Puppy Love

PUPPY LOVE by Francisco Sionil José

Critique Paper

PLOT:

            Puppy Love by Francisco Sionil Jose is all about Jake and Gina, the two playmates but then suddenly felt our so called puppy love wherein it occurs during adolescence period. Lito is an older brother of Gina that Jake’s friend. After the moment they first time to play with each other without Lito, they part ways due to the war happened during that time. Jake found out that Gina’s family went poor because of his father debts and also their house was taken by the Japanese. Since Jake’s mother and father died, he went to his uncle in Manila wherein Gina’s family also went in Manila. During the time when Jake’s life is progressing, he went back to the town of San Jacinto. He knew that Gina’s family is in Manila and he also knew the situation of Garcia family. Until one time, when Jake and his colleagues have a rest or party in Bayside night club, he saw Gina there in wearing a green dress. He didn’t waste the opportunity to talk to her. As time goes by, Jake doesn’t want Gina to have another customer that’s why he talk to Gina’s manager. Jake supported Gina financially. One day, he invited Gina to have a lunch date but then suddenly he also had a business meeting in Frankfurt that reached almost one month. They both lost the opportunity to continue the puppy love gets postponed during their adolescence period. After that, Jake didn’t find Gina anymore until he got married and had his own family. His wife, Jenny, it becomes her routine to give a newspaper to Jake every morning. Jake read an article wherein there’s a girl who got imprisoned because she cutted the pennis of his husband. Until he recognized that it was Gina. He find Gina and tried to helped her but Gina refuses because she is guilty. That moment, Jake told everything to Gina, that it was him, a boy who haven’t eat an apple before. After knowing everything, Gina just cried and that is the ending of the story. It tickles my curiosity. I want to read it more because the ending provided looks like a climax wherein intense situations occur.

CHARACTER:

·         Jacobo Salcedo – Jacobo Salcedo is the main character of the story entitled “Puppy Love”. He is also known as Jake in his old hometown and that is Manila. Jake is an American nickname which he cannot do anything about it. Not that he dislike it but there is something about the name that his town mate called him. He is also a successful and rich lawyer but came from a poor family. The story revolves around him, how he is dedicated in life, how he is dedicated to find his puppy love and that is Gina Garcia.

·         Father- Jacobo’s father raised fighting cocks. His father is a drunkard, specifically his father drunk Ginebra San Miguel. He is always with his roosters. There are times that Jacobo thought that his father loved those roosters more than him and his mother because his father is always with them but the truth is his father is a very pleasant person even when he lost his cockpit, which was always. He would come home and brought a dead bird which would end up in the pot.

·         Mother- Jacobo’s mother is a very hard working mother because she wakes up early to get her share from the supplier and go to the market just to sell fish and salt. She is also a loving mother to Jacobo because she never forgets that she must go to work for her son to provide the needs of her son’s education. His mother also sold jueteng bets.

·         Gina Garcia- Gina Garcia is the younger sister of Lito Garcia and daughter of Antonio Garcia and Doña Garcia. She is tall, have mestizo genes, brownish hair and very fair skin. She is fluent in Spanish. She is the girl whom Jacobo fell in love with when they are at a young age. She became a prostitute or a hostess because they lost their wealth when the war happened in San Jacinto.

·         Antonio Garcia- Antonio Garcia is a busy person. He never seemed to be at home. He is a patriarch. As with most wealthy Filipinos, he had several mistresses and illegitimate children.

·         Doña Garcia- Doña Garcia is the wife of Antonio Garcia. Based on the story, she seemed to be imprisoned in one of many rooms most of the time.

·         Lito Garcia- Lito Garcia is Gina’s older brother. He is a very friendly person. He never chose whom he is going to be with. Even though Jake is not rich, he choose to be friend with Jake.

·         Carlos Cobello- Owner of cobello’s fortune, a firm. Jacobo’s bestfriend since college, one of the country’s richest man.

·         Jenny- Jenny is the wife of Jacobo Salcedo. She’s the one whom Jacobo chooses to marry and live with inspite of her youth. Jenny is very mature and she shared a lot of interests to Jacobo. She is a Manila girl whom went to Callifornia for college. Surprisingly, she is a virgin when Jacobo married her and for Jacobo this is the precious gift for a forty years old man. She has a lot of similarities to Gina that’s why he learned to love her.

SETTING:

The story happens in the small town of San Jacinto in Pangasinan. I am not familiar with the place but according to what I have researched, San Jacinto is the main municipality of Pangasinan. Based on the story, in small towns such as San Jacinto, there are no catholic schools for the rich. The children of both tenant and landlord go to the same public school were, as children, most of them are barefoot.

POINT OF VIEW:

            The point of view in the story is told by the first person. The narrator revealed a lot of information about the character and the settings.  I had a great time reading the story because every details are well explained. The flow of the story is anticipated because I thought that Jacobo and Gina will be together after so many years but then I was wrong. I felt so disappointed but it was fun reading it. I’ve learned a lot of lessons in the story. I’ve learned to love my family, to work harder in life like what Jacobo did, and to be content in what I have already.

THEME OR LITERARY MOTIFF:

The theme of the story is all about nothing lasts forever because no matter we say that the love of Jacobo or Jake to Gina lasted for so many years, still he ended up marrying another girl named Jenny whom he didn’t love at first but soon, he learned to love him more. Until the time came that he completely forget about his feelings to Gina, his childhood love and became faithful and loyal to his present wife Jenny. They called it “Puppy Love” because it refers to falling in love at a very young age. The feeling was there for a long time but it wasn't a TRUE LOVE after all.