Priorities: Path-Makers of Life

“I've been lucky. Opportunities don't often come along. So, when they do, you have

to grab them”, said Audrey Hepburn – a British actress and humanitarian. In life, there are

thousands of opportunities that come along the way. However, one cannot seize them all

for some are more important than the others. Setting priorities then unravels the problem of

deciding on what to take first. But then again, opportunities are not always there just as how

time inevitably passes. There can be a moment when someone is ready to grab them but they are

already gone. Moreover, there is a possibility that it may lead to disappointment affecting the

way of life.

Virginity is a significant and revered value among Filipinos, a something to be proud

of especially by women. For them, it is naturally reserved only for the person they love or will

marry. But what if a woman was oblivious when her “Mr. Right” had passed, thus losing the

chance of love and marriage? What if she had been waiting for so long and became desperately

wanted to lose this cherished value anyway? Should it still be something to be proud of or

otherwise? Kerima Polotan Tuvera’s ‘The Virgin’ is definitely a suitable story to scrutinize to

know what a woman feels when the time of finding a man of her dreams is not already for her

anymore. Generally, this analysis paper is centered on the main character namely Miss Mijares

about her personality shaped by her childhood experiences and obligations, her feelings towards

the concept of virginity, and the impact of the carpenter on her life. This essay aims to relate the

story’s major character to its setting, theme, and plot to further reveal the context behind.

The elemental character Miss Mijares was...

... middle of paper ...

...ing for it brought an

atmosphere of intimacy while the heavy rain symbolized emotions or feelings of the two.

In the light of “The Virgin”, love and marriage are the opportunities that Miss Mijares

have let go because of prioritizing his obligation first, especially to her mother. She does not

get much pleasure from his thirty-four years of existence for she is living for others and not for

herself. Her childhood greatly influences the life she has now. Seemingly, she made a wrong

decision or set wrong priorities since she is not happy with the outcome. She hated the fact that

she is still a virgin – something to be ashamed of. That is why when opportunity comes, she then

grabs it and does not wait any minute.

Works Cited

Abad, Germino. The Likhaan Anthology of Philippine Literature in English from 1900 to the Present. Quezon City: UP Press, 1998.