University of San Carlos

Talamban Campus

Myth, Happiness and Capitalism: Ang Tawo sa Nangka Sa Hinablayan

by Richel Dorotan

Maria Cristina C. Gornez

LIT 601: History of Literary Theory
Liean Jane Haney Rama
October 24, 2019
Abstract

Richel Dorotan is one of the influential Cebuano writers who is also known in his

pen name as Omar Khalid. He is the literary editor of the Manila based Cebuano

magazine, Bisaya. Moreover, he is a Palanca awardee whose works entitled

Dayaspora in 2006 and Biyahe in 2009 won the second prize, Si Tarzan in 2010 and

Ang Tawo sa Punoan sa Nangka sa Hinablayan in 2011 coveted the first prize, also

Ang Tulo Ka Mayor sa Hinablayan in 2012 and Ang Batang Tamsi in 2013 won the

second prize, all of his works is under the same category of short story in Cebuano.

He is also one of the ten young wordsmiths in Cebuano language being honored as

one of the outstanding writer of the decade in the 50 th founding anniversary of

Bathalan-on Halad sa Dagang (Bathalad) Sugbo, a group of creative writers.

(“Bathalad Sugbo”)

In this paper, we will focus on his short story Ang Tawo sa Punoan sa Nangka sa

Hinablayan winning the prestigious award from Carlos Palanca. We will analyze and

understand what is in this story that dominate the competition and what message

does it convey.

Introduction

Richel Dorotan’s cebuano short story Ang Tawo sa Nangka sa Hinablayan is

about the hopelessness of the people in Hinablayan who do not progress until such

time a mysterious being arrive and started to live in an old tree known as Nangka.

When this Tawo arrived, people treated him as their savior the one that will erase all

their problems and fears. They portrayed him as a hero, praised him and put him in

the pedestal to worship.This Tawo didn’t do anything but live in that Nangka tree no
one knows what his thinking but people still gather around him and worship. This

alarmed Padre Pokoy and went to the plaza where the Tawo is. Padre Pokoy tried to

exorcised the Tawo using his holy water but it did not harm him at all and to his

frustration he went back muttering how powerful the devils now a days. Mayor

Tinoy, the mayor of Hinablayan also went to the plaza with his dog and cursed the

Tawo asking who he is? what is he doing in there place? blaming him that because of

his presence people is uncontrollable, worshiping him, a mere Tawo whose origin is

unknown. The Tawo still has no reaction at all and Mayor Tinoy defeatedly went

home with his dog. The story about Tawo spread like wildfire bringing more people

to worship and praise him. These people’s lives improve and so their place. But all

things come to an end, the Tawo grow old and they witness his death. Following his

death, they observe that there place slowly decay people’s positive outlook and faith

grow wary. The years pass by and the story of the Tawo who live in the Nangka

became a myth to those new generation but for those who live to tell the tale it is an

important part of their life, knowing and witnessing the miracle of Ang Tawo sa

Punoan sa Nangka sa Hinablayan.

Methods

This Cebuano short story Ang Tawo sa Punuan sa Nangka sa Hinablayan by

Richel Dorotan will be read with the use of ‘myth criticism’ by Northrop Frye, ‘the

pursuit of happiness’ by Freud and ‘Critique of Capitalist Society’ one of the

Fundamental Principles of Marx’s Thought. Canadian Northrop Frye, who was the

most influential theorist in America of what is called Myth Criticism. The creation of
myth is viewed as integral to human thought, and believed that literature emerges

out of a core of myth, where myth is understood as a collective attempt on the part

of various cultures and groups to establish a meaningful context for human existence.

(Habib 631) The ‘happiness’ in the pursuit of happiness by Freud is defined as a

correlative with the gratification of our desires according to the “pleasure principle,”

which has both positive and negative aspects: the experience of intense pleasures,

and the elimination or avoidance of pain and discomfort. (qtd. In Habib 583) While in

Critique of Capitalist Society, Marx main objection to capitalism was that one

particular class owned the means of economic production: “The bourgeoisie. . . has

centralized means of production, and has concentrated property in a few hands.”

(Habib 528)

In this short story we will focus on dissecting the character and their

circumstances and from there we will understand the message the story it want to

convey.

Results and Discussions

The story begins describing the dreary life of the people in the place of

Hinablayan, but this change when the Tawo arrived. The Tawo is being treated as a

Messiah by the people and from then on their lives started to progress.

Siya ang Tawo. Siya ang among pamag-ang batok sa kalaay sa kinabuhi. Dili

namo maisip kon kinsa kami ug asa kami paingon kon wala siya.
 Based on the theory of Myth criticism, the Tawo is considered as a supernatural

being not because he has an extraordinary power but because he arrived at the time

when people were hopeless and in drought. As a Filipino it is also part of our

existence to believe on supernaturals, miracles and those things that cannot be

explain. This is similar in the story where people think that this Tawo is an angel or a

saint that has been sent to save Hinablayan and the people’s lives.

Daghan ang ming-ingonnga Aparisyon Siya sa espiritung balaan (ug daghan ang

nanggilalis kon unsa siyang santoha, San Gabriel ba, San Fabian, San Sebastian,

o unsa pa dihang santos nga wa na kaayoy nagdebosyon)… Ug tanan

nagkasabot: milagro and pagtumaw sa Tawo.

Aside from that due to the people’s strong belief and devotion they are even

willing to sacrifice themselves, this shows how they were blinded by their idolatry to

the Tawo.

