Tatarin

Nick Joaquin

A Literary Criticism

The short story, Tatarin, Tadtarin or Summer Solstice, covers sensitive and highly
controversial issues including religion, sexuality and the equality of both sexes. The focus of the
story is about the power of women over men, that women can control men. The story takes place
in 1850s during the festival days of St. John. It was a three day festival done only by women to
celebrate a ritual of fertility. The story was characterized by the Moretas, a highly well-to-do
family. Don Paeng Moreta was respectful and a real gentleman to his lovely wife, Doa Lupe
Moreta, Filipino woman who feels closed to her womanhood, they have three small boys, their
carriage driver named Entoy, and his wife, Amada as the maid and cook.

At the start of the story, Entoy, the driver of the Moretas, is afraid to touch his wife.
However, as mentioned, that his wife, Amada, was a battered wife, several times even before this
encounter. Entoy explained that Amada is now the Tadtarin, the spirit of which the ritual focuses
upon and even Doa Lupe witnessed in horror their maid, in a state of madness as she became the
Tadtarin personified.

At first, Dona Lupe was indifferent to the tradition, not until when Guido, the young cousin
tothe Moretascame back to the Philippines after studying in Europe and made suggestive
comments to Lupe, and even bending down to kiss her feet emphasizing that women like her need
to be treated like royalty. This causes her to participate in the last night of the festival, which is the
Tatarin ritual. Paeng accompanied her and tries to drag her back once the dancing begun, but she
ran to the dancing crowd. He tries to pull her back but the women in the crowds beat him out.
When the Moretas came home, Paeng says that Lupe must be whipped because he loves her and
he feels that she needs to be put in her place, and because of that, she shouts and says she wants to
be adored rather than beneath their husbands. Don Paeng, after losing to an argument with his
wife, realized how women are to be adored and not to be underestimated. He accepted the fact but
Dona Lupe wanted more than just acceptance. Without hesitation, fell to the ground in order to
kiss her feet.
 The feasts, events and happenings shows the differences of man and woman in terms of
which is dominant, which is higher, which is the one on the lead, who is the master, who is to be
called the king or queen. The story was all about superiority and shows conflict between whos
more powerful.

The story portrays the women as the more superior gender than the men. How the men are
dependent on the women and how the women control the men, rather than of the feminine gender
should be treated as short-lived and has no real societal significance. The story opens the eyes of
the readers that an individual cannot be disregarded only by his or her sexual orientation. Summer
Solstice also taught us that love can all logic and abandon all religious rule.