Summer

Solstice
-Nick Joaquin-
A presentation for
LIT 101
Philippine Literature
 Summe
Solstice
r
• derived from Latin words: "sol" - sun, and
"sistere," - to stand still.

• A solstice is an astronomical event that

happens twice a year, when the tilt of the
Earth's axis is most inclined toward
(Summer solstice) or away (Winter
solstice) from the Sun.
 Summer
Solstice
• the day with the greatest number of
daylight hours which typically occurs within
a day or two of, June 21 for the northern
hemisphere or within a day or two of
December 21 for the Southern
Hemisphere.
 Summer
Solstice
• In Christian countries, the feast day of St. John the Baptist
was set as June 24. It "is one of the oldest feasts, introduced
into both the Greek and Latin liturgies to honor a saint. A
feast held on the alleged date of birth, than the usual
anniversary of their death. The Catholic Encyclopedia
explains that St. John was "filled with the Holy Ghost even
from his mother's womb...[thus his] birth...should be
signalized as a day of triumph." His feast day is offset a few
days after the summer solstice. 
• In pre-historic times, summer was a joyous time of the year
for those Aboriginal people who lived in the northern
latitudes. The snow had disappeared; the ground had
thawed out; warm temperatures had returned; flowers were
blooming; leaves had returned to the deciduous trees. Some
herbs could be harvested, for medicinal and other uses.
 Summer
Solstice
• Food was easier to find. The crops had already been
planted and would be harvested in the months to come.  
• This time of year, between the planting and harvesting of
the crops, was the traditional month for weddings. This is
because many ancient peoples believed that the "grand
[sexual] union" of the Goddess and God.
Characters:
• Dona Lupeng Moreta- long-married woman with three
children
• Don Paeng Moreta- the highly moral husband of Donya
Lupeng
• Guido- young cousin to the Moretas who studied in
Spain
• Amada- the family cook and Entoy's wife
• Entoy- the family driver
 Dona Lupeng Moreta-

