I.

Background of the Novel

“My Brother, My Executioner”

The conflict in this novel about the Hukbalahap uprising in the fifties is not just the enmity in
the guerrilla war. It is the deeper symbolic conflict between two brothers and their vastly
different and estranged worlds. Here, too, is the trauma of traditional society undergoing
change, and the old refusing to let go.

Don Vicente, the landlord who dominates Tree without really appearing in it, now appears in
this novel as the central figure, the hierarch who returns to his town to die. Luis is his illegitimate
son on whom he pins his last hopes for an heir. Victor is Luis' half-brother - the rebel,
unflinching but doomed.

My Brother, My Executioner, the third in the series of Rosales novels, is considered the most
dramatic. In 1973, it was banned by the Martial Law regime "for depicting many events" that
were reminiscent of the times.

II. Summary

Plot System/Diagram

Introduction- The story deals with the 2 half brothers - Luis Asperri and Victor. Luis is the
biological, but illegitimate son of Don Vicente Asperri, the wealthiest landowner in there. At a
young age, Luis was taken by his father from his poor mother and his half-brother Vic (a
nickname for Victor), who both lived in Sipnget, Rosales, Pangasinan. His father gave him all he
needs. Luis studied at manila and became a writer and editor of a left-wing magazine. He often
writes about issues about the peasants and sides to them.

Rising Action- When Luis returned to Sipnget for vacation after being unable to visit for years
because of studying and then now because of work he visited his grandfather and his mother,
but originally he decided to go back to visit his ailing father, Don Vicente. He planned to stay for
weeks even for a month but then he suddenly changed his mind when he realized that the place
had already changed a lot, his brother is not there and more over his mother and grandfather
has gone believing that his father and all the rich people should give up their wealth to the poor.
He couldn’t take it. And, also there was the Hukbalahap which is against the Japanese and the
elite’s he couldn’t take it anymore.
Before leaving first thing in the morning the next day he heard his father shout in surprise and
when he ran to look after him he saw the window glass of his father’s room was broken and a
stone wrapped in paper was on the floor, when his father picked it up and then read the
message it says that “he should give all he has to those who deserves it better--- the poor.”
Luis, stunned by what he saw was also wondering who did it. He kept thinking but only one
suspect is fitted with the situation. It’s his brother Victor who is very best at using sling—sling
was the best thing to use to throw a stone trough the mansion’s security. After that, Luis fled off
back to manila and then there was a time that Victor came to him and asks for his support—just
the same as to the message his father got, back to Sipnget. Thus, the brothers had different
personalities, beliefs, views and status in life. They met again as both friends and foes. These
are their misunderstandings as brothers. Luis considers himself liberal. He is against the goals
of his brother which is to put down his status as a wealthy landowner for the benefit of the poor.

Climax- He returned to Rosales. He came home together with Trining, his female cousin, who
studies in the convent. In order for the Asperris to preserve their wealth, Luis married Trining.
After sometime, she got pregnant. But in manila, Luis also had an affair with his manager's
daughter - Ester - which is also Trining's best friend. But because they quarreled one night,
Ester disappeared and was found out to be dead. He then found out from his mother that his
half-brother Victor became the commander of Hukbalahap (hukbong bayan laban sa mga
hapon) which is against rich people and feudal landowners.

Resolution/Ending- At the end of the story, Vic warned them about the Huks. He told him to
leave the place. But they didn’t listen. Trining got shot and died. Luis then revenged and fought
for his status and for the death of his wife.

II. Setting: Sipnget, Rosales, Pangasinan –a place where Luis and Victor lived with their mother
and grandfather.

-Manila- a place where Luis works as a writer and an editor of a left-wing magazine.

III. Characterization

CHARACTER REVEAL ABOUT THE CHARACTER

Type Actions and What Others
Dialogue Say
“I am sorry, Trining,”
he stood and hugged
her. Remorseful ,and
Round incredulous
Luis “How did you get
here?” he spoke
hoarsely, startled.
 “I was not thinking of
myself but of you.
Everyone else knows
you are all the
Trining Flat remains, and if you Loving, faithful,
weren’t here, what concerned, and
would people think?” selfless wife
she said, crying.

“Therefore, I must be
useful and I will be
Victor Round useful not only to Brave, angry,
myself but also to courageous
thousands like me,
who may never get the
opportunities you
have!” he said angrily.

V. Themes

"My Brother, My Executioner" emphasizes the interesting personalities of the two half-brothers--
Luis (a famous magazine writer) and Vic (an activist) regarding their different perceptions in life;
their contrasting ideologies of justice and dishonesty that revolve around their community and
the people they love.

VI. Why did I like the story?

I liked the story because it tackles about politics, family, equality, love, poverty, and more that
we may be able to learn or gain information from it. The story is realistic based on the things
that are around them on that time. This novel has molded my political views in our country that
gained me knowledge to understand deeply and wider the role of the youth in this current
society.

VII. Insights/Lessons

“Fight for what you believe in and be ready to face all the challenges that may come along the
way.”

VIII. Vocabulary Development

Hirsute Adj. /hirsut/

-hairy

-My dog has hirsute body.

