Jessica Sarmiento

IP 368B

Panaghoy sa Suba (Cry of the River)

Panaghoy sa Suba is about two people who fall in love during World War 2.  The people who fall in love are Duroy and Iset.  Duroy is a boat operator and transports people using the river.  Iset is a beautiful woman who lives with her strict and materialistic aunty and her father.  Iset and Duroy like each other but things get in the way of their relationship.

First, Iset’s aunty doesn’t want her to marry someone like Duroy.  Her aunty wants her to marry a wealthy foreigner.  Second, Iset’s boss, the American John Smith, begins to like Iset also.  Iset’s aunty pushes her to have a relationship with John Smith only because he is rich and wealthy.  Third, Duroy’s brother, Ibo, starts to have feelings for Iset so Duroy, being the family man, steps aside and lets Ibo take Iset’s hand.  This relationship doesn’t last long because Mr. Smith fires Ibo for talking to Iset, which causes Ibo to try to kill him but instead Mr. Smith kills Ibo. Fourth, when Mr. Smith leaves Iset to fight the war, Japanese soldiers occupy their place.  The Japanese commander sees Iset’s beauty and tries to start a relationship with her.  Iset’s aunty again pushes her toward the rich and wealthy.

These experiences that Iset had to go through shows us the power over a woman’s beauty.  Men would do anything to get a beautiful woman like Iset.  In Mr. Smith’s case, he gave her presents, fed her the best foods, even gave her aunty and father goods.  However, his relationship with Iset didn’t last because she truly saw what kind of man Mr. Smith was.  He was truly an abusive, rude, prejudice man that only sought out things for himself.  The Japanese commander would also give gifts to Iset and her family but he wasn’t like Mr. Smith.  Duroy eventually killed him and Iset and Duroy started their relationship together again.