CRITIQUE PAPER

May Day Eve

By: Nick Joaquin

Mirror, mirror, show to me him whose woman I will be. Appear the face of the man whom I will
marry.
May Day Eve story of Nick Joaquin is all about love in a patriarchal society with the
theme of magic realism because of the superstitious beliefs that was depicted in the story. Doa
Agueda and Don Badoy Montiya became husband and wife and were entrapped on the
superstition that was badly mistaken as fate and in the end, became the regrets of the two main
characters.
Superstition on the story was not a Filipino superstition instead it was adapted from the
ancient Rome belief. Several words and phrases were identified in the text such as Saint,
Prophesy and the significance of number Seven. According to the article of Sanofsky (2012), A
Time for Reflection: The Meaning of Mirrors in Folklore and Superstition, the seven year's bad
luck seems to have evolved from the ancient Rome belief that seven years was the time period it
took for a soul to renew itself. The Romans are also responsible for little known remedy useful
for anyone who breaks a mirror - the only way that you could overcome the seven years bad luck
is to bury the broken mirror pieces very deeply in the ground. It was portrayed connotatively in
the last part of the story when Don Badoy Montiya came to realized that his life was a pity that
he had to regret the life he had with Agueda, as she did with him. Both characters were suffered
from regrets on their relationship that caused them to be the devil/witch in the mirror that night.

Another superstition that was not a Filipino superstitious belief was the beliefs in devils
and witchcraft that were mentioned by Dona Agueda and her grandson in the story. According to
Stuart (2010), it was originated in the Puritans of Europe that has a strict beliefs about the role of
religion in their life that is why the Puritans believed that the Devil was an active agent of evil in
daily life and responsible for all hardships they encountered and the influence of witchcraft on
Puritans society evolved over centuries, culminating in the hysteria that occurred in Europe
during the Reformation. Another evidence that the beliefs on devils and witchcraft was came
from Puritans was seen in their literature Malleus Maleficarum the theology of witchcraft and the
powers of Satan, the tensions and religious wars between the Protestants and the Catholics, and
the social anxieties all led to the fears and terrors of witchcraft during the Reformation.

Aside from superstition issues that were discussed above, marriage and gender inequality
(submissive and dominant state) were also portrayed in the story. Don Badoy described in the
story as arrogant and machismo young man while Dona Agueda on the other hand was a bold,
liberated, and a non-conformist young woman that was ahead of her time. Gender inequality was
seen in the story upon Don Badoy appeared at the back of Dona Agueda on May Day Eve. Dona
Agueda was resisting to Don Badoys aggressiveness and malicious act but after that night they
had married. The result of their marriage life was not bounded by love and not sacred at all
because their personalities as well were not jive and mismatched.

Another criticism that was found on the story was the dominance of the Spanish colonial
era as well as their traditions and culture. The evidences were the waltz and polka dances that
were played on May Day Eve, the carriages that were used by the guests upon arriving to the
event and the people described in the story were mostly from the Western country. It was a Post
Spanish colonial era that time as stated in the Philippine history, but Nick Joaquin was able to
publish this short story under his article Quijano de Manila on Postwar and Contemporary Period
in 1947. Therefore the short story of May Day Eve was fully fiction and not based on the real life
situation of the Filipinos who were under Spanish colonization. It was just an entertainment story
that was inspired during that era.

In conclusion, those are the superstitions that were not originated from Filipino
superstitious beliefs yet were portrayed in the short story of Filipino canonical artist, Nick
Joaquin.