The document provides character summaries of Doña Victorina from various chapters of the novel. Doña Victorina is portrayed as a self-important Spanish woman married to a fake doctor. She looks down on Filipinos and has a superiority complex. Over the course of the novel, she is controlling of her husband and gets into arguments where she challenges native women. Her character represents someone obsessed with appearances and status who has not truly embraced her home of the Philippines.
2. A Party
– Summary
Captain Tiago hosts a party in Calle Anloague, town of
San Diego – which later on becomes an open party.
Tiya Isabel, Tiago’s Cousin, was responsible for
entertaining the guests. Among the guests were Padre
Damaso, Sibyla, and Salvi. Along with Lt. Guevarra and
Señor Laruja.
Padre Damaso was seen chatting with the Spanish man
with red hair, Señor Laruja. He was talking about how
Filipinos are Indio's and that they are insolent and foolish.
1.
3. A Party
– Summary
1.
Lt. Guevarra stood up and argued with Padre Damaso
since he said that it was right to remove as a priest by the
Governor-General since he is the representative of the
Spanish in the Philippines.
Also, because he removed the remains of a noble man in the
cemetery.
Padre Sibyla calmed down Guevarra and Damaso.
The de Espadaña couple arrived.
Captain Tiago introduced the man beside him, which is the
reason for the party.
4. Doña Victorina
1.
in Chapter 1
The Self-entitled, “Madam Doctor”
Wore a European Dress; Rich
Married to Don Tiburcio, a self-proclaimed doctor using
fake documents.
Told Mr. Laruja that he was poor and that a poor
individual can’t invent gunpowder.
Also argued with Father Damaso that gunpowder was
invented by the Chinese.
5. The Espadañas
43.
– Summary
Starts off with Maria Clara being ill.
Tiago hires a famous and expensive doctor to cure
her.
Again, Doña Victorina is described to wear
something very western. While Don Tiburcio was
just mentioned to be lame.
6. The Espadañas
43.
– Summary
Flashback on how the two met and came to be.
Reminisces about the time she was young,
beautiful, and had a lot of admirers and suitors.
Remembers her dream about having wanted to
marry a Spaniard.
Don Tiburcio: custom official who got dismissed
while in the Philippines.
7. The Espadañas
43.
– Summary
Flashback on how the two met and came to be.
He was then discovered to have been a fake doctor.
A friend of Don Tiburcio mention Doña Victorina’s
name and quickly asks for an introduction upon
hearing about her predicament.
Don Tiburcio described Doña Victorina as untidy or
blowzy.
8. The Espadañas
43.
– Summary
Flashback on how the two met and came to be.
Although after an hour of them conversing and getting to
know each other, they got engaged.
Even though they both didn’t want each
other, desperation took them over, that is why they
decided to marry.
Doña Victorina controls her husbands and wears the
pants in the family.
10. Doña Victorina
43
in Chapter 43
Delusional
Dim and Gullible
Superiority Complex over the Filipinos
Self-Centered
Total opposite of how a young single lady
should be
Still seen as rich and arrogant
Talks a lot
11. Two Ladies
48.
– Summary
Doña Victorina walks through the town with Don
Tiburcio, to show off to the natives “how far they
were below her sacrosanct person.
Comments on the Natives
Doña Victorina starts to lose her composure and
her temper due to her husband’s response.
Young Girls
Sinang’s Coachman
12. Two Ladies
48.
– Summary
Due to these events, she decides to go home. On the way
home, they ran to the lieutenant and exchanged
acknowledgements.
Lieutenant’s reaction
Doña Victorina’s reaction
They pass by in front of the lieutenant’s house and Doña
Consolacion is at the window in her flannel blouse,
smoking a cigar. They exchanged meaningful disapproving
looks.
Dona Consolation's Reactions
13. Two Ladies
Argument
Victorina.
between
Doña
– Summary
Consolacion
and
48.
Doña
Doña Victorina challenges Doña Consolacion to face
her.
Don Tiburcio tries to stop them again with the help of the
lieutenant
“Four people speaking at once and saying such
truths that the prestige of their class was irreparably
damaged.”
15. Changes
– Summary
52.
