Chapter 34: The Dinner
Characters:
1. Crisostomo Ibarra
host of the meal
the protagonist
confrontational
furious
2. Captain Tiago
leaves early
3. Captain-General
unexpected guest
4. Padre Damaso
uninvited priest
says insulting remarks
5. Friars
unhappy about the Captain-General’s stay and Tiago’s house
6. Maria Clara
the one who stops Ibarra
Brief Summary:
The celebratory meal continues as planned, wherein all of the town’s important
guests are present, except for Padre Damaso. During the meal, Captain Tiago leaves early
due to a telegram informing him about the arrival of the Captain-General, who will be
staying at his house, upsetting the friars who expected him to stay at the convent. Later,
Padre Damaso arrives uninvited and sits down just like the other guests. He starts to
insult Ibarra, proclaiming the stupidity of hiring experts when the only necessary thing in
building a schoolhouse is common sense and cheap labor. He also mocks self-important
young indios, saying their fathers are punished by dying in jail as a form of God's justice.
He then makes a reference to the death of Don Rafael, Ibarra’s father, which makes
Ibarra jump out of his chair, pinning the priest with one hand and holding a knife in the
other. Ibarra talks about how good of a man his father had been and how Padre Damaso
had repaid his friendship with persecution, and he reminds the crowd of his own suffering
at Damaso's hands. As his anger grows, he raises the knife higher, but Maria Clara puts
herself between him and Padre Damaso. He looked at her before covering his face and
fleeing.
Societal Issues:
One of the societal issues at present that is evident in this chapter is social inequality.
Their celebratory meal just shows how one’s wealth and social status determine where they fit in
society. In addition to that, the part of the novel when Captain Tiago leaves because of the arrival
of an important official evidently depicts how different the elites are from the friars. This serves
as a reminder of the injustices that have existed up until now. In this society where privilege and
status determine one's worth, often at the expense of the less fortunate, it is quite disheartening to
think about the sufferings that a lot of people had to go through in the name of social standing.
Another issue present here is the abuse of power. The priest’s insulting behavior and
unjust treatment towards the family of Ibarra mirror the influence of those who are in high
positions and exploit their power, abusing those who have no voice against them. Moreover,
racial discrimination, an issue that has always existed, is evident in this chapter when Padre
Damaso mocks the young indios and their fathers’ punishments. Personally, this really reflects a
disturbing reality in our society. Such discrimination not only took away individuals’ dignity but
also fostered a cycle of suffering and inequality.
