At War's End

Presented by Group 7
AUTHOR AND HIS
BACKGROUND
NAME OF AUTHOR: Rony V. Diaz
Born in Cabanatuan, Nueva
Ecija, on Dec. 2, 1932
- First Novel

- Known for His

prize-winning
short novel
“to devote all (my)
time to
storytelling.”
Two novels, Elegy for
Candida and Quita y
Pone, to form a trilogy
with At War’s End
Diaz’s net worth
or net income is
estimated to be
$1 million – $5
million dollars
OTHER WORKS:
Death in a sawmill,
Canticles for Three Women: La Merced Cycle
The Centipede
ABOUT THE LITERARY WORK
STORY NO. 2: AT THE WAR'S END
SETTING:
During WWII somewhere in the
Philippines
( Leyte, Manila)
CHARACTER:
Virgilio Serrano- the main character
Don Pepe- Virgilio’s Father.
Clara- Aunt of Virgilio and Don Pepe’s
sister.
Honesto Garcia- Clara's husband
Carding Valdefuerza- One of the tenants
Nestor Gallego- Closest friend of Virgilio
Arturo- a driver of Virgilio
Ricardo Valdefuerza- a lawyer.
Josefa- housemaid
Police Officer No.1 and Police Officer
No.2- who investigates the crime scene.
Victor- one of Virgilio's friend
Zacarias- is also Virgilio's
Enrique- one of Virgilio's friend.
Apolonio- is also a friend of Virgilio.
Father Sean O’Donovan, S.J.- a
priest.
Father Francisco Santander- the parish
priest.
Jose Jr.- is the son of Honesto and Clara.
Restituto- a caretaker.
CHARACTERIZATION
Virgilio Serrano- the main character, a

sophomore student at the University of the

Philippines Diliman who came from a wealthy
family..
Don Pepe- Virgilio’s father who worked
hard to give Virgilio the best resources
and opportunities in life.
Clara- She is Don Pepe’s sister and wife of
Honesto. She is also the one who looked
after Virgilio’s.
Honesto Garcia- Clara's husband, didn't
have proper education but is strong willed
and is street smart.
Carding Valdefuerza- who happened to
appear at the latter part of the story reveals on
the real reason of Virgilio's life changing
decision.
Nestor Gallego- his confidant, and narrator
of the story through his point of view, and
who sense that there is something that is
bothering Virgilio
Arturo- a driver of Virgilio and who find
out that he committed suicide, and he
then rushed to Nestor to tell what
happened.
Ricardo Valdefuerza- believes
that workers/farmers own the
land; a lawyer.
Josefa- is the housemaid
knocked on the door of
Virgilio’s bedroom.
Police Officer No.1 – the
one who went out to the
yard to look for clues
 Police Officer No.2- the one
who made a sketch of the
scene and searched the
bedroom systematically and
the one who find the poem
Victor- who declared and says
“The war has given us the opportunity to
change this country. The feudal order is
being challenged all over the world.
Mao Tse Tung has triumphed in China.
Soon the revolution will be here. We
have to help prepare the people for it.”
Zacarias- is also Virgilio's friend
and decided to make a career in
physics and chemistry.
Enrique- soon to be electrical
engineering and also one of
Virgilio's friend.
Apolonio- is also a friend
of Virgilio who attend the
dinner party.
Father Sean O’Donovan, S.J.-
who refused to say Mass or to
bless the corpse.
Father Francisco Santander-
the parish priest.
Jose Jr.- is the son of
Honesto and Clara.
Restituto- a caretaker.
CONFLICTS
Man vs Self conflict
and Suicide.
LITERARY
DEVICES:
• Frame story
• Foreshadowing
• Point of View
•Frame story
 • Foreshadowing

