Critical Analysis for Footnote to Youth

Many parents today are not in favor of early marriage, this is because they know that married life is difficult. It’s true that most of the teenagers today who got married are experiencing hardships in life. Footnote to youth is the title of the story. It is said that it is a footnote to youth because it is a brief reminder for the Filipinos especially the youth of what a real life could be today. It also indicates the sources or the causes why youth act this way. It furthermore adds comment, whether it is a positive or negative, on today’s generation. Yes it is suitable to the story because it gives a warning for those apathetic youth that one’s committed mistake because of their stubbornness. The story is all about Dodong who got married despite of his father’s objection.

His love with Teang made him decide to get married even he is only seventeen. The series of events in the story was in causal order that made the story very clear in the mind of the readers. It explains well the reason and cause that forced Dodong to act as he does which also affects the development of the main character’s personality. The psychological setting changes as it affects the character’s personality in the story. When Dodong was young he thought he’s right in insisting to get married with Teang even both of them are still young. But he started to understand things that should not be when Teang gave birth to their first child, Blas. He was ashamed to his parents of his youthful paternity. The conflict made the story very interesting because it’s when both Dodong and Teang realized that they shouldn’t get married early.