“MIDSUMMER”

Manuel Arguilla

The author of the story “MIDSUMMER” is Manuel Arguilla he was born on June 17, 1911 in

banuang ,la union his father was Crisanto Arguilla a farmer , and Margarita Estabilla a potter

his wife is Lydia Villanueva, another talented writer, and they lived in Ermita, Manuel

Arguilla died on August 30, 1944. Manuel Arguilla was an Ilokano writer in English,

patriot, and martyr. His genre was fiction, one of the first known story of manuel arguilla is

entitled “HOW MY BROTHER LEON BROUGHT HOME A WIFE”this story was his life

in barrio nagrebcan, banuang, la union. Manuel arguilla earned his bachelor of arts in

education in 1933 in UP. Arguilla thought creative writing at the university of manila and he

worked at bureau of public welfare advocate until 1943. Manuel arguilla elected as board of

censors and he secretly established the guirilla intelligence unit against Japanese during the

world war II, afterwards manuel arguilla was captured and executed by the Japanese. His

stories "Midsummer” is published in Tondo, Manila by the Prairie Schooner. The story was

an unforgettable encounter takesplace in a rural setting near a village well. The summer was

intense in its exhausting and uncompromising heat. The characters of the story was

thematically based on the powers of attraction and gravitation that exist between two

strangers, a young maiden, Mahinhin Filipina named Ading and a young Binata boy named

Manong. Manong is a strong and masculine traditional binata “torpe”.)Ading a young, sweet,

and fresh traditional dalaga and hospitable. Other characters mentioned: bull, Ading’s Mother

and Father, Manong’s Mother and Father. The descriptions of the characters were detailed

shows the physical attraction between the two. Filipino culture and tradition was showed way

of eating, greeting, hospitality, acceptance. The main character of the is Manong a strong,

masculine traditionalbinata“torpe” and Ading a young, sweet, and fresh She was young,
surprisingly sweet and fresh amidst her parched surrounding. Ading was a traditional dalaga

hospitable. The Other characters mentioned: bull, Ading’s Mother and Father, Manong’s

Mother and Father. The descriptions of the characters were detailed shows the physical

attraction between the two. Filipino culture and tradition was showed way of eating, greeting,

hospitality, acceptance. The story Happened during the course of summer in rural area near in

the village well. He pulled down his hat until the wide brim touched his shoulders. He

crouched lower under the cover of his cart and peered ahead. The road seemed to writhe

under the lash of the noon-day heat; it swum from side to side, humped and bent itself like a

feeling serpent, and disappeared behind the spur of a low hill on which grew a scrawny

thicket of bamboo. The man in the cart did not notice the woman until she had rounded the

spur of land and stood unmoving beside the road, watching the cart and its occupant comes

toward her. Manong sees Ading and followed her. However, she ignores him at first. She

stood straight and still beside the road and regarded him with frank curiosity. Suddenly she

turned and disappeared into the dry gorge. Coming to where she had stood a few moments

before, he pulled up the bull and got out of the cart. Driving the animal before him, he

followed the path. It led up the dry bed of the stream; the sharp fragments of sun-heated

rocks were like burning coals under his feet. There was no sign of the young woman .Ading

returned. Manong mustered the courage to talk to her. They conversed and found comfort in

each other’s company. she was very near, he ate more hurriedly, so that he almost choked.

He did not look at her. She placed the jar between three stones. When she picked up the rope

of the bucket, he came to himself. He looked up--straight into her face. He saw her eyes. They

were brown and were regarding him gravely, without embarrassment; he forget his own

timidity. They laughed and felt more at ease and regarded each other more openly. He took a

long time fingering his rice before raising it to his mouth, the while he gazed up at her and

smiled for no reason. She smile back in turn and gave the rope which she held an absent-
minded tug. After Manong helped Ading, Ading invited Manong to their house. Manong

refuses at first, but Ading insisted. He sent the bull after her with smart slap on its side. Then

he quickly gathered the remains of his meal, put them inside the jute sack which had almost

dried, and himself followed. Manong felt stronger and more enthusiastic. He felt he could

follow the slender, little figure ahead of him to the ends of the earth. The two main characters

had a hard time taking the courage to talk to each other. The conflict arises in their own

minds, fighting on what to do, and what consequences might go on after.

