Jaimee Coleen S.

Aguelo

AB Philosophy 3-1

World Literature

Book Review of F. Sionil Jose's Viajero

The novel is americanized but truly is a filipino

novel, perhaps it is possible that the setting as in America is
only to capitalize on the opportunity to have a wider scope of
readers.

Viajero also embodied some form of self-service that is

with Salvador dela Raza's character who is practically an
american but ideally a filipino in the americanized sense,
because he was an intellectual on a quest to seek his roots.
Honestly, whilst reading the novel, I thought I was reading about
characters who were filipinos rather than characters of other
races– I don't know if it's just me or that's really how Sionil
Jose want his characters be seen— to see the characters of the
foreigners as it heavily influences or is adopted by the
filipinos in general. For example, Serena Fong, who was Buddy's
first love, she reminded me of the filipino-chinese people I know
because of their strict culture and traditions especially when it
comes to marriage. But I suppose that's just how the fil-chis
are. Another is Feliza, when she and Buddy made love, she,
afterwards, felt guilty over their lovemaking– that it was an act
of sin against God.

The problem, was obviously Salvador's problem of

identity and I suppose this is also the problem of us, filipinos—
our national identity had been forgotten or eradicated by the
foreign invaders and ravages or chaos of events that had occurred
in our country and the development of time itself. I said that it
was self-serving because it was as if in the documents or
biographical accounts that he researched, as if he was
synthesizing or reflecting on his personal identity. Like, on the
first account it was the story of the Datu Sagat, Ulo of Daya. He
had the dillema of deciding whether for the sake of his tribe or
for personal benefits, that is, first he sacrificed the lives of
his warriors to "supposedly save" his daughter from the treachery
of Narrow Eyes, only to find out that his bethrothed daughter had
eloped with the "alien" trader. The reflection of this account is
seen in his decision, well barely his decisive will to leave Inay
Mayang and Apo Tale as well as leave the philippines for america,
and his impossible relationship with Serena Fong. The second
account was of Maisog of Sugbu, who was like in Buddy's life was
taken away from his homeland but instead of being in despair and
hopeless, he , like Buddy, utilized his situation to elevate his
intellectual pride. Maisog became a loyal slave to the invader
whilst preserving his sense of nativity, again he was stuck on
the dillemic phase against himself of which side to take. But of
course, in the battle he took Magellan's side because his own
tribe had been at war with the Maktans, what i'm inquiring is his
decision in the end, in the aftermath. Also, Salvador dela Raza
in the end.

Their problems were triggering to personal motivations,

although the impact of their actions were effective on the grand
scale, there was still something personal that it made their
lives reflective to Buddy.

So, it shows that Salvador dela Raza has no original

identity, there was no of his authentic memories of originality
or origin. And the only way to satisfy his feeling if
incompleteness is through the intellectual pursuit of history,
that in discovering the history of the philippines he may be able
to rediscover his story.

The novel could mostly be criticized because of its

american orientation, but I daresay this is only mirroring the
culturally imperialised nature of the filipino people. We are not
solidly filipino, it's ironic because Viajero is called a
filipino novel but it seems to be build upon foreign settings. It
somehow serves the bourgeiois and some petit-bourgeois
aspirations. That Salvador dela Raza's life is like Rizal's which
was somehow stagnated in the minting conditions of the documents
that he researched.