Dead Stars Essay Example
Dead Stars Essay Example

Dead Stars Essay Example

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  • Pages: 4 (1038 words)
  • Published: May 20, 2018
  • Type: Essay
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Dead stars is a short story by Paz Marquez Benitez, written in 1925. It is a story about a game of love. A game between three lovers trapped in a situation that might change their life forever. Alfredo Salazar is a lawyer and the main character in the story. He is the love of the life of Esperanza. They have been together for four years and meant to get married in May. Their relationship in the beginning was full of enthusiasm, full of love and happiness. But like other long term relationships, their feelings for each other changes as time goes by.

Esperanza was beautiful, elegant, reserved, and distinctly not average type of a woman. She loves her Alfredo so much and trusted him with her whole heart. After their four years of engagement, Alfredo thought of find

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ing his real wants. When Alfredo tried to do some neighboring with his dad Don Julian, he met Julia Salas, their neighbor's sister-in-law. She was just a visitor in town and been there for only six weeks. They found good company between themselves and as they knew it, it became a weekly habit for Alfredo to visit her after every Sundays mass.

Julia is the average type, not so beautiful but still it interests Alfredo so much. As they grew their new friendship, Alfredo found new happiness and starts to fall for her. One day, his family invited Julia's family in their coconut plantation near their beach. It's a chance for them to have some quality time together, but this is also the time to say goodbye. Julia is planning to leave the town and go back home. It break

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the heart of Alfredo and made him more confused than ever.

He is thinking of choosing Julia over his fiancee Esperanza, but what people will say is what he thinks matter most. He married Esperanza after Julia left the town, he was not unhappy and realizes that everything have fallen back into place. After eight years of marriage, Alfredo still can't get over Julia's memories. His thought of Julia is hunting him, and those what-ifs dilemma. Would he be happier if he chose Julia instead of Esperanza? One day, he had the chance to come to the homeland of Julia in Santa Cruz.

He doesn't know the exact place where Julia lives but she mentioned the street one time they were chatting, Calle Luz. He tried to find a woman sitting in the window, and his right, he found her. There's nothing much changed, he missed sitting and chatting right next to her, but he found something missing. Everything about her seems to be just the same since she left, but there's something in her that Alfredo cannot find anymore. He never knew until he realizes that the magic is gone. The love he ever knew he has for Julia is gone.

After all those years that he knew he loved her, was just like looking at a star. A star he ever wanted to touch, to feel and the thing he wanted for the rest of his life. But this star is too far from his reach, it brights from a far but dies when you're near. It was all a dream, he thought he'll never wake but it's been years since he woke up. After all,

it was loving a dead star, its already dead but still you see the light. Paz Marquez Benitez made her mark in Philippine literature because her work Dead Stars is considered the first modern Philippine short story.

She presented the story under the perception of Alfredo Salazar, how he sets his mind, how confused he is and how he made his decision. She focused the story mostly between Alfredo and Julia because it's the only complication. Everything changed since they met and back to normal when they fell apart. She intends to tell the readers how to handle such situation that's too possible to happen to anyone. She knows how Filipino reacts in the past times, like they were very conservative and traditional, and it really affects every decision we make as seen by the society.

The author also shows how hard it is to choose between two things you love and like, you want and need, you should and not, and it's all when love and fate collide. The story Dead Stars is a wonderful story about love that could inspire readers from every generation. The setting and date of the story was from a long time ago but we could still relate it somehow in our time today. The Filipino traditions that the author showed in the story, can still be seen in our modern life. The society and their affection for ones act, is still happening anywhere in the Philippines.

We still couldn't make our own decisions without thinking what this so-called society will say. It could be a good or bad thing to ask or at least think of what people might say. Good,

because everyone around us might be affected on every decision we make, and we should care about their feelings about the situation. Bad, because you are not being true to yourself and you're not free to listen to your own mind and heart, which is the very important source of every decision. For me, if I were Alfredo, I would do what my heart tells me and choose whom I really love no matter what the cost is, in the end.

I believe that time doesn't matter, even if I love someone for a long time, it doesn't mean that I will love him forever. Everything in this world is just temporary and I'm ready to accept my fate if after all this feeling will just fade. In the situation of Alfredo and Julia, where he fell in love with a span of only six weeks, it could be the love that will last forever. If he chose Julia, he could have been happier, because it's true. He love her even though she's not so beautiful, he love her because of the reason love itself.

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