• Dynamic
• Directly characterized as the beautiful wife
of Don Paeng.
• Indirectly characterized as skeptical, easily
annoyed, proud, …
 Don Paeng Moreta-
• Dynamic
• Directly characterized as husband of Dona Lupeng
• Indirectly characterized in this dialogue with Dona Lupeng."These
young men today—what a disgrace they are! I felt embarrassed as
a man to see him following you about with those eyes of a
whipped dog.“She glanced at him coldly. "And was that all you felt,
Paeng? embarrassed—as a man?“ "A good husband has constant
confidence in the good sense of his wife," he pronounced grandly,
and smiled at her. But she drew away; huddled herself in the other
corner. "He kissed my feet," she told him disdainfully, her eyes on
his face. He frowned and made a gesture of distaste. "Do you
see? They have the instincts, the style of the canalla! To kiss a
woman's feet, to follow her like a dog, to adore her like a slave—“
"Is it so shameful for a man to adore women?“
"A gentleman loves and respects Woman. The cads and lunatics
—they 'adore' the women."
 Guido-
• Round
• Directly characterized as some one who studied in
Europe and the cousin of the Moretas
• Indirectly characterized through his fascination with the
ritual, the way he mocked Dona Lupeng…
 Amada-
• Flat
• Directly characterized as an old fat woman, the cook of
the Moretas, wife of Entoy, and the one who had the
spirits within her
 Entoy-
• Static
• Directly characterized as the driver of the Moretas, the
husband of Amada who constantly beats his wife.
• Indirectly characterized as powerless to his wife after
she became the tadtarin
 Women of Tadtarin
• Static
• Directly and indirectly characterized with a huge beliefs
in the tadtarin
 Moreta Children
• Static
• Indirectly characterized as a normal children
Conflict:
• Internal conflict: Man vs. Himself
– Collision between instincts and refined culture
Plot:
• The Moretas were to spend St. John's Day with the
children's grandfather. As Doña Lupeng waken feeling
faint with the heat and a sound of screaming in her ears,
she found the children's nurse working in the kitchen
instead of the cook named Amada. She went out to look
for the cook but as she opened the door, the screaming
became wild. The screams were coming from Amada.
• Dona Lupeng heard from Entoy, the family’s driver and
Amada’s husband, that Amada went to see the Tadtarin
and is being possessed by the spirits of Tadtarin, a thing
that had Dona Lupeng in disbelief.
Plot:
• On their way to the Grandfather’s house, the family
encountered a procession for St. John, which annoyed
Dona Lupeng. At the grandfather’s house, Guido, Don
Paeng’s cousin who studied in Europe and also a
participant in the procession, presented himself properly
and ended up having a conversation with Dona Lupeng.
Apparently, Guido adores the fiesta, sees it as romantic
and interprets it as a ritual from the earliest dawn of the
world, where the dominant figure is not the male but the
female. As Dona Lupeng heard Guido’s views, she was
abashed causing her to leave. As she lifted her skirts to
walk away, the young man, propped up his elbows,
dragged himself forward on the ground and solemnly
kissed the tips of her shoes. She stared down in sudden
horror, backed away slowly then fled.
Plot:
• The children were left to stay overnight at their
grandfather's, on the way home, Don Paeng noticed that
his wife was in a mood. Dona Lupeng complained on how
Guido adores women and how he kissed her shoe, Don
Paeng replied to this by insulting Guido as a disgrace for
men and that men should only love and respect women,
and those who adore women are cads and lunatics,
making Dona Lupeng to respond that maybe women do
not want to be loved and respected but to be adored.
• As the couple reached home, Dona Lupeng decided to
see the last day of the Tadtarin herself, whether or not
allowed or accompanied by Don Paeng. Not being able to
persuade his wife to stay, Don Paeng accompanied her
to the plaza where the ritual was being held.
Plot:
• In the plaza, the crowd parted, and up the street came the
prancing, screaming, writhing women, their eyes wild, black
shawls flying around their shoulders, and their long hair
streaming and covered with leaves and flowers. As the ritual
took its course and seeing it, Don Paeng felt that all those
women had personally insulted him. He turned to his wife, to
take her away, though she nodded meekly and allowed
herself to be led away, she suddenly pulled herself free from
his grasp, darted off, and ran into the crowd of dancing
women. Don Paeng ran after her, shouted her name, but
she laughed and shook her head and darted deeper into the
dense maze of procession, which moved towards the
chapel. He followed her into the chapel where inside poured
the entire procession. He found himself trapped tight among
milling female bodies, struggled with sudden panic to fight
his way out.
Plot:
• Upon noticing that a man had sneaked in with the
women, the women beaten Don Paeng and had him
thrown out to the streets. After being thrown out of the
chapel, he found Entoy and ordered him to fetch Dona
Lupeng and ordered for them to leave.
• When they got home, Don Paeng wanted to whip Dona
Lupeng as a revenge for the beatings he had received,
but instead of whipping her, he ended up entranced by
her, and admitted that he adores her, as he kissed her
foot savagely.
Exposition:
• The Moretas were spending St. John's Day with the
children's grandfather, whose feast day it was. Doña
Lupeng awoke feeling faint with the heat, a sound of
screaming in her ears. In the dining room the three boys
already attired in their holiday suits, were at breakfast,
and came crowding around her, talking all at once.
• Though it was only seven by the clock the house was
already a furnace, the windows dilating with the harsh
light and the air already burning with the immense,
intense fever of noon.
• Donya Lupeng saw Amada possessed by the Tadtarin.
• … as they drove in the open carriage through the
pastoral countryside that was the arrabal of Paco in the
1850's.
Rising action:
• Guido’s behavior towards Dona Lupeng
• Dona Lupeng’s sudden interest with the Tadtarin
• The girls broke away from their parents and wives from
their husbands to join in the orgy. And when Don Paeng
said to his wife that they must leave the ritual dance,
Donya Lupeng was shaking with fascination; tears
trembled on her lashes; but she nodded meekly and
allowed herself to be led away. But suddenly she pulled
free from his grasp, darted off, and ran into the crowd of
dancing women. She flung her hands to her hair and
whirled and her hair came undone. Then, planting her
arms akimbo, she began to trip a nimble measure, an
indistinctive folk-movement. She tossed her head back
and her arched throat bloomed whitely. Her eyes brimmed
with moonlight, and her mouth with laughter.
Climax:
• Don Paeng ran after her, shouting her name, but she laughed and
shook her head and darted deeper into the dense maze of
procession. He followed her, shouting; she eluded him, laughing—
and through the thick of the female horde they lost and found and
lost each other again—she, dancing and he pursuing—till, carried
along by the tide, they were both swallowed up into the hot, packed,
turbulent darkness of the chapel. Inside poured the entire
procession, and Don Paeng, finding himself trapped tight among
milling female bodies, struggled with sudden panic to fight his way
out. Angry voices rose all about him in the stifling darkness. Terror
possessed him and he struck out savagely with both fists, with all
his strength—but they closed in as savagely: solid walls of flesh that
crushed upon him and pinned his arms helpless, while unseen
hands struck and struck his face, and ravaged his hair and clothes,
and clawed at his flesh, as—kicked and buffeted, his eyes blind and
his torn mouth salty with blood—he was pushed down, down to his
knees, and half-shoved, half-dragged tothe doorway and rolled out
to the street.
Falling action:
• When they are home and stood facing each other in the
bedroom, she was still as light-hearted. Don Paeng
argues with Donya Lupeng on what she did on the ritual
that makes him disgust to her and to himself.
Resolution:
• Then there came to a point that Don Paeng would whip
Donya Lupeng but never did because she love Lupeng
and adored her he cannot do it in spite that Lupeng
insisted it. Then because of love and respect given by
Don Paeng to her, she will do anything to prove it and
now, Donya Lupeng ordered him to lie down and kissed
her feet. Without moment's hesitation, he sprawled down
flat and, working his arms and legs, gaspingly clawed his
way across the floor, like a great agonized lizard, the
woman steadily backing away as he approached. He lay
exhausted at her feet, his face flat on the floor. She
raised her skirts and contemptuously thrust out a naked
foot. He lifted his hands and grasped the white foot and
kisses it savagely—kissed the step, the sole, and the
frail ankle.
Point of view:
• Omniscient point of view
Theme:
• Empowerment of the woman over the man and also the
dominance of the women

• Collision between instincts and refined culture. The

underlying theme is that the mutual love, care, and
understanding relationship between couples
Symbol:
• Tadtarin ritual a love-seeking ritual for those couples who
are somehow loosing their love for each other
Figurative language:
• Oxymoron - she began noiselessly quaking with laughter
—the mute mirth jerking in her throat…
• Metaphor - She is the Tadtarin.
• Hyperbole - Their teeth flashed white in their laughing
faces and their hot bodies glowed crimson as they
pranced past…
• Simile - To kiss a woman's feet, to follow her like a dog,
to adore her like a slave—
• Allusion - a St. John indeed in the hands of the Herodias