Critique about the story “Magnificence” by Estrella D.

Aflon

The story Magnificence by Estrella D. Aflon is about a man, Vicente who seems a good
and nice person, does something inappropriate with the little girl. When the mother finds out,
she gets angry and protects her child. It's a story that shows that not all people are kind by
their looks. My impression is that it's a bit unsettling but makes an important point about trust
and safety.
The story makes us feel a lot of different things. It shows how kids can be happy about
small things like pencils, but then things get kind of scary with Vicente. The story keeps us
interested because it shows how the kids' excitement turns into something uncomfortable
with Vicente. The mom's strong reaction makes the story even more intense, and it makes
you think about what happened. It starts happy but turns sad. And It talks about how bad
things can happen even when everything seems okay. The people in the story acted well,
showing they are innocent, can get hurt easily, and really want to protect others. The story
also looks at the not-so-nice side of people who seem kind, making it relatable for those who
have felt betrayed. The story becomes surprising when the man, Vicente, starts acting in a
way that's not okay with the little girl. It goes from seeming normal to uncomfortable. The
mom reacts strongly and does something about it, which is unexpected. The main ideas in the
story are about how kids can be fooled or manipulate easily, how someone in charge can be
mean, and how bad things can make kids scared and change how they see the world. It shows
how Vicente starts doing bad things, and this makes the kids feel not safe anymore. The story
talks about how people who are supposed to be good can sometimes do bad things, and this
can really mess up how kids think about the world. The themes are well illustrated in the
story. At first, it makes you feel like everything is okay, but then it shows how things can go
wrong, and this makes the kids and their mom feel really bad. It's like a lesson about not
always trusting people in charge and how bad things can make kids feel different. It tells us
that parents need to watch out for their children and protect them from things that could harm
them and don't trust the people that you've only met easily. The story shows that children can
lose their innocence when faced with something wrong, and parents should be careful to keep
them safe.
In conclusion, the story titled Magnificence begins positively but takes a downturn when
Vicente does something inappropriate with a little girl. It teaches us that people may not
always be as kind as they seem. The strong reaction of the mom reminds us to be cautious
and protect children from any harm. The story shows how trust can be misplaced, and it's a
lesson for parents to watch out for their kids and keep them safe from unexpected dangers. I
highly recommend this story to people that always trust the people that they've only met.
 Critique about the story “Magnificence” by Estrella D. Aflon

“Magnificence (1939),” by Estrella Alfon at first seemed to be just another typical

Filipino family story where the characters; the husband, the wife and the children, were all
living peacefully and happily as revealed in the first part of the sentence. “There was nothing
to fear, for the man was always so gentle, so kind.” But as I go deeper to explore this story,
this was not the case clearly, for this story is an excellent portrayal of shattering one’s trust
and of a mother’s impregnable trust. Moreover, it shows how a mother becomes a woman
who will stand and fight for the protection of her household. Hence, a mother is not just a
house figure of a wife who does household chores but also of a strong woman who will do
everything and anything for the protection of her love ones. My overall impression about this
story is that it can be a little unsettling, as it is about betraying someone who have trusted
you.
The emotions and thoughts that have evoked into me is that, when i was reading i
suddenly had an urge to slap Vicente because of what he is doing to the little girl, where he
does what he wants to do to her in exchange for a pencil, not one pencil but two pencils. Let's
talk about the characters and their developments in the story. Firstly, Vicente is a bus
conductor who volunteered as a tutor for extra money. He is described as having a "beautiful
face" and a "gentle voice" which is one of his traits that captured the little girl's attention.
Vicente remained mysterious throughout the story, having the readers to interpret what is his
significance to the story in his own way. Secondly, the little girl is a curious and imaginative
young girl. She is described as someone who had a "wild and vivid imagination" Throughout
the story she is known as a naive and innocent child, to someone who understand the
complexities of relationships and life. Lastly, the little girl's mother is described as a
hardworking woman who is focused on making her daughter have a good life. The little girl's
mother played an significant role in the story as she tries to protect her daughter from
Vicente. The twists and developments that had surprised me when i was reading is when the
little girl's mother had became suspicious of Vicente as he is full of sweat when she caught
him doing something to her daughter, and drived him out of their house. The theme of the
short story Magnificence is social class, as the little girl's mother had said that she can't
expect that much from her father since he is just a bus conductor. Materialism, and the
Complexities of human relationships. The writing style that the author used in the short story
is that she used vivid descriptions, nuanced characterizations, and a thought-provoking
narrative. She combined descriptive language, symbolism, stream of consciousness,
emotional intensity, and poetic prose. The tone and mood of the text can be described as
nostalgic. The tone is nostalgic as it reflects on the innocence and wonder of childhood. The
readers are transported back into their childhood to a time of imagination and curiosity,
evoking a sense of longing and reminiscence. The message of the author or her purpose for
writing the short story is to remind parents that we need to be observant with the people
around us especially our family. There are some people that will take advantage of us. Like in
the story they didn't even bother check Vicente, that's why something happened to the little
girl.
 In conclusion, Magnificence by Estrella Alfon is a beautifully crafted narrative that
explores the loss of innocence. Overall Magnificence is a thought-provoking story that leaves
an impact to the readers. This can be read by parents for them to realize that you need to
check on the people that you trust your child with. You cannot trust everyone around you.
Your children are very precious.