“Five Brothers, One

Mother”
(“The Many Mansions”)

Exie Abola
Marikina
 Alexis Augusto L. Abola
Exie Abola

• MA in Creative Writing from UP

Diliman
• Currently teaches at the English
Department at the Ateneo de Manila.
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
• Creative Writing
• Philippine Fiction in English

AWARDS
• Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Short Story
(2015, 2011, 2005)

• Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Essay

(2000)
MARIKINA
⮚ The Shoe Capital of the Philippines

⮚1st class highly urbanized city in

Metro Manila

⮚Land Area: 21.52 km²

⮚Population: 450,741 (2015)

TOURIST SPOT
Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish
Marikina Sports Center
Marikina River Park
Marikina City Footwear Museum
 CHARACTERS

Sister
Five Brothers Mother
 SETTING

MARIKINA CITY
 EXPOSITION
The Marikina house wasn't finished yet, but with an
ultimatum hanging over our heads, we had  no choice but to
move in. Just how unfinished the house was became bruisingly
clean on our first night. There was no electricity yet, and the
window didn't have screen. There were mosquitoes I couldn't
sleep the whole night.
 CONFLICT
⮚ Man vs. Nature - Because they can't sleep without electricity
and it the mosquito was biting them.

⮚ Man vs. Self - because their mother start to get lonely as they
grow up, because she was thinking that, time was so fast and
someday those children he was taking care of will leave her soon.
 CLIMAX
As we grew older and drifted farther and
farther away from her gasp, defining our
own lives outside of the house. my mother
must have felt that she was losing us to
friends, jobs, loves-forces beyond her
control.
 RESOLUTION
Sundays we come over to the house, everyone who has
moved out, and have lunch together. Sunday lunches were
always differently esteemed in our household. Now that
some of us have left, I sense that my siblings try harder than
they ever did to be there. I know I do. I try not to deprive
my mother the chance to do what she does best.
 ENDING
After see off the last guests after the most
recent gathering, she sighed, "Ang kalat
ng bahay " I didn't see her face but I could
hear her smiling. My father replied
"Masaya ka naman." It wasn't a secret.
THEME
Mother’s Love
 MORAL OF THE STORY
✔ The writer teaches people to delight in every second.

✔ Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone;
and do not be troubled about the future for it has yet to
come. Live in the present and make it so beautiful that it
will be worth remembering.”
THANK YOU!