In Tiempo’s To Be Free, numerous aspects of freedom were emphasized and highlighted. One of them is national freedom, as seen in the three different historical periods: the American, Spanish, and Japanese colonisation. Another aspect of freedom is also highlighted in the personal life of the servant, Rubio, before and during his wedding. This scene emphasizes the fact that “to be free is to feel free.” (Tiempo 274) In addition, it also emphasizes the general theme of freedom in the book: being free was feeling free, and as long as one felt free “inside him” (citation sahfvb), he is already free.
Chapter thirteen of his book is told in the third person point of view, biased towards Lamberto at first, then Rubio and his aunt later on. It covers Rubio’s whole wedding, even before the ceremony was held. The chapter starts with Rubio hesitantly asking for Lamberto’s permission to get married, since it has only been three months since the death of Hilarion. Lamberto then asks for details of the girl, and Rubio feels the need to say that she is not an aripan. Lamberto answers, “Neither are you, Rubio.” This scene is significant since it reveals to the readers Rubio’s freedom, even though he is a servant of the Alcantaras. The next lines consist of their argument of Rubio’s social status and of Lamberto consistently saying that he was never considered a servant. After their argument, they talk of the details of the marriage, such as the agreements and the date of the marriage. Rubio also asks Lamberto to stand for him at the wedding, since the only living relative he had was a “poor sickly aunt” (Tiempo 271). The ceremony is then held, proceeding to Adriano Patacsil’s house for the wedding feast. However, in the middle of the celebration, Nieves Lariola, Rubio’s aunt, arrives. She explains to everyone that she and her husband are aripans, and since Rubio has married a woman who was not an aripan, they are freed. She then proceeds on carrying out a