Children of the City Essay

Amadis ma Guerrero was born in Ermita, Manila in 1941, hegraduated from the Ateneo de manila in 1965 from theUniversity of Santo Tomas in 1959. His short story Children of the City is a departure from his general style. It won the PalancaAwards in 1971.SettingThis story happened in the late 1980s. Everything occurredin the unconsolable perilous busy streets of Manila. Boulevard . streets of avenida Characterization- schoolmasterHe is a male child from Intramuros. At the age of eight, he loses hisfather and his niggle abandons him for some other man. He ishired as a newsboy by his uncle and starts his life on the streets.Innocent and young, he ponders on the menace and vices of hiscolleagues and the stack all around him. -Victors daddyA good-natured man and a loving father to Victor, he was apart of a workers strike. The man love his intelligence dearly and hisdeath brought a huge blow to Victor. -Victors MomShe loved Victors dad but never cared felt whatsoever affection forhe r son. She took her husbands death grievously. But later on,she ignores Victor, becomes a prostitute, then leaves Victor to hisUncle to go a stylus with her new lover. -Tio PedringVictors uncle, he adopted superscript after the leaving of hissister. He forces victor to become a newspaper boy. -NacioHe is a newspaper boy. He was victors new friend. Thoughfull of cruel vices, Victor took his death as a nonher major loss.SummaryThe father of the boy Victor got convolute in a strike. He actsas though it was nothing and takes Victor to nighttime walks aroundManila. He takes Victors mind off vices and promises Victor abright future someday.One day, during the strike. Victors father was shot dead inthe heart. His wife mourned greatly and his son was subdued.Thewife began to disappear late at night and come dwelling house early dawn.She refuses to take care of Victor. And then, she comes homewith some goon, telling that the goon exit be Victors new dad.Victor didnt like the weird at all. As often as possible, he triesto stay forth of his mom and her lovers way.And then, Victor right woke up with his mother and the mangone. His Uncle Pedring introduces to take care of him. Herecruits Victor to a newspaper job. The man does not treat Victorwell unless he brings home money.During his job, Victor meets Nacio.Nacio was also anewspaper boy. He taught Victor various tricks in newspaperselling. They become close friends.Victors job grew prosperous. Soon, his thickening starts to trusthim with a ration of 20 papers a day. He becomes satisfactory withhis life until-Nacio was run over a car. He was dead. Victor grieved for hisfriend just like the way he did with his father. He gets sapen upwith the other kids.His colleagues beat him up whenever he refuses to smoke orsay curse words Victor was noncompliant at first. But after long, tiredof being tossed around like a stray dog-Victor finally gave up.Moral lessonThe story ended when the author recognise how cruel thew orld is And Victor, swirled the life of the city this city, flushed withtriumphant charity campaigns, where workers were made to signstatements certifying they accredited minimum wage, wheremillionaire politicians received Holy Communion every Sunday,where mothers taught their sons and daughters the art of begging, where orphans and children from low-down homes slept onpavements and under darkened bridges, and where best friendsfell out and betrayed one another.This world is destine indeed people become the way theyare, not because of fate, but of how the people around themrevolve. Children of politicians study at universities and tend toget spoiled. Whereas, orphans are shunned downwards and areleft to encounter the streets and crawl under the powerfuls shoes. The story shows us the way life turns and how what webecome rests upon our defiance and decisions. This has been ahackneyed phrase through the decades but it portrays some kindof truth.