 MIDSUMMER

Manuel E. Arguilla

Literary critique

Ivy Pearl M. Samaniego

Rajan A. Galila

October 16, 2019

The Midsummer is one of the revered works in the Philippines and it was

written by Manuel Arguilla. Manuel Arguilla(1911-1944) was an Ilocano who

wrote in English. He was best known for his short story "How My Brother

Leon Brought Home a Wife." which received first price in the Commonwealth

Literary Contest in 1940.Most of his stories depict life in Barrio Nagrebcan,

Bauang, La Union, where he was born in 1911. He earned his Bachelor of

Arts in Education in 1933 at the University of the Philippines. He became a

member and later the president of the UP Writers' Club and editor of the

Literary Apprentice. He married Lydia Villanueva, another talented writer,

and they lived in Ermita, Manila.Arguilla taught creative writing at the

University of Manila and worked in the Bureau of Public Welfare as

managing editor of the Welfare Advocate until 1943; afterwards, he was

elected to the Board of Censors. He secretly established a guerilla intelligence

unit against the Japanese during World War II. In August 1944, Manuel

Arguilla was captured and executed by the Japanese.His stories

"Midsummer” is published in Tondo, Manila by the Prairie Schooner. The

story was an unforgettable encounter takesplace in a rural setting near a

village well. The summer was intense in its exhausting and uncompromising

heat. The characters of the story was thematically based on the powers of

attraction and gravitation that exist between two strangers, a young maiden,

Mahinhin Filipina named Ading and a young Binata boy named

Manong.Mamentioned: bull, Ading’s Mother and Father, Manong’s Mother

and Father.The descriptions of the characters were detailed shows the

physical attraction between the two.Filipino culture and tradition was showed

(e.g. way of eating, greeting, hospitality, acceptance) Midsummer is an

illustration of how setting can reflect the mood and tension between

characters as well as provide an appropriate backdrop for their interactions.

Simply put, the setting of the story is hot, a vista of unremitting heat. The heat

of a Philippine summer is the backdrop for the same heat of attraction which

occurs from a chance encounter between a man and a woman on a rural road.

Both characters are studiously mute at first, neither wants to seem overly

forward or fresh. The woman though, not coy, certainly gives the man room to

follow if he wishes. She stood straight and still beside the road and regarded

him with frank curiosity. Suddenly she turned and disappeared into the dry

gorge. The man on the other hand has certainly noticed the woman, so much

so that the thoughts of a mundane task invariably turn to her, The twisted

bamboo rope bit into his hardened palms, and he thought how the same rope

must hurt her. At this point the attraction of the two, amidst the dry, hot

terrain of summer, is implied but not overtly stated. The attraction of the

characters is much like the heat of summer, unremitting (as seen in how they

both try not to think about it) and inescapable. So pervasive is the heat (of

both the setting and the attraction of the characters) that even water does not

cool it down. Ironically, water even intensifies the ardor of the pair. For water

in Midsummer is consistently used as a device to allow one character to

appreciate the physicality of the other. Water highlights the intrinsic

femininity of the woman for the man, But she staggered a little and water

splashed down on her breast. The single bodice instantly clung to her bosom

molding the twin hillocks of her breasts warmly brown through the wet cloth.

Water as well displays the masculinity of the man to the woman. As he draws

water for her, He lowered the bucket with his back to her, and she had time to
take in the tallness of him, the breadth of his shoulders, the sinewy strength of

his legs. Down below in the small of his back, two parallel ridges of rope-like

muscle stuck out against the wet shirt. As he hauled up the bucket, muscles

rippled all over his body. The lines above amply demonstrate how each

character is hot and bothered, as it were, by the other. In the end, both

acknowledge the attraction between them. The woman invites the man to visit

her, You come. I have told mother about you. The man on the other hand is

ennervated as he once again sets off to follow his young lady, He felt strong.

