CHAPTER 40

DONA CONSOLACION

In the house of the Alferez, all the windows are closed even with the procession passing
their home. The Alferez was ashamed of his wife and won’t let her go out and attend
the mass.

Sisa, who was taken into custody for creating social disturbances, has been in the
barracks for two days. In the evening, Sisa started to sing in her sweet melanchonic
voice. Dona Consolation hearing Sisa ordered the servants to bring her. When the
madwoman arrives, Doña Consolación uses poor Tagalog to order Sisa to sing. This is a
habit of hers—to appear more cultured like an orofea, she pretends to not know her
own native language, Tagalog. As such, she is pleased when Sisa doesn’t understand
her demand. She asks a servant in Spanish to translate her request into actual Tagalog.
Sisa starts singing a song about vanity, though, and Doña Consolación can’t stand to
hear the words, erupting in perfect Tagalog: “No, don’t sing!”

Embarrassed by having revealed herself as fluent in Tagalog, she orders Sisa to dance.

Whipping her feet, she draws more and more blood from Sisa, taking a wicked pleasure
in the deranged spectacle until the Alferez comes in and puts his hand on the dancing
woman’s shoulder, allowing her to stop. He tells his servants to take Sisa away and to
care for her wounds, for before this incident he had actually been treating her kindly,
making sure she was well-fed and warm. When Sisa leaves, the couple starts fighting,
shaking the entire house with their blows. Finally, Doña Consolación retreats into the
bedroom and locks the door. To lure her out, the Alferez pretended to hadb left. When
Consolación asks the servants if he had left, they tell her he has. Dona Consolation
opened the door and with Alferez entering the fighting continues.

Character Social Cancer

Dona Consolacion Consolación is a perfect
example of the kind of
disempowered person.
In today’ s context, she
represent authorities or
rather powerful figures
who are taking
advantage of the weak.
It speaks out of the
oppressions that can
happen between
brothers/sisters or
families.
Alferez Being a husband trying to
 educate a wife
Sisa If someone deserves much of
our respect and love, it
would be our mothers. Just
like Sisa, she cherishes her
children so much that it
drove her insane without
them.

Event Social Satire

Dona Consolacion’s Consolación’s abuse of

maltreatment of Sisa Sisa stems from her own
insecurities. She
recognizes that Sisa is—
much like herself—a
Filipina woman isolated
from the community. It
makes sense, then, that
she beats Sisa because
she resents this
recognition. In other
words, rather than
showing Sisa
compassion and
camaraderie as a fellow
estranged woman, she
tries to assert herself
over the poor woman.