Rizal’s Lovelife

[Essay Reflection]

Despite being a busy person and a student of Jose, a teen-ager

like him wouldn’t be exceptional in the name of love. He, of course, had fun
teenage years. He was in love first with Segunda Katigbak, a sister of a
friend and schoolmate from Ateneo De Municipal. They first met at some of
the Rizal’s family occasion in Manila. His sister and Segunda was a friend
that is why Jose became also close with her. He was in love with her for
seven months and he shows it with her poems and even drawing Segunda’s
image. But then, their relationship ended so soon because Segunda was
meant to marry a man from their community named Manuel Luz. Leonor
“Orang” Valenzuela was the second of his lovers. He used to write letters to
Orang with the strategy of invisible ink in the papers. It is because while he
was courting Orang he is also courting someone named Leonor Rivera. Still,
Orang was not against of it even though there is another Leonor in Jose’s
life. When Rizal went to Europe, they only write letters to each other. But
when he fully became a filibuster, Leonor’s mother made the letters to be
delivered to her directly. After that, Leonor married a man another man and
when Jose learned the news, he was broken hearted because Leonor was his
true love. That became Leonor as an inspiration when he made the
character of Maria Clara. While he was still in Europe, he met Consuelo
Ortiga y Rey. He makes letters for Consuelo that result to be a form of
courting even though he was still in a relationship with Leonor. He was
lonely and away from Leonor Rivera. Eventually, he stopped wooing
Consuelo because he knew that his friend Eduardo de Lete was in love with
her, because he doesn’t want his friendship with Eduardo to be ruined.

The next lover of Jose was Seiko Usui or known as “O-Sei-San”.

When he went to Japan from Hong Kong to work in Spanish Legation, that’s
when he met Seiko. Almost every day they are together, Seiko taught Jose of
their own culture, places and language. It was difficult for him to leave his
lover in Japan when he was going back to the US. Seiko didn’t marry until
Jose’s execution in 1896. The next girl who was linked to Jose was Gertrude
Beckett. He was still sad and feels lonely because of Seiko but Gertrude was
there for him. They got along and their relationship got more romantic but it
was said that it was one-sided because Jose was still in pain because of
leaving Seiko and just looking for entertainment to keep him sane.
Suzaanne Jacoby was the next lover of Rizal but it didn’t work because Jose
still loves Leonor. Again, it was a one-sided love and Jose left. When Jose
learned that Leonor was getting married he became awfully sad. That’s when
he met Nelllie Bousted who was a beautiful girl and no wonder Antonio Luna
likes him too. Luna and Rizal almost killed each other in Madrid because
while Luna was courting Nellie, it develops a romantic feeling towards Jose.
Jose and Nellie got almost married but there are ones who are not in favor of
that, and that is the mother of Nellie Bousted.
 In the last days of February 1895, while still in Dapitan, Rizal
met an 18-year old petite Irish girl, with bold blue eyes, brown hair and a
happy disposition. She was Josephine Bracken, the adopted daughter of
George Taufer from Hong Kong, who came to Dapitan to seek Rizal for eye
treatment. Rizal was physically attracted to her. His loneliness and boredom
must have taken the measure of him as of some incidence, which might
have shocked or frightened her.

Rizal was a busy person and you couldn’t think of it that he has
no time for romantic relationship, but he does. Some of it was serious but
some of it got hurt. Maybe he was a serious lover but at the same time he
also knew how to play. I do think that it was in his nature to get to be in a
relationship with two women at the same time. Some would think that men
are born with that kind of nature but in reality it is unreasonable for me to
men do that kind of action especially if the woman is being loyal and
faithful. For me, I understand his pain, his loss, and the way he loved every
single women who were part of his life. Especially, that he loved the most
was Leonor Rivera but still didn’t get to end up with her. Being a stick to one
is a must and every men and people should know that. Also, finding
entertainment with other girls just to forget the pain someone inflicted in
you is not acceptable. If you are hurting or experiencing any pain, heal
yourself first. Don’t enter someone’s life if you are just gonna ruin it by
making them think that you are in love too. Rizal did it not just once but
twice. Just because he was broken hearted from his past lover, it doesn’t
mean he get to make other women think that he likes them and give them
motives. Especially, that he courted the two Leonor at the same time.