He felt very strong. He felt that he could follow the slender, lithe figure to the

end of the world. Arguilla's Midsummer is a sensual story whose passion is

transmuted in the heat of the setting and of the palpable attraction between the

characters.The story of Midsummer is one of the revered works in the

Philippines. It is thematically based on the powers of attraction and

gravitation that exist between two strangers, a young maiden, Mahinhin

Filipina named Ading and a young Binata boy named Manong. Midsummer

Summary The unforgettable encounter takes place in a rural setting near a

village well. The summer was intense in its exhausting and uncompromising

heat. Manong, travelling with his bull and cart, arrived at the village well and

found the comely figure of Ading to his surprise.Truly representing the values

and customs of the place and people, the author describes the hesitation and

coyness that the two exhibit in approaching each other. There is intense heat

in the ambience and it is multiplied with a greater sense of electricity between

the two. Ading throws a curious glimpse at Manong who is a bit more

reserved and accords her comforting space and regard. He draws water from

the well but is lost in the thoughts of Ading. He shows an appearance of

fledgeling romance as he worries about the state of her palms subjected to the

callous wear due to the rugged ropes while drawing up water from the well.

There are physical cues of breaking the ice as Ading offers a muted smile. As

he is consuming his meal, Ading draws nearer to him. The nerves are

amplified and she spills water on herself as a result. Here, the author instils

sensual chemistry between the two. The drenched clothes of Ading capture

Manong’s fancy while his muscular development makes Ading appreciates his

strength and masculinity. Such explicit expression denotes a level of budding

lustful gravitation between the two. Gathering his wits, Manong helps Ading

fill her jar of water again. Obliged and indebted to his help, she invites him to

her house. She assures him regarding her mother’s sanction and he readily

agrees to follow the damsel to her humble abode. The ending leaves a notion

of fanciful openness as the author leaves her readers to come to their own

romantic conclusions. Did their romance end well into marriage? Were they

misguided into a fit of lust and miscalculated physical attraction into the love

of substance and meaning? Did the girl’s family cause an uproar? On the

flipside, the brashness of sensual expression in the story also points to the

flight of fantasy that physical attraction can breed in young people’s minds.

The fact that the two were perfect strangers and could hardly vouch for each

other’s characters; their intimacy leaves an uncomfortable taste and

highlights the youthful, hormonal-driven frenzy that often overpowers sound

judgment and rational thought. This story is about a man meeting a very

beautiful Filipina woman by the well in a sizzling summer day. It stars with

the man and his cart tied to his bull on a long dry road, when he suddenly sees

a woman who stood unmoving watching the man come towards her. The
woman was described from head to toe with such detail as the man looked

from a distance. The man followed the woman to where she went and led him

to the well under a big mango tree. He watched her as she filled the jar and

placed it on top of her head. the woman leaves and the man goes to the well

and gathers water for his bull and himself while still thinking of the woman.

The man eats his food under the shade of the tree when the woman comes back

to refill her jar. The man referring to the woman as "Ading" and inviting her

to eat with him. The woman addresses the man as "Manong" and thankfully

refuses his invitation to eat. They converse and suddenly the woman spills

water all over the food and apologizes by getting him water but Manong

insists that he fetch it from the well. Ading notice Manongwell built muscles

and body as he fetches water, showing her how strong he is. He drinks his

water as Ading lifts the bucket for him. The strong ends with Ading inviting

him to their home and Manong follows her with his cart and bull. The Theme

of the story is all about attraction and being enamored during the first meeting

between Manong and Ading. The story is set in the middle of summer where

the readers can feel the hotness and scorching heat of a growing relationship.

