Frances Tracy C.

Pasicolan BS Management II- B Lit 1-H (MTh 1:00-2:30 pm)

An Essay for Miguel Syjucos Ilustrado

The novel started from an ending. Miguels mentor, Crispin Salvador, the Panther of the Philippine
Letters, was found floating, dead in the Hudson River, in an unexpected February morning. With
the demise of the writer, Salvadors most awaited manuscript, The Bridges Ablaze was missing too.
No one knew what or how it happened, to Crispin Salvador and to his manuscript. The Bridges
Ablaze, as mentioned by Crispin, in one of his remaining conversation with Miguel, Don't you think
there are things that need to be finally said? I want to lift the veil that conceals the evil. Expose them
on the steps of the temple. Truly, all those responsible. The pork barrel trad-pols. The air-conditioned
Forbes Park aristocracy. The aspirational kleptocrats who forget their origins. The bishoppricks and
their canting church. Even you and me. Let' all eat that cake. The book represents our regret, our
happiness and guilt, through Crispins and Miguels, as Crispin said, From time to time, I wonder at
the value of things such as those. Maybe I should have mustered the courage to raise oneIf Im not
writing TBA for our offspring, then to who for? ... One day, youll understand. Miguel, the only
remaining friend of Salvador, knew and believed differently amidst the mockeries and stereotypes of
the media, of the people. Hoping to connect the dots and to give redemption to his mentors life,
whose works, some well-liked, others not, Miguel embarked in a journey, to find Dulcinea, hoping,
he would also find the manuscript of The Bridges Ablaze. But the quest is not only meant for Crispin,
it became Miguels too. In the end, in a dream-like world, or in reality, Miguel realized, I wont find
Dulcinea. In the end, among the three boxes, none contained the manuscript of The Bridges Ablaze,
none, empty. The novel ended with a beginning, on how Crispin Salvador recoils the death of his
student, the dead student is like him, or is hima protagonist working out the permutation of his
first encounter with his child whom he did not know. The Bridges Ablaze is his story, A young
mana description that encompasses all the promises of livingAnd with his fiction of possibilities,
entwined with the possibilities of fiction, Ive woven in my own unlived life. Crispins conclusion
would be his enlightened beginning, his salvation, his atonement.
Miguel Syjucos Ilustrado transcends Philippine Literature by employing magical realism, a
literary genre that is very much evident in all forms of art today (Slemon, 1995), constructing Crispin
Salvador and the narrator, Miguel himself, fictional characters that appears to readers too factual.
Miguels narration and journey to solve the mystery behind Crispin Salvadors death and the missing
manuscript of The Bridges Ablaze, is a form of deception (make-believe) and inception (too real to
be real), allowing the readers to gauge into the story, as it may resemble bits of them, bits of their
lives. Ilustrado presents a like "who's who of artistic and political icons that readers wondered
whether it was fiction," even Crispin Salvador, and the narrator, Miguel himself, are only but
allusions and allegories of the Filipinos and of the Philippine conditions. It is a novel that
encompasses every being in all timelines, a timeless tale of people. The allusions and allegories are
reflection of our own. For instance, the regret, the pride, a person have to live for, in the case of
Crispins regret of not raising or knowing his daughter, Dulcinea, Miguels regret to make peace with
his grandparents, especially with his grandfather. In addition, our laughter from the different
impressions and perspective among the three male students from Ateneo de Manila University, De La
Salle University, and Erning Isip of AMA Computer College, on how we laugh at others but more so
at ourselves.
The novel presents the difficulties of being a writer, a writer who does not only write for sake
but a writer who truly writes for life, for people, for art. The difficult yet promising life of writer
especially to be a Filipino writer in the Philippines, a long winding road to be recognize and to earn a
decent, good livingabroad. That is why, plenty of Filipino writers have decided to seclude
themselves, go and find better opportunities abroad. Just like what Crispin did, as he traveled almost
the whole world writing but sidelining as an assistant of an assistant in restaurants etc. In addition,
the bargain a writer has to sacrifice, for others it is accepted easily by family and society, for others
like Crispin, not. As Crispin said, The people who love you will only see their deficiencies in your
work. Thats the strength of good writing and the weakness of the human ego. Love and honesty
dont mix. To be an honest writer, you have to be away from home, and totally alone in life.
