Name: Isabel Louise C.

Reyes

Lit 13

Date: December 17,2014

Preparation for Analysis Paper:

Character and Conflict
Directions: Read Dead Stars and accomplish the worksheet. This WS is based on our discussions and is
intended to help you write your 1st Literary Analysis Paper next year. Since this is intended to help you to write
your papers next year, you may write your interpretation (not the quotes) in prose or bullet points (but be clear).
After you do this worksheet, write a short preliminary analysis (1-2 paragraphs) of your character. What kind of
person is he? What is his or her motivation for his actions/ decisions? Attach the character analysis to the WS
when you submit it.
DUE: Dec 17, 2014 (Wed)
Story and author:
Dead Stars (1925) by Paz Marquez-Benitez
Name of Main Character:
Alfredo Salazar
Do you think this name is significant in light of the story? If yes, why?
Yes. The name Alfredo can mean either of the following:
A person who rarely experiences emotional stability or control.
A person who often feels emotions he does not understand and has alarming thoughts
that make him wonder about their origin.
A person who craves understanding and affection but whose intensity of desire and selfconsciousness prevents him from finding the happiness he desires.
A person who experiences many disappointments and understandings due to the
inability to express his thoughts.
We can say that in this case, the name is significant because it is a reflection of the character itself.

Provide a quote from the story that illustrates the

characters personality and include the page number
as reference. You may use ellipses as long as the
remaining sentences still form a grammatical
sentence. If no quotes are relevant, write NA. Use
extra paper if necessary.

Interpret the lines here. What does this quote reveals

about the character? (if no quote is relevant, you may
leave this blank or write N/A)

Characters are what they look like and how others

see them (Physical description). They are also
revealed by scene and summary (direct
characterization by writer)
Tall and slender, he moved with and indolent ease
that verged on grace. Under straight recalcitrant hair,
a thin face with a satisfying breadth of forehead, slow,
dreamers eyes and astonishing freshness of lips
indeed Alfredo Salazars appearance betokened little
exuberant masculinity, rather a poet with wayward
humor, a fastidious artist with, clear brain (page 2,
par.16)
He could not understand months of hunger that was
not of the body nor yet of the mind, a feeling that
seized him one quiet night. . .was a stranger to love
as he divined it might be (page 1,par.9)

He is described by the author as a poet or

artist. Often silent but there is a lot of things
going on inside his head. From the text, it can
be inferred that Alfredo Salazar is a reserved
man. He is also a man who exhibits little
masculinity. This may be because he lacked
qualities that are most evident in men, such
as passion, energy and exuberance. Instead
he is calm and placid. He is said to be tall and
slender with dreamers eyes. Dreamy could
mean that he is unaware of what is
happening around him because his eyes are
fixed only on a certain thought- which is
chasing something beautiful due to the horror
of missing it.

. . .the feeling of tumultuous haste, . . .So he had

avidly seized the shadow of love and deluded himself
For a long while in the way of humanity from time
immemorial(page 1,par.10)
They are what they say. (Words and actions)
. . . And because he was not habitually untruthful,
added, sometimes I go with Papa to Judge del
Valles (page 3, par.34)
. . .he was giving Julia Salas something which he
was not free to give (page 3. Par.36)

They are what they think and realize. (Thoughts)

Why would men so mismanage their lives? Greed,
he thought was what ruined many. Greedthe desire
to crowd into a moment all the enjoyment it will hold,
to squeeze from the hour all the emotion it will yield.
Men commit themselves with half-meaning to do so,
sacrificing possible future fullness of ecstasy to the
craving of immediate excitement.(page1. Par. 11)

Alfredo is an indecisive man. He lies about

his engagement to Esperanza because of his
attraction towards Julia. He is not sure of
what to do or rather who to choose in the
situation wherein he is stuck in between two
women.