The story is not so special meeting a man and woman that might have a

promising relationship in the future. The characters conversation is plain just

like the landscape setting but it was filled with passion and emotions that

captivate the readers easily. The overall story is simple and uncomplicated yet

bringing us modernized Filipino to look back on our past and appreciate its

simplicity. The theme of the story is all about attraction and being enamored

during the first meeting between two people: Manong and Ading. The story is

set in the middle of summer where we can feel the hotness and scorching heat
of a relationship that is growing. It is during midsummer when plants are

growing just like the growing relationship of the two characters. The story is a

not-so-special meeting between a man and woman that might have a

promising relationship in the future. The character’s conversation is plain just

like the landscape setting but it was filled with passion and emotions. The

story is very detailed which let us readers conclude that they both have the

same feelings for each other. Although the story is more on portraying the

feelings of Manong, we can also say that Ading is attracted to him in the way

she observes and approach him. As readers, we can feel the tension between

the two people as Manuel Arguilla’s details how the characters look and act;

for example: Her lips parted in a half smile and a little dimple appeared high

upon her right cheek. Manuel Arguilla might want his readers to capture the

possibility of seeing love between two strangers in their first meeting. The

story might be described as love at first sight. It’s about the encounter of

Manong and Ading at an isolated village well. It is noontime and a very

burning day in summer, Manong was carrying his cart towards the well when

he saw a young woman named, Ading. At first, Ading didn’t notice Manong

and Manong is hesitating to talk or approach her. Even though Manong was

unfortunate that Ading didn’t mind him, while he was eating, Ading

approached him and stared at him. They had a little conversation, and the

bucket of water splashed in his food unintentionally. After that incident,

Manong helped Ading in filling the jar again. The sun is almost everywhere, it

is then that she invited Manong to her home which made Manong more

interested to her. Midsummer closes with Manong, following Ading in the

direction of her house where there is a shade of relief from the heat of the day.
Midsummer might be read as an illustration that is simple. When we reflect on

the story, there is a comparison between the youth and liveliness of the couple.

The story is full of emotion that captivates the readers easily. In reality, love at

first sight simply opinionated by other people. We can’t really feel love when

you first met someone, especially to a stranger, but you may feel attracted to

him or her. The story is only after the attraction during the first meeting of the

character; therefore readers are kept thinking what might be the ending of

their relationship – is it a happy or bad ending? Destiny also works in the

story because things were going unexpectedly especially the last part. The last

part which is “He felt very strong. He felt that he could follow the slender,

lithe figure to the end of the world” struck us the most because that part made

us know that there will be something more after that meeting- something

unpredictable might happen between the characters. The characters in the

story symbolize the Filipino people before particularly the dalagang Filipina

and a binata from rural area. The man in the story or Manong is the one

striving to look for a work with his pet bull. The woman is hospitable because

she invited Manong to their house. The story is describing the typical way of a

dalagang Filipina met a binata; which is comparable to our generation where

traditional way of meeting someone is different. The faced-paced lifestyle in

urban areas is far from the simplicity living in rural areas. Manong treated

Ading with respect and kindness. Nowadays, we misinterpret love and

attraction. Love is something you will feel for the longest time; while being

attracted is the opposite. Life is also full of surprises and you’ll never know

what’s waiting for you. Things go unexpectedly just like the story. In the

middle of the summer, a man never felt anything like that before when he saw
and got a chance to talk with the woman. Comparing the characters, the

physical strength of man and their power to captivate women are shown;

while women are also trying their best to be strong but then they always have

weakness. Manuel Arguilla wrote this openly using the Filipino setting and

attributes. The story is really happening. Only Filipinos could relate in the

story because it describes Filipino people before- mahinhin and torpe. We

think that Arguilla wanted to write the way Filipino acts. Filipino traits like

how we eat, how we greet other people, especially strangers, our casualness

toward other people, and also our quick acceptance of others are seen it the

story. Manuel wrote this story with vivid and understandable descriptions.

Manuel Arguilla wrote Midsummer during American colonial period where

Filipinos are striving their way to live with new influence and balance it with

their traditional way. The overall story is simple and uncomplicated yet

bringing us modernized Filipinos to look back on our past and appreciate its

simplicit.