Tree (novel)
Encyclopedia
Tree is a 1978 historical novel
by Filipino National Artist F. Sionil José
. A story of empathy and subjugation, it is the second in José’s series known as The Rosales Saga
or the Rosales Novels. The tree in the novel is a representation of the expectations and dreams of Filipino
s.
, Tree was the story about an unnamed Filipino boy
, the son of a plantation manager and “subjugator of other Filipinos”, who grew up in an Ilocano
town known as Rosales
, Pangasinan
. He was surrounded by acquaintances beneath his social class, relatives, and servants. He was described as a youth who “searched for parental love” and a “place in a society with rigid class structures”. He was also the grandson of the landlord protagonized by José in the novel Po-on. In Tree, the boy narrated the weakening relationship between the peasants and landowners in Ilocos, including how Don Vicente Asperri took over their lands.
Once the center of rice trading in eastern Luzon
, Rosales became insolvent, thus making the protagonist child a witness to a series of social inequalities, humiliations and tragedies, making him despise his father, the overseer for the wealthy provincial and feudal landowner known as Don Vicente Asperri (Asperri’s illegitimate son, Luis Asperri, became a main character in José’s My Brother, My Executioner
) The Philippine revolution brought no changes in the feudal system of the Philippines’ agrarian economy, except for the shift from Spanish to American colonialism. Only the Filipino landowners, their people, and the industrial leaders benefited from the free trade that was established between the Philippines and the United States
. The tenants of the land and industrial laborers became impoverished. In spite of the injustices and suffering during the American period, the poor tenants became guerrillas to fight the Japanese occupiers in return for improved living conditions. The inequalities received by the tenants of the plantations resulted to the birth of an uprising that would change Philippine society forever.
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
by Filipino National Artist F. Sionil José
F. Sionil José
F. Sionil José or in full Francisco Sionil José 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...
. A story of empathy and subjugation, it is the second in José’s series known as The Rosales Saga
The Rosales Saga
The Rosales Saga, also known as the Rosales Novels, is a series of five historical and political novels written by Filipino National Artist F. Sionil José...
or the Rosales Novels. The tree in the novel is a representation of the expectations and dreams of Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
s.
Description
Set in the 1950s in the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Tree was the story about an unnamed Filipino boy
Men in the Philippines
Men in the Philippines is a term referring to the male members of Filipino society, or men who belong or come from the Philippines, a country in South East Asia or the Far East...
, the son of a plantation manager and “subjugator of other Filipinos”, who grew up in an Ilocano
Ilocos
Ilocos collectively refers to two provinces in the Philippines: Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Inhabitants are called Ilocanos and they speak the language Iloko, also called Ilocano.The Ilocos Region, containing four provinces, is named after Ilocos...
town known as Rosales
Rosales, Pangasinan
Rosales is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. It is sometimes called as Carmen, Pangasinan based on its progressive barangay, Carmen...
, Pangasinan
Pangasinan
Pangasinan is a province of the Republic of the Philippines. The provincial capital is Lingayen. Pangasinan is located on the west central and peripheral area of the island of Luzon along the Lingayen Gulf, with the total land area being 5,368.82 square kilometers . According to the latest census,...
. He was surrounded by acquaintances beneath his social class, relatives, and servants. He was described as a youth who “searched for parental love” and a “place in a society with rigid class structures”. He was also the grandson of the landlord protagonized by José in the novel Po-on. In Tree, the boy narrated the weakening relationship between the peasants and landowners in Ilocos, including how Don Vicente Asperri took over their lands.
Once the center of rice trading in eastern Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, Rosales became insolvent, thus making the protagonist child a witness to a series of social inequalities, humiliations and tragedies, making him despise his father, the overseer for the wealthy provincial and feudal landowner known as Don Vicente Asperri (Asperri’s illegitimate son, Luis Asperri, became a main character in José’s My Brother, My Executioner
My Brother, My Executioner
My Brother, My Executioner is a novel by Filipino author Francisco Sionil José written in Philippine English. A part of the so-called Rosales Saga - a series of five interconnected fiction novels - My Brother, My Executioner ranks third in terms of chronology...
) The Philippine revolution brought no changes in the feudal system of the Philippines’ agrarian economy, except for the shift from Spanish to American colonialism. Only the Filipino landowners, their people, and the industrial leaders benefited from the free trade that was established between the Philippines and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The tenants of the land and industrial laborers became impoverished. In spite of the injustices and suffering during the American period, the poor tenants became guerrillas to fight the Japanese occupiers in return for improved living conditions. The inequalities received by the tenants of the plantations resulted to the birth of an uprising that would change Philippine society forever.