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Summary Of Timothy Montes 'Short Story The Housemaid'

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Timothy Montes’ short story, The Housemaid, presents the development of the main character, Cirila, into accepting the loss of her dignity and entering prostitution for her sense of freedom. This can be further seen through analyzing the different literary devices used in the story. Through the use of contrast and irony, Montes shows the gradual journey and acceptance of Cirila towards her freedom in becoming a prostitute. Throughout the story, Cirila has been objectified by the men both in her original house and in the city. Even her father, who was supposed to be the one protecting her, kept touching her at night and, although Cirila was still not a prostitute, sold her without even consulting her since he could not pay back his debt. Furthermore, he lied to her about Mano Palab paying her 800 pesos a month; he hid from Cirila the fact that she would not gain anything from this transaction and she still had no choice but to obey, despite her hesitation to do so. To both Cirila’s father and Mano Palab, Cirila was worth only 20000 pesos which, according to Mano Palab, was equivalent to “around thirty sacks of rice, not even half of a cargo truck for delivery to the city.” To them, Cirila was just a cheap item that could be sold and bought easily, without regarding her feelings. In page 150 of the story, there was a paragraph in which Mano Palab “was stirred by the sight of the girl folding her underwear.” It should not even have happened since a lady should not do

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