…Ang mga payag-payag mingkatap pa gani ngadto sa dakong dalan sa

habagatan. Tungod niini, napugos ang Hinablayan Traffic Management Office

pag de-tour sa karsada didtos kanipaan luyo sa balay ni Judge Troyo kay kadtong

payoner nga mga magtutuo sa Tawo, andam na man lang magpaligis tingod sa

hugot nilang debosyon nga maluwas sila sa Adlaw sa Paghukom.

But like every other myth it will come to an end like what happen to the Tawo in

the story and its effect to the people.

Apan tanang butang may iyang pag-abot ug paggikan. Nasaksihan namong mga

lungsoranon nga bisan ang Butang Balaan may iya usab nga gitakdang

kataposan. Namatay Siya usa ka adlaw nga gitanoran sa mga pagminatay sa

katawhang gihatagan Niyag paglaom sulod sa daghang katuigan.

 Few people survive to tell the story about the Tawo and no one believe that he

did live in the Nangka tree and treated the story as myth, a product of imagination

and never happened in real life.

We will also point out Freuds ‘pursuit of happiness’ in the story, the desire

principle. People in the story found fulfillment and happiness in the arrival of the

Tawo that they forgot that time passes by.

Sukad lang mitumaw ang Tawo, dako ang kausaban sa among lungsod. Ang una

namong namatikdan nga nawad-an mig panimaan sa mga ngalan sa bulan o sa

mahinungdanong mga adlaw sa tuig tungod kay wala na kiniy kahulogan sa

among kinabuhi (kay lagi gisukod na man namo ang tanang panahon sa wala pa

o diha na ang Tawo.)

In pursuing happiness there is always positive and negative side which is

evident in the story. There are many versions of truth when it comes to the story

of the Tawo in the Nangka tree but people will believe in the only truth that

they know, and Tawo brings fortune and happiness to their life.

Wala namoy usang natuo nga masayop ang sugilanon sa katawhan Moingon

man lang ang mga lungoranon depende ra god na unsaon nato pagdawat ang

kamatuoran; magbuot ba diay nang dili taga dinhi kon unsaon nato pagtan-aw

ang mga hitabo dinhi sa ato; mmm, di ta padaog nila, Bay uy, ang importante

nga naa na Siya dinhas plasa nga nagdala natog suwerte, peryod.

The people’s pursuit of happiness that has been realize when the Tawo came is

reflected in the progress of their place Hinablayan.

Tulo ka buwan human mitumaw ang Tawo, midaog ang among lungsod sa

Cleanest and Greenest Municipality sa tibuok nasod; sa ikaupat ka buwan sukad

 sa iyang pagtumaw, gipabarog ang dakong department store; ug wa pa

matapos ang tuig sukad sa aparisyon sa Tawo, gipatukod ang kinanindotang

merkado tinabangan sa gobyerno sa Germany (diin gikalipay unta kaayo sa mga

uawagan adtong nagsige pag trabaho ang kontraktor kay ang tikles nga mga

tarima sa merkado nindot kuno kaayong remedyohan sa manag-uyab; pero

“naunta” lang lagi kay ah, di ta magbinuang sa atong mga uyab.

This part of the story also highlights Marx objection of capitalism, by using the

this belief for the Tawo who brings this so called miracle to the people the capitalist

take advantage of the situation by putting up and expanding there business. This

intention may be seen as act of good will to the ordinary people who seek progress

and fulfillment in their life but us outsiders this is just a mere exploitation to take

advantage of the popularity of the Tawo that they worship. If ever this act is of good

will even if the Tawo died this business put up in the area should not be affected and

will continue to improve which did not happened.

Sa utlanan sa lungsod, nakita namo ang sulbong sa abog sa dalan nga mugna sa

nageksudos nga mga lungsoranon. Kabaw, kabayo, ug habalhabal ang among

gisakyan pagpangita sa bag-ong kalibotan.

People left from Hinablayan and everything starts to deteriorate after the death

of the Tawo, as stated earlier if putting up of buildings and business is act of good

will instead of mere capitalism it will not be affective even if the Tawo died but it did

not happen people return to how they use to be, living a miserable life. The Tawo’s

popularity diminished and his story becomes a myth, capitalist will no longer have

the upper hand and so business that help the place to prosper were also pulled out.
Conclusions

In this analysis we can conclude that this story offers more when it comes to the

message it convey. It is not just a story that talks about imaginary or a supernatural

being that provides miracle to the people of Hinablayan that also vanishes when he

died. The story has a lot more to offer depends on how you read it. Examining this

text in the view of Myth criticism it provides us a view which is so close to us Filipino

whose existence has been shape by our cultures and beliefs. In view of ‘pursuit of

happiness’ people sees the Tawo as a fulfillment of their desire to progress in life

and self fulfillment. And Marx view of capitalism, where ordinary people may see it

harmless but if one look into it deeply one will realize that it is to exploit or oppress

though not really stated clearly in the story. The message of this story will depend on

how you want to analyze it, the writer may have his personal intention in writing it

but that doesn’t mean that a reader has zero right to established there own analysis

as long as facts and evidence has been laid.

References

“Bathalad Sugbo to award 10 outstanding writers in Cebuano language.” Sunstar,

2019. https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1812261

Habib, M. A. R. “Modern Literary Criticism and Theory: A History.” Blackwell

Publishing, 2005.

Teodro,J. I. E. “For the Love of Cebuano Lit.” 2 November 2012,

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/content/283735/for-the-love-of-c
ebuano-lit/story/. Accessed 21 October 2019.