The Summer Solstice Review by John Louise Ramos

Created on: July 16, 2011   Last Updated: July 19, 2011

Nick Joaquin may easily be regarded as the figurehead of Philippine literature outside the national hero Jose Rizal and the statesman Claro M. Recto. Despite this, Joaquin isn’t entirely vulnerable to criticisms and controversies. Take for example his 1972 classic short story, The Summer Solstice.
The Summer Solstice is considered as one of the finest and most popular work of the late Filipino National Artist for Literature. However, The Summer Solstice made social critics out of Joaquin’s legion of fans.

While Joaquin is easily the finest Filipino literary genius after Rizal, The Summer Solstice is easily his most controversial piece – second to none.
The short story touches sensitive and highly controversial issues including religion, paganism, sexuality and the equality of both sexes. The plot of the short story centers on the traditional three-day fertility festival known as the Tadtarin or Tatarin to some regions. Needless to say, the last day of this pagan festival coincides with Christianity’s Saint John’s Day, making it more controversial.
Despite the fact that the Christian faith had already been brought by the Spanish colonizers to the Philippine archipelago, Filipinos participated in the annual Tadtarin festival up to the latter parts of the 19th century.
The short story takes place in the mid-19th century when the Philippines was still a colony of Spain. It starts with the Moretas, a highly urban and affluent family. Don Paeng Moreta was respectful and a real gentleman to his lovely wife, Dona Lupe Moreta.

The Summer Solstice was intense and passionate right from the start. Dona Lupe witnessed in horror their maid, Amanda, in a state of madness as she became the Tadtarin personified.
At first, Dona Lupe was indifferent to the pagan tradition, but the incidents during the day stirred her curiosity and eventually made her join the ritual. The short story ends in what most critics says is a “pseudo-feminist” ending, wherein the feminine authority portrayed was short-lived and has no real societal significance.

The beauty of The Summer Solstice roots perhaps from the struggles on its theme. It is founded on different and opposing points of view – Pagan vs. Christian, Man vs. Woman and the savage nature of animals against the chivalric nature of knights. As they say, opposites do attract.
The Summer Solstice was written in the most passionate way it could be. No writer could have written it better and more freely than this ever-prolific national artist.


source: http://www.helium.com/items/2199224-short-story-reviews-the-summer-solstice-by-nick-joaquin