The novel shows a glimpse of every family, not only a typical Filipino family. The pressures
inflicted on a child to fill in the shoes of his/her parents, grandparents. For instance, since Miguel
grew up and raised from a political clan, he was expected by his grandparents, who became his
parents after his real parents died in an accident, to go into politics. But in the end, Miguel
conformed in his ideal to be a writer, which is unacceptable and ridiculed by his family. In a family of
experts, of engineers, doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, businessmen, a daughter or son who would
aspire to be an artist, a writer, a painter, a photographer, any profession that is related to arts, are
usually scrutinized, ridiculed. One factor will be is the notion inscribed on us, that there is no future
in arts because of the difficulty to have a good living, a decent salary, a better life through arts. That is
why, most of the art enthusiasts just prefer to hide their talent, their craft, forced on something that
they do not, their parents wasting their money on something he/she doesnt want, or even deserved,
and most importantly, he/she wasting her time on something that he/she never wanted, undeserved.
How our ideological apparatus, the social constructions, the expectations and standards, often times
brings misunderstanding, breaking us and even to the extent of separating the family. The novel, too,
presented the pressures of being a parent. Parents, as role model who guides their children in the
harshness of reality, of life, are expected to be better for their children. For instance, Boy Bastoss
have realized that our greatest doom is to raise children wholl repeat our mistakes. This he knows is
something he doesnt want. The sufferings due to the mistakes done by parents are not their own but
their childrens, it is the children who always pay for their parents mistakes. But why cant we stop?
As history repeats itself, why cant we change our direction, our repetitive mistakes?
Jokes of Juan are indispensable in Filipino culture. Jokes are a way of lifetelling stories,
describing ourselves or something, communication with people, entertaining people, solving a
problem, and most especially, living life. Jokes are literature, a Philippine literature that spans
throughout time and boundaries. Jokes reflect our shared lives, aspirations, joys, sadness, death, and
conversations of humans, something that can be empathized by all, an inspiration perhaps. Jokes, for
Crispin Salvador, are not divisive. The act of hearing a familiar punch line, the ensuing moan of
corniness, thats all unifying. Jokes are as palliative as a proverb. Without them, we wouldnt
understand ourselves. Moreover, it can teach tidbits of lesson, wisdom in a nutshell. More than just a
sense of humor, jokes can be are source of hope, may improve or worsen us. For example, through a
joke, Syjuco (2010) describes what Philippine politics has been?
Boy Bastoss daughter Girly asks her father, Daddy, what is politics? Boy is very
proud of her inquisitiveness. As hes gotten older, spent and rebuilt the small
inheritance his father Erning left him, risen in politics, watched his daughter grow,
witnessed his son being born, seen his marriage shed its glitter, hes realized that our
greatest doom is to raise children wholl repeat our mistakes. This he knows is
something he doesnt want.
He says, Well, Girly-girl, let me explain it this way. First, Im the head of the family,
so you can call me President. Your mom makes the rules, so you can call her the
Government. Were here to take care of your needs, so we can call you the People.
Your yaya Inday works for us, and we pay her for her work, so well call her the
Working Class. And your baby brother Junior, lets call him the Future. Now think
about that and see if it makes sense.
At the breakfast table the next morning, Girly tells her father, Daddy, I think I
understand politics now.
Boy is proud. Wow! he exclaims. You really are sharp! Explain to us in your own
words how politics work.
Well, Girly begins, the President is really fucking the Working Class. And the
Government doesnt do anything except sleep and sleep. Nobody ever pays attention
to the People. And the Future, well, the Future swims in shit.
Boy Bastos kisses her proudly on the head.
Eventually, Girly grows up. She marries the prominent Attorney Arrayko and
becomes the countrys most popular economist, senator, and then vice president.
When the president at the time is ousted by yet another Edsa Revolution, Girly
succeeds him. As she takes the presidential oath of office, she remembers all the wise
lessons she learned from her iconoclastic father, Boy, and the legacy of her
industrious lolo, Erning. President Girly Bastos Arrayko becomes the hope of the
country. The end, however, proves that the jokes on us, and we all know the punch
line.
