Born in 1894 in Lucena City, Quezon, Márquez Benítez wrote the first modern English-language short story by a Filipino, "Dead Stars," published in the Philippine Herald in 1925. As a member of the distinguished Márquez family of Quezon province, she was part of the first generation of Filipinos educated under the American system, which used English as the language of instruction.
Characters
ALFREDO SALAZAR:
He is the son of Don Julian. He is over thirty years old bachelor. Alfred Salazar believes in true love and optimism to discover ecstasy in its stir. Esperanza is the first woman he falls in love with. After their engagement, he falls in love with Julia Salas.
ESPERANZA:
She is the wife of Alfredo Salazar. Esperanza is an impassionate woman having strong will and principles. A homely woman, she is also among the lucky women who have the aptitude of consistent beauty.
JULIA SALAS:
She is the sister in law of Judge Dal Valle, a friend of Alfredo’s father. She is the second woman with whom Alfredo falls in love with. She remains single for her entire life.
Second-lead Characters
DON JULIAN: He is the father of Alfredo Salazar.
CARMEN: She is the only sister of Alfredo Salas.
JUDGE DEL VALLE: He is Julia’s brother in law.
DONNA ADELLA: She is Julia’s sister. A pretty, small, plump woman with baby complexion.
CALIXTA: He is a note-carrier of Esperanza and Alfredo Salazar.
DIONISIO: Donna’s husband.
VICENTE: Carmen’s husband.
BRIGIDA SAMUY: The elusive woman whom Alfredo is searching for.
Summary
The story of the short story Dead Stars revolves around a man, Alfred Salazar, and his affairs. Alfred Salazar believes in true love and optimism to discover ecstasy in its stir. Esperanza is the first woman he falls in love with.
The families of both of them are acquainted with each other and hence they start a loving relationship. Both get engaged after three years of their relationship. Alfredo is a lawyer who has strong desires and wants warmth and compassion, however, Esperanza is an impassionate woman having strong will and principles. Alfredo’s love for her soon fades away when he meets Julia. Julia, now, becomes a new object of his desire.
Julia Salas is sister in law of the Judge, who is a friend of Alfredo’s father. Julia is an optimistic and enthusiastic person having her own dreams and desires.
When Alfredo comes across her, he is strongly attracted to her. On his visit to her with his father, he engages himself in conversation with her and is attracted to her charm. Even he is so passionate that he doesn’t disclose his engagement to Esperanza.
So as to avoid the discovery of his fiancée, he keeps secrets from Esperanza too. His eyes are doomed when he learns about Julia’s return to his native town. With the fear of losing her, Alfredo decides to declare his true feeling for Julia.
When the Church’s function ends, Alfredo goes to meet her, though his fiancé is waiting for him. When he reaches there, he learns that Julia has already known about his engagement to Esperanza. She wishes him for his marriage and leaves him.
On his return home, he gets a double blow. He finds Esperanza talking to her friend about loyalty and faithfulness. Alfredo senses a desire to communicate. He supports the reason for craving and choice over dishonesty.
Esperanza soon confesses that she knew about his affair with Julia. In pursuit of his lust and heart’s content, she encourages him to cancel the wedding. However, the wedding goes ahead as scheduled and Alfred surrenders to reason.
Near Julia’s native town, Alfred, after eight years, is sent to some work duty. On his visit, he feels nostalgic and cannot resist his lust for Julia and soon finds an excuse to meet her.
Julia is still single that forces Alfred to dream about starting a new life with her; however, he soon realizes that everything is not the same as it were before. Moreover, Julia has also changed lost something.
Notes and Analysis / Study Guide for Students
Paz Márquez Benítez's short tale "Dead Stars" is written in third person. Published in 1925, it is noteworthy in Philippine English literature because it symbolizes the beginning of contemporary English writing in the nation. English was a new medium at the time, and writers were unsure how to utilize it effectively.
"Dead Stars" is a masterwork that transcends a love tale and captures the spirit of its day. It captures the language, conventions, and customs of early twentieth-century Filipino culture, providing insights into attitudes toward marriage, faithfulness, and courting. The novel compares past and contemporary cultural values, highlighting the disappearing old culture vs the developing modern one.
The novel also addresses social feminism, depicting women as weak and dependant while males are portrayed as superior, smart, and logical. Despite this, the story challenges patriarchal assumptions by portraying women as empathetic and caring.