“THE evening before he

killed himself, Virgilio
Serrano gave a dinner party”
•Point of View
THEME
The Intractable Conflict Challenge
Summary
"At War's End", set shortly after the
end of WWII in Manila, it is told in
the first person by a college friend
of Virgilio. The story began when
Virgilio welcomed his friends to
their house, for the dinner he was
hosting.
Virgilio’s house was described
as an ironic presence because
despite of their house being
well-maintained, the rest of the
neighborhood was mostly
wrecked due to the bombings
during the world war
Nestor mentioned that all of
them were amazed of how
smart and gifted Virgilio
was. The dinner went well,
and just in time the table
was cleared;
Victor opened the discussion
about the benefits of the war.
The room was split into two;
those who want change
through revolution and those
who find it unnecessary.
Before the discussion could go
somewhere else, Virgilio asked to
change the subject. He then played his
piano for his friends; whereby Nestor
could already sense that there is
something that is bothering Virgilio.
The chaos started when Virgilio
did not appear for his breakfast
at eight. Arturo, his driver
climbed up to the window of his
bedroom only to find out that he
committed suicide.
He then rushed to Nestor to tell what
happened and then they reported the
suicide to the police and went back to the
house to check the crime scene. The
policemen began searching the place, and
interviewed the maids and the other house
helpers.
Before the dinner, without
anyone’s knowledge, Carding
talked to Virgilio regarding their
rights on Serrano’s land rooting
from the scientific socialism that
has widely spread to the tenants,
promising them that in every
hard work they do comes a
reasonable reward which is the
piece of land for each. Although
it was concealed and shared at
the latter part of the story
The Recognition stage happened
when after few hours of searching the
bedroom for clues and evidences,
they then found a book of poem he
written entitled “Down There” where
Virgilio dedicated it for Nestor- as his
confidant.
Although it was a clear suicide, Nestor
didn’t know what the book was for and
what did it meant at that time, but he
recognized that it has something to do
about Virgilio’s death; something that
may contain and conceal the reasons as
why he did it
so, he asked for it once the police were
done investigating it. Virgilio might
have recognized also that there are only
two things that he can do- give up the
land and take enough to sustain their
lifestyle or not.
Carding entered the scene asking Nestor if Virgilio left a last
will and testament containing about the land. Out of
disappointment, Carding said that Virgilio has changed his
mind regarding it and they have no choice but to take the
Serrano’s land by force. The day of the funeral, Nestor’s heart
was racing because he knew the reason for Virgilio’s suicide.
The last 2 words he said before the story end are “save me.”
Moral
Lesson
Suicide is not a solution
INDIVIDUAL UNDERSTANDING:
Courtney: Virgilio has a great life but despite of
having a great life he kill himself. The author did
not conceal the meaning of the poem, names, and
places written on “Down There”, that’s why I
cannot fully understand why he kill himself is it
because
he is struggling whether he would give up the land
or not? Or he is really a coward for not being able
to stand on his decisions that’s why he kill
himself? And there is Nestor, being haunted by
this truth and the real reason of his friend’s death
hence he said, “save me”.
When I read it first , I really thought
that the only problem was when
Virgilio committed suicide. After
reading it again, I read Nestor’s
conversation with Carding as the one
that has stirred the story.
 If Virgilio did not know the struggles and
demands of the tenants himself through
Carding, he wouldn’t have been bothered to
decide whether to give up the land or not. It
has stirred him inside that he simply cannot
decide whether to give it up or not so he
decided to kill himself, maybe, to escape his
problem.
Ammabelle: My understanding or reflection about
the "At War's End" by Rony V. Diaz is their
friendship of Virgilio and Nestor, their friendship
is one of the good example. But I don't like the
part that when Virgilio committed suicide,
which is the main character. But his friend Nestor he is
a good man but he didn't believe of his instinct. He
knows that there's something bothering Virgilio but he
didn't do anything, but I can't blame Nestor he is just
human too. But I like Virgilio, when he wrote a
message letter for his friend Nestor.
Paolo: What I understood from the story “At
War’s End” by Rony V. Diaz is Virgillio under
pressure from classmates and influenced by
what he reads, to question the justice of 1000
tenants and their family
working in grinding poverty just to support him in
leisured comfort. He begins to think once the time
comes when he is in control of the estate he will
either will it to the tenants or perhaps, after
providing for aunt Clara, divide it up and end the
feudalism his family has lived from for generations.
Adamme: What I understood from the story
“At War’s End” by Rony Diaz is Virgilio
dinner party maybe serve as his last goodbye
because before he killed himself he invited
his love ones, his friends.
Grendelle: What I understood from the story is
maybe because of the dinner party trigger
Virgilio kill himself because he is pressured
what to do whether to gave up his land which
his father worked hard for or not.
 
Johari: What I understood from that story is Virgilio
Serrano has a big land and the tenants wants him to
give them the land because they did nothing to it and
it rightfully belongs to the workers. And because He
did not know what to do he kill himself after the
dinner party.
Question
Time