Guagua National Colleges

Guagua, Pampanga

Project
In

English
Submitted By: Submitted
To:
Pamela Carbungco Mrs. Alice
Bengzon
II-St. Joseph

Hubris Prealeccy
 Children of The City
By Amadis Ma. Guerrero

About The Author

Amadis ma Guerrero was born in Ermita, Manila in 1941, he
graduated from the Ateneo de manila in 1965 from the
University of Santo Tomas in 1959. His short story “Children of
the City” is a departure from his usual style. It won the Palanca
Awards in 1971.

Setting
This story happened in the late 1980’s. Everything occurred
in the dark perilous busy streets of Manila.

Characterization
Victor
He is a boy from Intramuros. At the age of eight, he loses his
father and his mother abandons him for some other man. He is
hired as a newsboy by his uncle and starts his life on the streets.
Innocent and young, he ponders on the menace and vices of his
colleagues and the people all around him.

Victor’s Dad
A good-natured man and a loving father to Victor, he was a
part of a worker’s strike. The man loved his son dearly and his
death brought a huge blow to Victor.

Victor’s Mom
She loved Victor’s dad but never cared felt any affection for
her son. She took her husband’s death grievously. But later on,
she ignores Victor, becomes a prostitute, then leaves Victor to his
Uncle to go away with her new lover.

Tio Pedring
Victor’s uncle, he adopted victor after the leaving of his
sister. He forces victor to become a newspaper boy.

Nacio
He is a newspaper boy. He was victor’s new friend. Though
full of cruel vices, Victor took his death as another major loss.

Summary
 The father of the boy Victor got involved in a strike. He acts
as though it was nothing and takes Victor to night walks around
Manila. He takes Victor’s mind off vices and promises Victor a
bright future someday.

One day, during the strike. Victor’s father was shot dead in
the heart. His wife mourned greatly and his son was subdued. The
wife began to disappear late at night and come home early dawn.
She refuses to take care of Victor. And then, she comes home
with some goon, telling that the goon will be Victor’s new dad.
Victor didn’t like the stranger at all. As often as possible, he tries
to stay out of his mom and her lover’s way.

And then, Victor just woke up with his mother and the man
gone. His Uncle Pedring introduces to take care of him. He
recruits Victor to a newspaper job. The man does not treat Victor
well unless he brings home money.

During his job, Victor meets Nacio. Nacio was also a

newspaper boy. He taught Victor various tricks in newspaper
selling. They become close friends.

Victor’s job grew prosperous. Soon, his “Boss” starts to trust

him with a ration of 20 papers a day. He becomes contented with
his life until-

Nacio was run over a car. He was dead. Victor grieved for his
friend just like the way he did with his father. He gets beaten up
with the other kids.

His colleagues beat him up whenever he refuses to smoke or

say curse words… Victor was defiant at first. But after long, tired
of being tossed around like a stray dog-

Victor finally gave up.

Moral lesson
The story ended when the author realized how cruel the
world is...

"... And Victor, swirled the life of the city: this city, flushed with
triumphant charity campaigns, where workers were made to sign
statements certifying they received minimum wage, where
millionaire politicians received Holy Communion every Sunday,
where mothers taught their sons and daughters the art of
begging, where orphans and children from broken homes slept on
pavements and under darkened bridges, and where best friends
fell out and betrayed one another."

This world is mean indeed… people become the way they

are, not because of fate, but of how the people around them
revolve. Children of politicians study at universities and tend to
get spoiled. Whereas, orphans are shunned downwards and are
left to fill the streets and crawl under the powerful’s shoes.

The story shows us the way life turns and how what we
become rests upon our defiance and decisions. This has been a
hackneyed phrase through the decades but it portrays some kind
of truth.
 Hubris
Prealeccy