Alfredos feelings have changed. He thinks

that greed was what ruined many. In could be
that what he has with Esperanza is only a
result of his greed in the earlier years. That it
is the reason why he cannot have the fullness
of ecstasy with Julia.
In another sense it could also be that his
greed cause him infidelity. Not of any of the
women but of being in love itself.

They are as how others see them.

Papa, do you remember how much in love he
was?(p.1 par. 6)- Carmen
What do you think happened? (p.1 par.12)-Carmen

According to Carmen, Alfredo showed

changes in attitude towards his engagement.
Like how enthusiastic he was at first but now
he is rather cold.

I suppose long-engaged people are like that; warm

now, cool tomorrow. . Besides,that, as I see it, was
Alfredos last race with escaping youth. (p.1 par
13)Don Julian

Don Julian thinks that Alfredos actions are

normal for someone who is engaged that
long. He claims that the spark of love which
is always fully ignites at the beginning
naturally cools down and with it ones
disposition or affection. Maybe both.
Furthermore, he sees the engagement as a
way of settling down before its too late for
him. Because he is not getting any younger.
Or it could also be that it is considered a last
race with youth because that was the last
time Don Julian saw Alfredo in such a state- a
state with so much life to it.

Do I seem especially industrious to you?

If you are you never look it
Not perspiring or breathless as a busy man ought to
be
Always unhurried, too unhurried, and calm
Like a carabao in a mud pool Julia pages4-5
Why do you get angry? I do not understand you at
all! I think I know why you have been indifferent to
me lately. I am not blind, or deaf; I see and hear
perhaps some are trying to keep from me
Esperanza (p.10 par.185)

For Julia Salas, Alfredo is a man of leisure.

There are no signs of stress or haste.
However this version of Alfredo is only
evident when he is with Julia. It could be halftrue in the sense that it is the only version she
sees.
Esperanza thinks that Alfredo is becoming a
immoral man because of their argument
because of Calixta. She is starting to think of
reasons why Alfredo is being indifferent to
her.

They are the worlds they make (setting)

Through the open window the air-steeped outdoors
passed into his room, quietly enveloping him,. . . .the
years to come even now beginning to weigh down, to
crush-they lost concreteness, diffused into formless
melancholy (p.1p par.1 )

The story is set during Lenten season.

. . he and Julia Salas had gone off to chat in the vinecovered porch. The lone piano in the neighborhood
alternately tinkled and banged away as the player's moods
altered. (p.2 par.30)

Judge Del Valles house was somehow his

escape from reality. An escape, away from
the prying eyes of everyone, which he spends
with Julia Salas.

. .beyond the ancient tamarinds lay the road,

upturned to the stars. In the darkness the fireflies
glimmered, while an errand breeze strayed in from
somewhere, bringing elusive, faraway sounds as of
voices in a dream. (p.3 par. 45)
Entered the heart of the town--heart of Chinese stores
sheltered under low-hung roofs, of indolent drug stores
and tailor shops, of dingy shoe-repairing establishments,
and a cluttered goldsmith's cubbyhole where a
consumptive bent over a magnifying lens; heart of old
brick-roofed houses with quaint hand-and-ball knockers on
the door; heart of grass-grown plaza reposeful with trees,
of ancient church and convento, now circled by swallows
gliding in flight as smooth and soft as the afternoon itself.
Into the quickly deepening twilight, the voice of the biggest
of the church bells kept ringing its insistent summons.
Flocking came the devout with their long wax candles,
young women in vivid apparel (for this was Holy Thursday
and the Lord was still alive), older women in sober black
skirts. Came too the young men in droves, elbowing each
other under the talisay tree near the church door. (p. 7
par.123)

Don Julians house was the representation of

Alfredos lost youth and the mistakes he
made during that time. The house was silent,
sad and intangible just like his youth.

Calle Real was said to be the heart of the

town and possibly the place where the heart
of the story happened. Because this is the
place where Julia Salas faced Alfredo and
they talked about his engagement. And this
is also where Alfredo sought Julias opinion
about his situation, indirectly.