Uncommon in Philippine Literature, Miguel Syjucos Ilustrado (2010), a mystery novel about the
protagonists, Crispin Salvador, the Panther of Philippine Letters, who was found dead in the
Hudson River, and whose manuscript of The Bridges Ablaze, his last novel perhaps, was missing; and
Salvadors only remaining friend, Miguel, was on a quest to solve the mystery behind his mentors
death and the lost manuscript, as much as it was a quest for the redemption of Crispin from infamy
and misery, little did Miguel knew, that the quest was also his own. The justifications have little to do
with neither Crispin nor Miguel himself, but it was more of our own, our own reflection of our quest
to salvation, an enlightenment to our own story, our own unanticipated ending. The characters, as
well as their aspiration, hope, joy, sadness, regret, and troubles were allusions and allegories of our
own. Ilustrado, the real Miguel Syjucos novel, was the real deal of Crispins missing manuscript of
The Bridges Ablaze, of the revelation of the intentions of Syjuco, through Crispin, that is to expose
the evil among the Filipinos that furthers our conditions and our country, to portray the successes
and mischiefs of Filipinos, from all walks of life, and to atone our own sins and regrets, just like
Crispin to his daughter, Dulcinea. In the last chapter to epilogue, I was routing for Miguel to find
Dulcinea and to find the controversial missing manuscript of The Bridges Ablaze, in that way, he can
provide redemption to his mentors infamous and ephemeral writings, so that his mentors life as well
as his own time and effort would not be put to waste. But just in case, he find Dulcinea and The
Bridges Ablaze, what now? Will he be able to change the unanticipated fate of his mentor? It would
be useless, meaningless. The unexpected ending of the novel, as intended by the author, Miguel
Syjuco, would be a reflection of our desire, our own choice from the multiplicity of conclusions to
every unfinishing story. In the end, we hope it would all makes sense, or not.
As much as Miguel Syjuco have complicated the novel, through his like a story within a
story technique (i.e. excerpts of excerpts from novel, jokes, newspaper clippings / artcles, journals,
blogs, biography, memoirs, conversations, and panel discussions), so it is complicated and difficult to
make a whole reflection. But isn't complicatedness part of human nature--on how we complicate
simple things just so we can make justifications. On how we complicate our lives.
In the end, anyways, it doesnt matter whether Crispin, the other characters, the events, or
whether the narrator, Miguel himself, is real or not. No Crispin, no Miguel, no Dulcinea, no The
Bridges Ablaze, nothing but us. In the end, what matters most is that their stories are our own. In the
end, whether the book is fictional or factual, none of the above or both, what matters most are the
possibilities. Basically, possibilities is lifeendless opportunities that hold a much better life, an
imagination of a better ending, but more so, a better beginning to our story. With the multiplicity of
conclusions to every unfinishing story, and imagination of reality, we are a given a choice to recreate
and retell our own story, our own ending, our own atonement. From the movie Six Degrees of
Separation (1993), a quote from Will Smith, in his role as Paul, talks about the influence of the
affluence of Salingers Catcher in the Rye, The imagination. Its there to sort out your nightmare, to
show you the exit from the maze of your nightmare, to transform the nightmare into dreams, that
become your bedrock. If we do not listen to that voice, it dies, it shrivels, it vanishes. The imagination
is not our escape. On the contrary, the imagination is the place we are trying to get to. With the
multiplicity of conclusions to every unfinishing story, deserved or undeserved, our own ending will
be our salvation, our redemption, our recovery back to life, back to the world. And finally as Crispin
said, The boy became a man. A young mana description that encompasses all the promises of
lovingAnd with this fiction of possibilities, entwined with the possibilities of fiction, Ive woven in
my own unlived life. And so, my return, I write these final words as I approach my first day home.
Home to what remains of my family. Home to my child, for whenever shes ready. Home, with the
discovery that we are only enlightened at a new beginning, at what we perceive to be the end.

Works Cited:
Six Degrees of Separation [Video File]. (1993). In A. Milchan, & F. Schepisi (Producers) & F. Schepisi
(Director). Los Angeles, CA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Slemon, S. (1995). Magic realism as postcolonial discourse [PDF File]. In W. B. Faris, & L. P. Zamora
(Eds), Magical realism: theory, history, community, (pp.407-426).
London: Duke University Press. Retrieved on October 19, 2013, from
http://www.artsrn.ualberta.ca/sslemon/slemon /slemon.mrpd.pdf
Syjuco, M. (2010). Ilustrado. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giraux.
Yuan, E. (2010, March 6). Syjucos Ilustrado blurs reality. CNN. Retrieved o October 19, 2013, from
http://www.edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/05/05/philippines.ilustrado/