Characters of the Woman Who Had Two Navels

| The Woman Who Had Two Navels | Aug 11, '07 2:43 AM for everyone | Category: | Books | Genre: | Other | Author: | Nick Joaquin |
A native Manileño, Nick Joaquin was born in the district of Paco, on Calle Herran, in 1917. His parents were Don Leocadio Joaquin, a colonel of Philippine Revolution and a prominent lawyer during the 1920s; and Doña Salomé Marqués, one of the first teachers to be appointed to the public school system set up by the Americans.
Got into writing just before war, Nick Joaquin started out as a versifier, experimented with fiction, was noticed and hailed by José Garcia Villa, and settled down as journalist after the war.
Since then he has also made a name for himself as novelist, playwright, historian, and biographer.
He is the one who wrote the novel; “The Woman Who Had Two Navels”. This novel is a very good book. The book is fiction, but somehow it was made to be real.
The book had an interesting theme. A theme that not much authors and writers would write during it’s time period. Its theme was to be able to live your life with sense. The novel shows more of lies in the life of one certain character. It also expounds the grounds of free will and thirst for freedom. The book also is telling us one thing. It tells us of the Philippine’s history. There, Connie Escobar, a character in the story, represents the Philippines and the characters revolving around her represents the Americans and the Spaniards that took over the Philippine’s free soul.
Connie’s peace found in Biliken was the thought that Filipinos had hope in nothing. We always come back to that hope, even though we know it wouldn’t do us anything but we always still try.
“It’s very hard indeed. But you, Connie, have taken the easiest way out. You are not trying, you have given up. When you went to this Biliken of yours, when you convinced yourself you had two navels, you retreated, not from evil, but only from the struggle against evil. People can’t be good unless they know they’re free to be bad if they wanted to.”
-Father Tony, page 202, paragraph 5
This statement proves that when we Filipinos gave up our hope unnoticing when the Americans took over and said thet they come in peace. When we had this false hope, we convinced ourselves we were alright with the Americans. We retreated, not from freedom, but the struggle to gain freedom of our own. We were only able to visualize this when the Americans were already maltreating us.
“Oh, let me alone! Go away! Haven’t you hurt me enough?”
“Connie, Connie –I never meant to hurt you!”
“You haven’t changed, Connie.”
“Oh yes, I have!”
“You were a cold-hearted child –and you still are.”
“You taught me to be hard, Mother. I was the child you didn’t want remember?”
“But I tried to love you-“
“No. You tried to be kind and you tried not to hate me but you were never the mother I thought was there. When I wasn’t looking you turned into somebody else –somebody that looked at me and found me hateful. That was when I was little. When I grew up you didn’t even try to pretend any more. I might have been a monster you were kind enough to look after.”
-a conversation of Connie and Concha, page 236, selected dialogues.
This conversation shows the Philippine’s revolt against Spain, represented by Connie’s mother. The Philippines is trying to b free from the Spaniard’s slavery and maltreating. The Spaniards thought that we haven’t changed from our once hospitality, respect and acceptance towards them. “…I was the child you didn’t want…”. This phrase shows that the Philippines was only the Spaniards’ slaves and the one they hated because of our incredible abilities. They didn’t want us, they only wanted our treasures and our lands. When the Philippines was just new to Spain’s new ways of lifestyle, they tried to be kind to us. But when we weren’t in their conversation, they always distrusted and hated us. When the Philippine’s revolution came, we were seen as these monsters that the Spaniards were kind to develop and look after.
In page 246 and 247, the statements here show Concha’s care for Connie, or in other words, Spain’s teachings on us. “Biliken wasn’t there.” The Philippine’s little hope still wasn’t there yet. We never knew of Spain’s real intentions.
Connie’s relation with the priest was a bit questionable. The priest said that she should just return to Biliken and play with him. Which is somehow like asking her to just look up to that false hope and hope that it becomes true. The priest, I presume, represents the king of Spain. He will not allow the Filipinos to be able to know who they really are. Who are they to Spain. The Philippines was tired of Spain’s control. Connie’s saying of “No, I am not hungry.” (page 255) means that the Philippines doesn’t want anything anymore but the truth.
These are the things that the book is trying to tell us.
The story is about Connie, a woman who claims she has two navels. She believes in Biliken, an idol that is always there during festivals and carnivals. The story revolves around her, her life and her relationships.
The story goes, piece by piece, completing a puzzle. Every event goes to this and that. Every event is related to one another. Everything has something to do with something.
Every character were Connie Escobar, the woman who says she has two navels. She is the main character of the story and was introduced very uniquely. She was portrayed by a woman who keeps her sorrows within her in the early parts of the story and a helpless woman in the later parts. Conchita Gil/Conchita Borromeo/Concha de Vidal/Senora de Vidal, the mother of Connie. She was introduced in a meaningful way to the point where she was asked if her child has two navels. She was portrayed by a woman with a cold heart and firm grip. A woman who can stand on her own but is hateful and distrusts her family. Macho Escobar, Concha’s lover and Connie’s husband. He was a confused man who doesn’t know what or who to follow. Pepe Monson, the man who tried to help Connie was a disturbed but concerned man. Rita Lopez, Pepe’s soon-to-be wife, is a worried woman about her relationship and about almost everything that concerns Connie Escobar. She doesn’t dislike Connie, She dislikes her acts. Father Tony Monson, Pepe’s brother, was also one of the people who tried to help Connie. He was a concerned and fresh priest so he didn’t really know if what he has done or what he is doing is proper. Pepe and Tony's father, had little role in the story but represents a big part. Their father (unnamed) represents the Filipino’s dying homeland, the one being conquered by Spain. Pete Alfonso, a friend of Paco, is a musician with great talent. He conducts his own band. He represents Spain who doesn’t like to work with Filipinos. Kikay Valero, the woman who knows everyone in town. She was one of the people who tried to search for Connie’s body, which isn’t really there. She was also the one that comforts everyone when they thought Connie committed suicide. Paco Texeria, the man Connie Escobar loved. He represents America, the one that Philippines came running after to be freed from Spain’s evil grip. Mary Texeria, Paco’s wife who bore children, was a woman distraught by her husband, being left behind without a word and had been forgotten. She represents America, the homeland. They have too many things to think about.
These characters helped me learn that people have different attitudes and understandings towards different situations. Their dialogues were somewhat real and you couldn’t believe they were fake. They were acting as if everything was real, everything was happening around you. Every conversation keeps the story moving.
The time and places where every event happened was not really specified but generally, it was in Hong Kong and some parts of Manila. Everything was described like it was there, staring you at the face. You can see it clearly. The time, I suppose, is after the Japanese colonialization.
The story had a different touch compared to other books, though a few have the same touch like this. It relates to me as a teenager because there are times that I feel like Connie, confused and distraught. The author’s style was that he wrote his message in hidden ways for the people to deeply understand what his heart urges.
Every story has its own meaning. Every story leads a person to something. It may be something he desires or something he dislikes. Every story has an ending. This story has a great impact on Filipinos and has a good meaning and lesson of love, friendship and helpfulness to other people that is in need of one. As the story goes on, it gets on more serious than the paragraph it followed. All in all, this novel is a great one.
“I don’t think you quite wholly believe it yet. It’s still only a joke, a sort of game –but if you play it long enough It could turn serious. You may never be able to find your way back.”
-Father Tony Monson