Dead Stars Literature Review

Audience

The readers may view the story as a confusing infidelity since Alfredo is married to Esperanza and still seeks the love of another girl, Julia. However, some readers may find it as a sad love story which entails that true love can sometimes end in an unexpected way. The readers may find the story disturbing somehow, although they might fell in love with the forbidden romance between Alfredo and Julia. Despite this, readers may feel empathy towards the original fiance of Alfredo, Esperanza. The text leaves a good impression to readers since it dives them to world where the characters' emotion state are. The writer used third-person point of view, but the way she narrated the whole text, is informed and considered to be felt heartedly by people. The end puts a summarization image, that fulfills the resolution and is the best part of the story. Alfredo married Esperanza still, and he forgot about his past love, Julia. Before, he's quite unsure about his feelings or how would he be accepted by people around him. Hence, there came a judgement at the end where he must choose one among the two. He became open to the reality of love as a man at the end. It makes the readers love the story all throughout. The story doesn't just engage in a good way, but reflects the real life and love of its own.

Formalism

The language is formal. The genre used is romance and it is considered as a fictional short story. The conversations between two personas are not clear at times since it didn't indicate the character who is saying the line. The narration is complete, a good one. It plays with the emotion of readers while giving out basic and complex information about story's different settings and situational categories. The theme of family and love are more enhanced 'till the end since the story symbolizes society flaws or conflicts, emphasizing realism all throughout. The text plays a big twist in the end, though it was consistent since the beginning. For a short story, the text takes time to be fully read. Meaning, the story is quite long in a manner that it is similarly characterized with novelette; or so it seems. The title is justified through number of symbolisms meant to be evident in the story through the form of "love". The point of view is in third persona although it is fully shown that Alfredo's everyday life is much more held of significance.

Marxism

The story of "Dead Stars" somehow pictures the image of Filipino culture in forms of marrying two individuals. It was seen that "pamamanhikan" or marriage blessing happened between the families of Esperanza and Alfredo. The culture of "pangangapitbahay" or neighboring was shown consistently in the story, through which Alfredo and his senior visit their thy neighbors (in whom did he met Julia) to chat with them and have fun. The story mimics not only the life and conflict between individuals: Alfredo, Julia and Esperanza but it makes readers aware that the society led them to the conflict they were experiencing. Alfredo is in a complex situation in the story where he can't choose between his fiance and the love of his life. In the end, he decided to go with Esperanza held for another reason that society will judge him if he separates with her. The society affects the also the culture and acts of life between families and individuals, as the plot gets along with the author's narrative.