- Juanita Cruz
Originally written in Hiligaynon, "Juanita Cruz" is a novel written by
Magdalena G. Jalandoni in 1966. This masterpiece is highly regarded for tackling the struggle of a woman to free herself from the rule of a patriarchal and norm-ridden society. Considered as one of the most prolific Filipina writers in thePhilippines , Jalandoni wrote her first novel at the age of 16. She was awarded the First-republic Cultural Heritage Award for Literature in 1969. It is said that there are more than 6 volumes of novels, poems, dramas, essays and short stories written under her own name.Plot
Juanita Cruz or Nita, is the only daughter of Don Macario and Dona Beatriz, one of the most affluent families from the town of Salog (at present, known as Jaro) in the province of Iloilo. Her friendship with Lina, a daughter of a poor family opened her eyes to see the disparity between the rich and the poor. As a child, the early demise of Lina gave Nita her first heartache.
Nita was sheltered and pampered as she grows. She is considered the binukot, the untouched princess, of her rich and powerful family. Her fate started to change when she met the already fine man named Elias, the only brother of her friend Lina. Since Elias’ family belongs to a lower social status, Nita’s parents and brothers- Edgar and Chito, are against their relationship.
The day before Elias leaves the country to study in Spain under a scholarship grant, the lovers secretly met in a garden. Unfortunately, they were caught by Don Macario and Dona Beatriz. Soon, Nita’s position in her family was replaced by her cousin Mila. Later on, Nita could no longer bear her sufferings that she decided to leave their house and found herself challenged by the waves of fate that would have drowned her in uncharted depths of the ocean.
Since then, Nita went on a journey in pursuit of her passions in life. She remained single until she finally met Elias-the man of her dreams, again. The love story of Nita and Elias ended with the death of Elias as one of the high ranking officers of the revolutionary army against the Spanish colonizers.
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