Foresaken House

"Forsaken House" by Wilfrido Maria Guerrero is from the 13 Plays (1947) The play depicts a typical Filipino family in the post war era where the father assumes total control of all the affairs of the family and how the children responded to the repressing circumstances.

The Characters

* Ramon – husband
* Encarna - submissive wife

The Children

* Teresita – eldest daughter, most self possessed of the children
* Clemencia - tiny and weak of constitution, nervous by temperament
* Adeling - pretty, strong-willed and impulsive
* Jorge - the eldest brother
* Flavio - most reserved of the brothers, his reserved nature is dangerous, his brooding eyes reveal strange longings and desires
* Gonzalo - the youngest of the family
* Tony - the prodigal son who ran away to the U.S

* Tio Carlos, Tia Pelagia, Nilda, Edgardo, Mr. Sarte, a servant, a policeman

Time

* First Act - seven in the evening
* Second Act - two weeks later, eight in the evening
* Third Act - three weeks later, eight-thirty in the evening

etting

a dimly lighted and richly-furnished living room

ynopsis

The main conflict

The conflict of the plot revolved around the character of Ramon. As the father, Ramon is absolutely convinced that it is only his will that must be obeyed by all the members of his family. His rigidity provoked a miniature revolt among his children. Tony, a character vaguely described in the story was the first to express his outrage against the severity of the condition. He decided to leave and settle in the United States of America; as a result, his father considers him no longer as his son and forbids his name to be mentioned in the house.

Act one started with the obvious abhorrence expressed by the children by seeking explanation from their mother why they were treated as if they were irresponsible adults devoid of keen judgment. All the children felt that their existence were restricted within the confines of their house. Encarna the mother reasoned with the children telling them that their father knew what is best for them and was simply protecting them from the wickedness of the outside world. The comfort and luxury of the house, she insisted, should be good enough to spend their extra time. The children thought otherwise and demanded their mother to persuade their father to grant them more freedom and to live life without his lingering presence.

The argument the children had with their mother was an overture to the coming tragedy. The children were all resigned that their fate was solely controlled by their father and only through radical actions that they can recover and ultimately discover themselves.

Climax

The succeeding scenes were crafted to depict the intense yearning of the children to get away from the commanding presence of their father. Adeling decided to abandon her family together with Edgardo. The consequence of her act produced a more rigorous control from the father allowing the rest of the children to increase their sufferings. When Adeling left Clemencia was utterly distressed and got real sick with anemia. Jorge on the other hand was reprimanded by his father when his teacher, Prof. Sarte informed his father that he stole money (forty pesos) from his class fund. Both Flavio and Gonzalo had brought home their own version of troubles; the later was infected with leprosy from an unrespectable woman and Flavio was shot and killed during a fight in a cabaret. After witnessing all these painful episodes in the family Clemencia finally retired and in a peculiar way somehow liberated herself from her father’s tyranny.

Before all these events took place, Tio Carlos was constantly reminding Ramon that the children felt intense suffocation the way how things transpire in the house. Carlos tried to deliver the message to Ramon, even questioning the way how he rears his children and insisted that a different method is necessary to let the children experience life. Carlos argued that the reason why his children were acting strangely was primarily because they can no longer endure excess repressions. But his warning was plainly ignored and Ramon responded by further suppressing the will of his children. Tia Pelagia was another person who showed affection and to whom the children expressed their emotions and disgust.

Turning point

Ramon realized that the events that happened in the family proved that his ways were complete disaster. He felt absolute resignation and defeat; he had created hell inside his house that ruined the lives of his children.

Falling Action

After recognizing his defeat, Ramon decided let go of his children and allowed them to make decisions for themselves. He finally gave Teresita his blessing to enter the convent and dedicate herself to God. Jorge was given permission to leave the house and find his own way. He also reconciled himself and admitted that Adeling had found her new home in the warm embrace of Edgardo.

Conclusion

Ramon made peace with his sick son Gonzalo, the only child left after all the rest decided to abandon the house. He showed his remorse by giving joy to his son by inviting him son to spend sometime in their country house in Sibul.

Theme

The play revealed the dominance of male in the Filipino family. Though there were several female characters, the characters of Ramon and Carlos were imposing. The mother was projected as weak and somebody who readily submits to the will of her husband. The children though abhor the situation they still showed astounding reverence to their father which is customarily expected from Filipino children.