Linares receives a letter poorly written in Spanish
by his aunt, Doña Victorina.
Letter states that she wants Linares to challenge the
Alferez to a duel. Otherwise, she will incite her wrath
upon him.
Padre Salvi enters the scene announcing that
Ibarra’s excommunication had been lifted. While
interjecting Damaso’s dissatisfaction with the
youth.
16. Changes
– Summary
52.
As Ibarra appears, he talks to Sinang about:
Being withdrawn and distant
Helping him get Maria Clara alone with him
The secret partnership with her father in putting up
an oil mill from the coconut groves in Los Baños.
17. Doña Victorina
52.
in chapter 52
Barely seen in the chapter
Only seen through the way she writes through the
letters
The letter contains many grammatical errors
Full of demands and grave threats
Superiority complex is seen again
Manipulative
18. Doña Victorina -
a representation?
A Ridiculous Character
All About Appearance
Social Climber
Rizal’s Lesson through Victorina:
- Embrace our country’s flaws, using different strategies,
towards progress and growth, helping your country instead
of giving up on it.
Editor's Notes
This is how Doña Victorina was first introduced in the novel.Basically, she was portrayed as someone who wore Western clothes and was introduced as the wife of the Don Tiburcio – who was a self-proclaimed doctor that uses fake documents to back up his identity.Later into the middle of the chapter we see Doña Victorina as someone with a strong personality that gives no regard whether who she’s talking to will be hurt or offended with what she has to say. Very strongly opinionated and can be highly offensive when caught in a bad mood
Second bullet:The Doctor that was hired here would be Dr. Espadaña. Both the Espadaña’s enter the room.Third Bullet: She wears a loose silk gown, embroidered with flowers, and a hat with a huge duster of tri-colored leaves half crushed by red and blue ribbons. The rice powder on her cheeks, emphasized her wrinkles.
Bullet 1: Admirers and Suitors such as Capitan Tiago.Bullet 3: To further describe Don Tiburcio in his early years:He would’ve done any honest work if only his Spanish prestige would have allowed it. His countrymen, wanting to get rid of him, told him to act as a physician.
First Bullet: But since all the members of the board were Spaniards, they turned a blind eye towards this.Some time has passed, rumours spread and Don Tiburcio’s patients started losing confidence in him as a doctor causing him to lose his clients as well as income.Third Bullet: . Her abundant hair had dwindled down to a bun the size, according to her maidservant, of a head of garlic; her face was furrowed with wrinkles, and her teeth were growing loose. Her eyes had also suffered considerably, she had to screw them up frequently to be able to see a certain distance away. Only her character remained.
Chapter ends with Don Tiburcio recommending certain medications for Maria Clara as well Father Damaso visiting.
Second Bullet:Believed that the world was only divided into Spain and the Philippines.She was also insulted by a Spaniard, but instead of taking it as an insult she took it as a complimentFifth Bullet:- This was according to Rulebook of 19 century norms
Don Tiburcio tried stopping the argument, but failed.A crowd starts to gather.Several truths were revealed from both sides.Truths such as
First Bullet: This is where Sinang tells him that she has been very distant and withdrawn and asks that she help him meet with Maria Clara alone.
1: She serves as a purpose to show how ridiculous people are who reject and deny their own identity in favor of an imitation.2: Even from the start, we see that Dona Victorina dress us with clothes from European dresses, to her curly hair and her heavily made up face. Her appearance could possible indicate not only her shallow nature, but also her obsession with prestige and admiration. Obsessions = fueled her to act like somebody she’s not; a Spanish woman. She turns her back on her countrymen so easily, showing without a single care that she is becoming similar or almost like the country’s abusers. The make-up that she uses (as said in the novel as she uses heavy make-up) may represent how she masks her Filipino identity to assume a more Spanish-like appearance; pale, skin, and curly hair3. She can represent those individual’s who would do anything to get attention and respect from fellow individual’s. Of course, Victorina was one of these in the novel, using her status as the wife of great doctor to climb up the ranks. “Integration to the “in society”. They adopt traits most desired by the public. [ Difference between Victorina and other social climbers, Victorina through away or turned her back on her own country just to attain self ambitions]