A Child Of Sorrow by Zoilo Galang

A Child Of Sorrow
By Zoilo Galang

Summary:
The story revolves around two lovers, Rosa and Lucio, who had undergone a lot of tribulations in their relationship. They were torn between fighting for their love or complying their responsibilities to their parents. Besides,  there was Oscar who gave several quakes to their strong ties. Until one night, Oscar raped the beautiful Rosa. She was helpless that time like a gazelle in the teeth of a lion. The two--Rosa and Lucio--said goodbye to each other with Rosa couldn't move on and wept almost every day and Lucio who drowned himself in paperwork, books, and all. At the end, Rosa died.

Biography:
Born on June 27, 1895 in Bacolor, Pampanga, Zoilo Galang grew up in Spanish culture and was indoctrinated by American influence. He graduated at Pampanga High School and studied law but did not finish it. Through self-teaching, he widened his knowledge which helped him in making his masterpieces.

Galang was the first Filipino who wrote a novel in English.

Historical Analysis:
Since Galang grew up in Spanish culture, probably he wrote the novel in accordance with the era he was in but attacked it the other way around. And it's very evident in the notion of the novel about marriage, according to Wikipedia, "...marriage itself  does not only signify the union of the persons, but also the fusion of the two families, and the unification of two clans (Spanish colonialism)."; however, Galang showed a character in the novel who is Lucio. Lucio was despised by the parents of Rosa. They did not want her to be married to an ordinary man. With this circumstance, we could say that Galang wanted to show a fresh story to the people of his time.

Biographical Analysis:
Galang was a learned man. He enhanced his knowledge through immersion or social interaction. Didactically, experience is the best teacher, thus making Galang be exposed to the reality of life. With this, he was able to come up an idea which tackles about the weaknesses of people and he pointed out sorrow. Sorrow is already part of our system but only felt if triggered, right? So, it is safe to say that Galang must have experienced the things that the characters in his story had encountered. There is imitation. There is reflection. There is heart. Therefore, a masterpiece was unfolded.