Directions: Please answer the following briefly.

1. What conflict does the character experience and how is the conflict resolved? Is it more internal or external,
or both?
The character experience the conflict of choosing between what he wants to do and what he needs to
do. It is resolved by choosing the option that will avoid conflict with society. In the end he realized the truth which
ceased him from being a prisoner in his own feelings. It is more internal because the character deals with a
dilemma in his thoughts and emotions.

2. Does the character undergo a transformation or not? Why or why not?

Yes. I can say that Alfredo Salazar is a dynamic character. It is because at the start he was said to be
very much in love with Esperanza. He exhibits kind of love with life, passion and excitement. However, after
being engaged for so long, these enthusiastic feelings began to fade. This is when Alfredo found himself being
attracted to another which is Julia Salas. This is one level of change. Even though in the end he still ends up with

Esperanza, his feelings were never as gay as before. Which is another level of emotional change. His marriage
with Esperanza was not unhappy but not necessarily happy. The indifferent relationship they have now is nothing
compared to the eager one they had before. Another change is the realization that he lost his feeling for Julia
Salas after holding on to it for so long. So long that he never really knew when it ended or if it even started.
3. Is the title significant for the character? Why or why not?
Yes. In reality, dead stars are stars which are long dead but have still enough heat residues to
exhibit light. Thus, allowing it to still be visible to the human eye. In this case, dead stars is a kind of metaphor for
Alfredo Salazar and his feelings. Alfredo clung to this so-called love for Julia Salas for so long when it is still
unclear if this feeling of love materialized in the first place. His affection for Julia may be the outcome of the
boredom brought by the familiarity of his long-relationship with Esperanza. The excitement of meeting a lively
Julia Salas ignited his lost youth. This could also be another attempt for a last spurt of hot blood. It could be but
it is not. Because since the beginning Alfredo Salass feelings were dead stars. It is like false hope, an illusion
that he can be with another when he is already committed to one.

Isabel Louise C. Reyes

E-17

Dec. 17, 2014

M. Paterno

Character Analysis
Alfredo Salazar
Alfredo Salazar is the representation of mens greed and indecisiveness. He is long engaged to
Esperanza but still seeks the affection of another, Julia Salas. He represents greed because he desired
the enjoyment he felt with Julia no matter how temporary it was. Less than four years ago, he did the
same with Esperanza. He deluded himself with the idea of love because of the horror of missing it.
He half-committed himself in exchange for immediate excitement. As Don Julian stated, the flame of
a new romance is likely to fade overtime due to the familiarity with one another. That is exactly what
happened between Alfredo and Esperanza. And it is during this cooling phase that Alfredo met
Julia- a new, young and full of life woman, the complete opposite of his present self. He cannot feel
the same exhilaration with Esperanza anymore that is why he wants to try again with Julia.
However, Alfredo is giving Julia something he is not free to give. Even though it was not as
enthusiastic as before, he is still very much committed to Esperanza. This situation forces him to
make a decision between the thing he needs to do (marry Esperanza) and the thing he wants to do (be
with Julia). The fact that he did not immediately inform Julia about his engagement shows how
indecisive of a man he is. In the end, he chooses to do what is right in order to avoid social suicide not
only for him but also for Esperanza and their families. What would people say or would not say about
a long engagement that was cut off on verge of the wedding? Alfredos married life was not
necessarily unhappy however, in the span of 8 years he cant help but cling to the what ifs or rather
the possibilities of the future if he had married Julia. Would he be happier? More alive? No matter, he
still held on to his so-called love for her. However, when he they met again Alfredo realized that
what he felt for Julia were dead stars. Dead stars in the sense that he wasnt even aware of what he
was feeling but he clung to it anyway. A delusion of being and staying in love made by Alfredo
himself, which probably cost him his youth.