Reverberating v. /re-ver-ber-ate/
-echoes through a place

-The sound of the tank guns is still reverberating through the little town.

Scraggly Adj. /iskraegli/

-hair or plants that are thin and untidy

-The man had a scraggly mustache.

Sybaritic Adj. /sibaeritik/

-someone spends a lot of time relaxing in a luxurious way

- Don Vicente has a sybaritic way of life.

Disquieted n. /diskwaieted/

-a feeling of worry or anxiety

-This information disquieted him.

Lassitude n. /laesitju^d/

-a state of tiredness, laziness, or lack of interest

-The symptoms of anemia include general fatigue and lassitude.

Lethargy n. /letherdzi/

-a drowsy state

-Symptoms include tiredness, paleness, and lethargy.

Vie v. /via/

-people are competing for something

-The two are vying for the support of New York voters.

Piqued Adj. /pi^kt/

-offended, annoyed, often by something not very important

-She wrinkled her nose, piqued by his total lack of enthusiasm.

Gregarious Adj. /grigeeries/

-enjoys being with other people

-She is such a gregarious and outgoing person.

IX. Author’s Biography

F. Sionil José or in full Francisco Sionil José (born December 3, 1924) is one of the most widely-
read Filipino writers in the English language. His novels and short stories depict the social
underpinnings of class struggles and colonialism in Filipino society. José's works - written in
English - have been translated into 22 languages, including Korean, Indonesian, Russian,
Latvaian, Ukrainian, Dutch.

Childhood
José was born in Rosales, Pangasinan, the setting of many of his stories. He spent his
childhood in Barrio Cabugawan, Rosales, where he first began to write. Jose was of Ilocano
descent whose family had migrated to Pangasinan before his birth. Fleeing poverty, his
forefathers traveled from Ilocos towards Cagayan Valley through the Santa Fe Trail. Like many
migrant families, they brought their lifetime possessions with them, including uprooted molave
posts of their old houses and their alsong, a stone mortar for pounding rice.
Life as a writer
José attended the University of Santo Tomas after World War II, but dropped out and plunged
into writing and journalism in Manila. In subsequent years, he edited various literary and
journalistic publications, started a publishing house, and founded the Philippine branch of PEN,
an international organization for writers. José received numerous awards for his work. The
Pretenders is his most popular novel, which is the story of one man's alienation from his poor
background and the decadence of his wife's wealthy family. Throughout his career, José's
writings espouse social justice and change to better the lives of average Filipino families. He is
one of the most critically acclaimed Filipino authors internationally, although much underrated in
his own country because of his authentic Filipino English and his anti-elite views. Sionil José
also owns Solidaridad Bookshop, which is on Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila. The
bookshop offers mostly hard-to-find books and Filipiniana reading materials. It is said to be one
of the favorite haunts of many local writers.
Works
Rosales Saga novels
A five-novel series that spans three centuries of Philippine history, widely read around the world
and translated into 22 languages
* Po-on (Dusk) (English, 1984)
* The Pretenders (1962)
* My Brother, My Executioner (1973)
* Mass (December 31, 1974)
* Tree (1978)
Original novels containing the Rosales Saga
* Dusk (Po-on) (1993)
* Don Vicente (1980) - Tree and My Brother, My Executioner combined in one book
* The Samsons
Other novels

* Gagamba (The Spider Man) (1991)

* Viajero (1993)
* Sin (1994)
* Ben Singkol (2001)
* Ermita
* Vibora! (2007)
* Sherds (2008)
Short story collection
* The God Stealer and Other Short Stories (2001)
* Puppy Love and Other Short Stories (March 15, 1998)
* Olvidon and Other Stories (1988) * Platinum: Ten Filipino Stories (1983) (now out of print, its
stories are added to the new version of Olvidon and Other Stories)
* Waywaya: Eleven Filipino Short Stories (1980)
* Asian PEN Anthology (as editor) (1966)
* Short Story International (SSI): Tales by the World's Great Contemporary Writers (Unabridged,
Volume 13, Number 75) (co-author, 1989)
Children's books
• The Molave and The Orchid (November 2004)

Verses
* Questions (1988)
Essays and non-fiction
* In Search of the Word (De La Salle University Press, March 15, 1998)
* We Filipinos: Our Moral Malaise, Our Heroic Heritage
* Soba, Senbei and Shibuya: A Memoir of Post-War Japan
* Heroes in the Attic, Termites in the Sala: Why We are Poor (2005)
* This I Believe: Gleanings from a Life in Literature (2006)
* Literature and Liberation (co-author) (1988)
In translation
* Po-on (Tagalog language, De La Salle University Press, 1998)
* Anochecer (Littera) (Spanish language, Maeva, October 2003)
In anthologies
* Tong (a short story from Brown River, White Ocean: An Anthology of Twentieth-Century
Philippine Literature in English by Luis Francia, Rutgers University Press, August 1993
In film documentaries
* Francisco Sionil José - A Filipino Odyssey by Art Makosinski, 1996
Awards
* Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Awards for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication
Arts (1980)
* National Artist Award for Literature (2001)[8]
* Pablo Neruda Centennial Award (2004)
* Palanca Awards