the Pretenders symbolism
...human, war-torn because much of the time conflicts arise within him often because of all the time he pretends, along with doubt and hatred for himself. Add to that the fact that he lives under the shadow of his forefathers, which could be seen in the last part of his diary, when he wishes that he will be able to do something heroic before he dies. I believe that he was right when he said that it was loneliness for him and rebelliousness for Carmen that brought them together, for he could always feel a searing pain that time could not erase in his heart whenever he recalls the night when Emy took the Igorot blanket away. This pain was much more intensified when he saw Pepe, the product of that night. And he felt unsure of his love for Carmen, wondering if it was mere infatuation that attracted him to her. But he sets it all away and contemplates on his being, trying to find answers and solutions to problems that are of his compulsive making. He even tried to fool himself that this change is what he really wanted, because change is inevitable time also changed him. He tried to put up the illusion that he is happy with his job at the Villas. This bigness, the comforts, changed him into something like Don Manuel, someone who thinks of his friends as tools and believes that humans have price tags. He envies Mrs. Villa because she is herself, unlike him, who fell easy prey to Don Manuel’s and Carmen’s bait. In the end, he realizes all the mistakes he had made and the irreversible sins he has committed and he resorted to suicide to take the pain away as he was driven to his exploding point by Carmen. Throughout the novel, hypocrisy is high in the air. This novel really shook me, for I could relate to the feelings Tony had. He found himself lost and betrayed as the steady foundation created by his past was eaten up by worms and he found all his beliefs to be shattered. The novel exposes the rot that has become of the society all these years. It shows how sick our country has become, how e...