The Pretenders

Dominic Sainz

Professor Joahna T. Eduarte

Humanities 014

08 September 2009

The Pretenders: What lead Antonio Samson into committing suicide?

Antonio Samson is a smart man. He knows what is right from what he believes is wrong. Antonio Samson has pride. Although his sister told him not to have it, he is not the same as them. Antonio said that “I am the most comfortable man on earth” (Jose 28), but realizing in the end and even saying that “I’ll be a mess” (Jose 172).

There are some factors that we might consider upon the story why did Antonio “Tony” Samson committed suicide that very early morning in Antipolo at the railroad tracks.

Antonio Samson or “Tony” as what the people close to him address him was a professor but eventually joined his father-in-law in his company. He never liked working with the people his father-in-law’s business partner. He is in contrary with what they believe. But he is also not a revolutionist like his father and grandfather. Tony worked blindfolded as a public relations officer for his father, arranging and making the name Villa sound good to the masses. Though he was living comfortably with his wife in his in-law’s place, he was still not as happy as he was supposed to be.

Tony loves his wife so much. He met her in Washington while studying there. But Tony thought that were it really love that brought them together? Or was it the need for him and rebellion for her? But he cannot get angry with her even after she had done something wrong to him. Carmen Villa, his wife, was pregnant already when they got married. But after three months, Carmen had the child aborted which made Antonio really angry for he was excited to have a child. But she was not disturbed by the fact because she said “But I’m not thirty yet, darling. There are many years still ahead of us. We can have them afterward – a dozen if that’s what you want.” (Jose 97-98).

Emy was the cousin of Tony with whom he had been while he was still studying in college. They shared a common room only divided by an Igorot cloth. They had an affair and it brought a child named Pepe. He was not informed with this fact because after that incident, he left for his doctoral studies in the United States. He only knew of this when Emy’s sister, Bettina, had shown up in Tony’s office and told him about her sister’s condition in the province. When he had the chance, he went to the province and talked to Emy about the child offering her a good life for their boy but she insisted a NO and even denied him as a father to the child. Tony was saddened by this because he never had the chance to see his son grow and never will he. And he was also thinking that one day; his son might hate him for leaving them.

He was also troubled by the infidelity of his wife that he saw on his way home to the Villa’s. Tony saw his wife together with Ben de Jesus, her best friend’s husband. They drove away from the house not knowing that Tony was behind them. After seeing them kiss and go to a motel, he went to find his friends only to find no one. He went home and packed his things so he could go back to Antipolo. Carmen Villa found Antonio on the process of packing his things and the confrontation happened. He was stopped by his mother-in-law but nothing can change his mind now. He was determined to leave her.

I think Antonio was in the state of thinking and summarizing the events in his life where he have nothing to do but to go with the flow of the people who are more powerful than he is. He became numb and indifferent to the fact that these people are the ones whom he hated for they are the ones who rob from the masses. This was all crowding his mind when he arrived to his Manang Betty’s house in Antipolo. He said that he needs a walk for a while, maybe to think over what these events in his life have done to him. He committed suicide after realizing for himself what a monster he has become after being infected by the filthy people whom he considered as family and friends. Antonio freed himself from the miseries and corruption that had been eating him up all these times. And as what he had said, he became a mess after he had accepted his fate of being one of the Minotaur’s, as what he had pertained to the Villas.


Works Cited:
Jose, F. Sionil.(1962) The Pretenders. Solidaridad Publishing House, 531 Padre Faura, Ermita, Manila Philippines