One of the prominent writers of the Philippines in the 19th century was Zoilo Galang. The writer was born in Bacolor on the 27th of June in 1895. He had spent his young life in that well-known town where most of the writers and artists came from. At a very young age of 12, he was already fond of learning what he was and his home had been; he had his most ardent desire of pouring himself to reality and facts in encyclopedias which elevated him in life and as being a Filipino encyclopedist and the 1st English-language Filipino novelist with his masterpiece "A Child of Sorrow."
Galang's "A Child of Sorrow" novel has been the most remarkable as being the first Filipino's pride in novel pieces. The story is led by two people who met under the colonization of Americans and along the naivity of the country to traditions and stuffs. In the story, Lucio - the man but with books - knew Rosa as being fatherless which discouraged him to fight for their love. Aside from that, as part of such goverment, high positioned people are the most powerful. And little people know, Rosa's father was their very governor. Hence, this made both of them more apart, for the lady was already arranged to be married to a rich guy who was in fact overheels with her. The relationship among the three people - Lucio, Rosa, and Oscar - was a desperate one leading to emotional downfall and mental abuse. Rosa died of sadness; Oscar suicided after Rosa; and it ended with Lucio growing with full of regrets and the realization of himself as being a child of sorrow.
Since the novel was published at 1921, it is indeed a reflection of Zoilo Galang's personal life and his time. It shows the social and intellectual currents from the Spanish to the Commonwealth era. Clearly, the author wrote his piece with regards to his environment which gives a vivid description of simplicity and mundane lifestyle to the life of the novel's protagonist, Lucio Soliman.
Galang selected love as his theme which was within the social context, economic and political living of people. Also, during the mid-18 thto 19thcentury there was a sentimentalist movement in Europe and it greatly affected the literary traditions of all writers in the world and one of them was Galang. In reference to the historical movement of Sentimentalism during the 18th century, this is a European idea that emphasized feelings and emotions, a physical appreciation of God, nature, and other people, rather than logic and reason. The impact on the people was that love became as important in marriage as financial considerations. European sentimentalism arose during the Age of Enlightenment, at the same time as sentimentalism in philosophy (link). The novel is a magnificent allegory of scorching attack on the corruption in every aspect of the 19th century Philippine social, political and religious life. However, Galang also sees his novel as an outcry against the oppression of Filipinos by the corrupted society, church and governments indifference. Aside from a number of historical and biographical features of Galang's life which are found from the novel, there is still aspect of Galang's real-life that he did not include in the novel such as his migration in Columbia to finish an academic degree (
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The novel doesn't only tackle about the characters' unrequitted love but also of the government and people. Galang like Rizal wrote this with same point - to make the Filipinos realize how naive they were. Despite the tragic end, the story has hauled the goverments impotence as well as its people to wake up from oppression.
