another man or other
person?
 Alfredo asks Julia this question: "Did you ever have to choose
between something you wanted to do and something you had to
do?
 YES
a. What was it that Alfredo wanted to do? Alfredo wanted to stay and
go with Julia because he loves her.