THE SMALL KEYBy Paz M. Latorena

Presented by Group 1

Paz Latorena • Born in Boac, Marinduque. Fictionist.

• youngest among the four children of Florencia Manguera and Valentin Latorena, was born on Jan. 19, 1908.

• She received her elementary education in at the St. Scholastica's College and her secondary education at the Manila South (now Araullo) High School. She earned her bachelor of science degree in education at the University of the Philippines College of Education and took a graduate course at the University of Santo Tomas (UST). She taught English at the UST.

• . In 1934, her doctoral dissertation, “Philippine Literature in English: Old Voices and New,” received the highest rating of sobresaliente.

• Latorena also wrote poetry under the pseudonym, Mina Lys, which, had a “romantic significance,” for the then young writer.

• While still a freshman in college, Latorena started writing in earnest as Paz Marquez-Benitez. The editor of Herald Midweek Magazine encouraged her to write and publish her works in the magazine. She became nationally known when Jose Garcia Villa included her story, “Sunset”, in his anthology Philippine Short Stories in 1929. It was considered the best published that year.

• In 1943, Latorena authored her last story, “Miguel Comes Home.” She died a decade later, on October 19, 1953, of cerebral hemorrhage.

• Latorena's stories have a wistfulness which tells of a gentle disillusionment with life. Many of her stories chronicle the unexpressed heartaches of women. There is bitterness, however, but sadness over certain dreams left unfulfilled.

The Small Key

"The Small Key" is a short story by Filipino author Paz Latorena. It is about Soledad , a woman in her mid-twenties who is married to a man named Pedro Buhay. They lived in a hut within a prosperous farm away from neighbors. Soledad looked at the beginnings of an abundant harvest with familiarity and discontent.

She planned to mend some of her husband's shirts, which were in a locked trunk. Pedro took out from his pocket a string which held two keys: one large and shiny, the other small and rusty. He gave Soledad the large key to his trunk and put the small key back in his jacket pocket. Soledad was pained at the look of his face as he held the small key.

It was hot that morning, and he absently removed his jacket before leaving to work in the field. When he was gone, Soledad began to fold the jacket and the small key fell to the floor.

Soledad knew that the small key opened another trunk: a small one that lay half-concealed and untouched, which contained the clothes of Pedro’s first wife who passed away long ago. She kept busy to distract herself from thoughts of how it threatens to destroy her relationship with her husband but ended up opening it in the end.

Pedro returned home to find Soledad in bed supposedly with a fever. He watched over her all evening until the doctor arrived and told him that she was not sick.  

The next morning Pedro discovered a pile of ashes and half burnt clothing in the backyard. He realized what Soledad had done and rushed to look in the trunk to confirm it. Soledad has indeed burned his first wife's clothing.

Pedro tried to not get angry. He hoped that the incident can be recalled without bitterness. He knew that the time would come that she would explain and apologize, and that he would forgive her because he was young and he loved her. But he knew he would always resent her for it.

Symbolisms

• Small key – a small rusty key, has a big meaning in the story because it served as the object that reminds him of his first wife.

• Trunk – symbolized how Pedro tried to hide his memories of his dead wife.

• Dead wife’s clothes – the remains served as the main memories of his past wife.

Guide Questions1. Using Pedro and Soledad, the main characters, as point of

reference, what specific gender roles are delineated in the story?

2. Do the names of the characters have some kind of significance to their portrayal in the story?

3. Why did Soledad think that the trunk of Pedro’s dead wife is something that threatens her beautiful relationship with her husband?

4. Does Pedro love Soledad? If so, why does Pedro still keep the belongings of his dead wife?

5. Pedro discovered, towards the end of the story, what Soledad did to his first wife’s things. Would this incident affect Pedro and Soledad’s relationship as husband and wife? How?

6. Who do you think committed a graver mistake, Pedro (for keeping his dead wife’s things) or Soledad (for burning them)?

Quiz

True or False

1. Soledad considered the contents of the small trunk as a threat to her marriage. T

2. Soledad hurried to open the small trunk upon her discovery of the key. F

3. The doctor told Pedro that his wife was not sick. T

4. What kind of literary works did Latorena write under the pseudonym, Mina Lys?

a) short stories

b) poetry <-

c) novels

5. What did Latorena die of?

a) cerebral hemorrhage <-

b) tuberculosis

c) old age