How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife

Title: How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife

Author: Manuel E. Arguilla 

Author's Background: Manuel Arguilla was Ilocano who wrote in English and best known for his short story “How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife” which received first place in the Commonwealth Literary Contest in 1940.Most of his stories depict scenes in Barrio Narebcan, Bauang, La Union, the place where he was born. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Education in 1933 in the University of the Philippines. He became a member and later on the president of the UP Writers’ Club and editor of the Literary Apprentice of the said university. He got married to Lydia Villanueva, also a writer in English of Ermita, Manila.

Source:http://panitikan.ph/2013/05/16/manuel-arguilla/

Vocabulary:

• cud - partly digested food returned from the first stomach of ruminants to the mouth for further chewing.
• tipped - attach to or cover the end or extremity of.
• waig - stream. a body of water flowing in a channel or watercourse, as a river, rivulet, or brook.
• reined - check or guide (a horse) by pulling on its reins.

Characters: 

• Baldo - Narrator, brother of Leon
• Leon - The husband of Maria
• Maria - The wife of Leon
• Labang - the family cow
• Father - the one who instructed Baldo on what he will do while he is on the road with Leon and Maria.

Setting: Nagrebcan, La Union

Exposition: The story starts off where the narrator introduced His brother Leon and Maria, where he describes Maria and her physical appearance, he also described how his brother Leon is in love with Maria, and that's where their journey begins.

Rising Action: the problem was introduced when Maria was afraid that the father of Leon would not accept her in the family.

Climax: It would have been the part where the three of them arrived at home, and Baldo was called by his father and he asked about their journey and about Labang, he also asked a bit about the wife of his brother Leon. 

Falling Action: It is when Baldo left the room of his father to go take care of Labang and talk to Brother Leon and Maria.

Ending: The story ended where baldo finished talking to Leon and Maria, and describing how Maria smelled like a morning where a papaya just bloomed.

Symbolism: The only symbolism that i have found in the story was the "Journey" itself that the Maria and Leon took before arriving home. This "journey" can symbolize the problems and obstacles that they have to face with their relationship, where a journey can have it's ups and downs through the way, so it means that you and your partner should be prepared with all the sacrifices you have to make in order to succeed in your journey. 

Theme: The theme of the story is about the journey in life, and how it has a lot of obstacles and problems that we should be prepared in facing.

Lesson: The lesson of the story is even though there are a lot of obstacles and problems in life, there is a possible solution especially when you're with the one you love.