Story Analysis: “Preludes” by

Daryll Delgado
PUBLI SH ED O N 12/16/2016

This was an assignment assigned to me to make a report about the story.

One of our subjects includes 21st Century Literature, and it’s quite amazing how
these stories hold some hidden agendas (even if I’m just being too imaginative).

Preludes is a 21st Century short story written by Daryll Delgado, a Filipino

writer. The story was set in a natural setting with its distinct culture, with a theme
of one of the issues in the Philippines: Gender Inequality.

Reading the story alone, I couldn’t really find signs that it was about
Gender Inequality. It was only the background before the story that said it’s
related to gender inequality. Our book was quite a spoiler, but it helped me
concerning my analysis.

What does the story have to do with gender inequality? That was my first
question. The story only delivered what had happened in a single point of view—
Nenita, the wife. She showed a behavior of not minding the actions of her
husband, by taking him back whenever her husband’s affairs with other women
become sour. She never asks, seemingly never cares. But it cannot be
considered as completely not caring for the husband—she still took care of him.

Nenita was also aware of how her husband’s siblings always reminding
him that he should’ve been a better man if he had chosen his decisions wisely,
which also concerns his decision of marrying Nenita. She did not feel that sorry
or feel that much grief when her husband’s siblings died, save for one. She was
also fond of [1]Willy Revillame, a host she had watched on TV, and whom she
always waited for in her dreams. This had also showed her unfaithfulness
towards her husband, how she wanted to take a glimpse of Willy on TV or in her
dreams.

When Nenita suddenly woke up from her nap which she shouldn’t have,
she felt the presence of her husband and had thought that he swore at her—
even though he was at the Municipal Hall attending the death anniversary of the
judge. Why? It wasn’t mentioned. But that must be the gender inequality there. It
can be assumed that her husband does not like Nenita enjoying the presence of
other men, even though he himself had been having affairs with other women
and Nenita just kept taking him back.

In the introductory part of the story, it was mentioned that Nenita did not
feel comfortable around the wife of the judge because of some rumors about her,
even though she did not really care. In a single read-through, it cannot be easily
noticed. A few reads later had made things quite clear. There had been rumors
about Nenita’s husband having an affair with the judge’s wife. Again, she didn’t
care, took him back, and nursed him back to health.

Those were some information I point out to be weird. Because reading it

alone would make the story quite peculiar. Now our book had guide questions
after the story, and question number 7 caught my attention.

Who killed the man? Explain your answer.

So there was actually a murder happened! The only character who died
was Nenita’s husband. The very beginning of the story started as “A man died
singing”, and the story went back earlier that day and led it back to the beginning,
of how the man died, which was not really stated and can only be assumed that
he died from his illness. And so I studied further, until I came to a conclusion.

How come Nenita didn’t really care when her husband had affairs with
different women, and taking him back with no questions? This aroused a few
more questions. Did Nenita gave up on her husband? If so, why would she
openly take him back and nurse him back to health?

There were times when Nenita listened to the beats and murmurs of her
husband’s heart at night. When she heard his singing voice from the Municipal
Hall, she almost caught the sound of his labored breathing, and his heart’s
irregular beating. She always nursed him back to health, but why wasn’t she
showing any sings of concern or worry whatsoever?

This brought me to the conclusion. Nenita killed her own husband.

How? That was the question. That conclusion matched the behavior of
Nenita, however, which strengthened my claim. Firstly, Nenita didn’t seem to
mind about nursing him back to health. Why would she feel nothing and
still nurse him back to health when she knew her husband’s been with other
women? That was my first clue. And it coincides with a paragraph somewhere
near the ending:
 “She could have prepared him then that other brew her [2]herbalista friend
had suggested at the time, the one that would make his balls shrink, give him
hallucinations, make his blood boil until his veins popped. But she didn’t, of
course.”

She didn’t. Of course. Because she wouldn’t want the murder to be

noticeable. Although this could be considered as her small way of expressing her
frustration towards her husband, it’s still like a black print among the white words.
Moreover, she didn’t seem to be so concerned about her husband when she
heard him choke.

She knew of his condition. But she still laughed at her silliness for
applauding along with the audience in the Hall. That moment, she went back
inside the house, emphasizing that it was getting very hot outside, certainly hot
enough to boil an old man’s blood and pop his veins, she added in her thoughts.
She knew. It was her. She killed her own husband.

Shocking. To think that a story like that could hide something sinister, but it
could be the possible effects of gender inequality. It’s plainly amazing. It may not
be a happy ending, but I don’t think it’s a sad ending either.

I praise Daryll Delgado for her fascinating work. I recommend you

“Preludes”.

[1] Willy Revillame is a host in a famous show in the Philippines, which (in my
opinion) most older citizens liked.

[2] Herbalista – a healer who supervises herbal therapies.

I think it goes deeper than what it ws really telling:

1. First of all, lahat ng nangyari dun sa istorya (except sa mga flashbacks and memories)
happened at the same day (or 1 to 2 days margin). Yung pagkamatay nung lalaki sa simula,
yumg pagpapractice niya sa bahay ni Nenita habang nangunguha si Nenita ng halaman at
yumg huling tatlong paragraph, lahat iyun, all did happen at almost the same day.

2. Depression. Ito yung nararamdaman nung babae. She just stopped thinking and emoting
about the reality and chose to live with her imagination. (Search for hikkikomori). Wala nang
pagmamahal, “gagawin niya ang dapat niyang gawin like a robot”. She lost the interest and
the will but she can’t fight back so she just went numb.
3. Then, dun sa purple leaves. She rejected the direct offer of power (the poison) but chose
the alternative one that she herself knows what. Nasa plano niyang hindi niya gagamitin
yung purple leaves at gagamitin lang niya bilang trophy para sa kanyang sarili.
Deeper Explanation: Imagine you live with a ruthless killer, thenyou really can’t do anything
to fight back. Then suddenly, you get a grip of a bulletless gun. You will just feel this “hope
syndrome”, you’ll start to mix reality and ideals in your own mind… and this mentality is very
toxic.

4. Leading to this, she killed his husband with all the hidden pain she felt. Naisipan niyang
makipaglaro ng kutsilyo sa kanyang asawa (through the leaves) and poisoned him like a pro
killer. Saka halata naman na medyo slanted na yung mentality nung babae dahil she is now
not acting very normal.

4.b. Walang kasalanan yung herbalista (ata), malay ko kasi nakikipagbiruan lang yung
herbalista. Be like, “E kung paliitin mo kaya yung itlog ng asawa mo, tiyak puputukan yun ng
g ugat pag nangyari sa kanya iyun”. Then, Nenita took it the other way.

5. Si Nenita TALAGA yu pumatay kay husband. Loom at the first paragraph “He ended with
ahigh note” at yung last three paragraphs with “perkumbyeeenn!” shit, na kung ano man
yun