Reading Guide: Marriage

Infidelity and Mistress Culture

“The Small Key” by Paz Latorena 

  1. In the relationship between Soledad and Pedro, how does fear govern marriage?  Why did fear surface in Soledad on that particular day? 
  2. What is the significance of the names of the two main characters: Soledad and Pedro? 

“Poem to the Other Woman” by Trinidad Tarrosa-Subido

  1. According to Tarrosa-Subido, who is to blame when the husband strays from marriage? What does the speaker feel towards the other woman? 
  2. How does the speaker grieve for the loss of her relationship while not being vengeful towards the other woman? 
  3. What does this text tell us about mistress culture in the Philippines? 

“The Chieftest Mourner” by Aida Rivera-Ford 

  1. What is “honor” in relation to marriage in Philippine culture? How is preserving one’s honor a looming fear in marriage? To Aunt Sophia, is honor more meaningful than love? 
  2. How can we understand mistress culture through the eyes of a child? Why is this important? What does this tell us about Filipino childhood? How does the narrator’s naivety (at the time of her uncle’s death) impact our authentic reading of the story? 
  3. How does mistress culture impact family structure? 

“Smoky Mountain” by Grace Talusan

  1. How would you describe Inang and Tatang’s marriage? 
  2. What role do race, class, and age play in mistress culture, as indicated in Talusan’s piece? 
  3. What moral criticisms does Talusan make in her short story? 
  4. How does Talusan interpret the wife and mistress archetypes in the piece? How does she advocate for Inang in terms of her sexual autonomy and agency? 
  5. What relationship does Tatang have with Nene? How would you describe it? 
  6. How does Tatang experience his wife’s death? How does this compare with Rivera-Ford’s “The Chieftest Mourner”? 
  7. How does Alvaro view his father? What does this say about mistress culture and child rearing?  

“The Wench” by Sixto Roces

  1. In “The Wench”, the woman, instead of the man, is unfaithful. According to Roces, what are the characteristics of an unfaithful woman? 
  2. How is painting used as a motif to express the Filipino-Christian theme of honor? 
  3. In the original Spanish version, the title is translated to “The Flower of Evil”. Why do you think there is a difference between the English and Spanish translations? What does this say about how these two colonial cultures view women’s infidelity towards their husbands? 
  4. Why and how is Maria written out to be the enemy (considering that Roces is a male author)?

Woman, the Enemy

“Crazy Souls” by Jesus Balmori

  1. How does Balmori describe the marriage between the man and his wife? What language does Balmori use to describe the woman? 
  2. What is the significance of the line: “He heard footsteps on the street, he heard his wife, silent thief of honor, get out of bed very slowly”? What does this say about a woman’s role in marriage, and marriage as an institution? 
  3. What did the man expect of his wife? 
  4. How is the story’s ending a critique of women’s poor treatment during marriage? What makes the grotesque so powerful here? 
  5. Interpret this quote: “He bent his eyes over the dead body; from the red rug emerged in the whiteness of stars sculptural forms; the loose hair in a mysterious halo around the slightly bluish face, with the bloody lips and half-closed eyes in an enchanting shade of violet. And upon seeing her so sweetly beautiful, a gust of tragic piety made his hair stand on end, chilled his body, and made him cry for love of the form, and for the death, the pain of love”.

“Tears” by Evangelina E. Guerrero-Zacarias

  1. According to Guerrero-Zacarias, what agency does a woman have in marriage? Does the author try to justify Belen’s decision?
  2. What diction does Guerrero-Zacarias use that makes the women out to be the perceived enemies? How does this speak to larger events in world history such as witch trials?
  3. How does Leonardo take revenge on his wife? What do you think of this punishment? Did Leonardo do it out of spite or love for his daughter?  
  4. Guerrero-Zacarias describes Belen as “a comely dark-complexioned girl with the eyes of a native, large and jet-black which had been infused with life by a magical breath.” Although we don’t know Leonardo’s ethnic background, what claim does Guerrero-Zacarias make about how indigenous women are perceived in relationships? 
Thematic Questions:
1) What are the expectations of women in marriage? 
2) How do children interpret marriage? What are they taught to believe? 
3) How are women made out to be the enemy in marriage?