Nook for the Local Mind

A Collection of Filipino Literature for the Modern Filipino Reader

Dekada '70

Summary

The story starts with a narrative that focuses on Amanda and the introduction of its characters. At first, Amanda had a little urge of consciousness of the happenings around them. At first, she did not notice anything about it. Then comes the time when Jules, her first-born son, is starting to voice his principles and fight for his rights. Amanda develops her curiosity as to why it is happening. For this reason, Jules joined a communist party, the New People’s Army. With the conflict, this burdens the family, but they realize later that their son’s choice was to fight the oppression the country is experiencing. His parents became proud of their son’s stance and later made their house a refuge and place of recreation. Jules brought friends to their house; Rene was one of them. This is where the conflict starts. The young man becomes close to the family, but little does the family of Amanda know, Rene’s friendship concept was just a show and he was a government operative that exposed the communists. The hospitality of Jules cost him his freedom, because he was later sent into prison.The narrative of her second son, Isagani, was a good start. He became successful and may relate to the breadwinner of the family. Gani became pregnant and was forced to marry her. Because no love lies between the couple, they eventually separated. Jason, their third child, was the favorite child of the family, a free spirit. He is not a responsible student, and he wastes his life every time. He then died as a victim of the "salvaging."Emmanuel, their fourth child, was aspiring to become a writer, but his dad was not in agreement with this idea for the reason that writing does not get paid well. But disregarding this, Emmanuel still becomes a writer, an aggressive one, but still wants a peaceful revolution.A major conflict between the married couple came after Jason died. That almost cost them their marriage and was a reason for their separation. But it did not happen, and because of that, the family faced martial law together. In the end, the family realized and overcame the problems that were brought to them. We will see how, in times of shortcomings, it is important for the family to stay together at all times. Jules was freed from prison and returned to his wife. He still continued to join the revolution. Then, as a family, they watched Emmanuel’s play. They still continue to fight for human rights and the country, even when their family has already experienced a lot.

Political implication

Dekada ’70 tells the story of a middle-class family in Manila living through martial law under the Ferdinand Marcos regime in the 1970s. It is a tale of Amanda Bartolome, a mother of five boys, and how their family lives changed when martial law was declared. The novel depicts the oppression that the Filipino families faced, which made them more radical. That on the verge of the dictatorship the novel shows the awakening of the families' political consciousness. This novel relates how our day-to-day life truly is impacted by the government.