Original Text(~250 words)
CHAPTER XXXIX Doña Consolacion Why were the windows closed in the house of the alferez? Where were the masculine features and the flannel camisa of the Medusa or Muse of the Civil Guard while the procession was passing? Had Doña Consolacion realized how disagreeable were her forehead seamed with thick veins that appeared to conduct not blood but vinegar and gall, and the thick cigar that made a fit ornament for her purple lips, and her envious leer, and yielding to a generous impulse had she wished not to disturb the pleasure of the populace by her sinister appearance? Ah, for her generous impulses existed in the Golden Age! The house, showed neither lanterns nor banners and was gloomy precisely because the town was making merry, as Sinang said, and but for the sentinel walking before the door appeared to be uninhabited. A dim light shone in the disordered sala, rendering transparent the dirty concha-panes on which the cobwebs had fastened and the dust had become incrusted. The lady of the house, according to her indolent custom, was dozing on a wide sofa. She was dressed as usual, that is, badly and horribly: tied round her head a pañuelo, from beneath which escaped thin locks of tangled hair, a camisa of blue flannel over another which must once have been white, and a faded skirt which showed the outlines of her thin, flat thighs, placed one over the other and shaking feverishly. From her mouth issued little clouds of smoke...
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Summary
While the town celebrates outside, Doña Consolacion sits trapped in her dark house, forbidden by her husband from attending the festivities. The alferez's wife is a bitter, violent woman who has been shaped by years of abuse and humiliation. When her husband beats her for not speaking proper Spanish or Tagalog, she takes out her rage on those beneath her. Tonight, she orders the mad woman Sisa brought to her room. What starts as demanding Sisa sing becomes a horrific scene where Doña Consolacion forces the helpless woman to dance while whipping her bloody. The chapter reveals how abuse creates more abuse - Consolacion, brutalized by her husband, becomes a monster herself when given power over someone more vulnerable. Her linguistic struggles show how colonialism destroys identity, as she can no longer speak either Spanish or Tagalog properly after years of violent 'correction.' When the alferez returns and discovers his wife has been torturing Sisa, their own violent marriage explodes in a brutal fight. The chapter exposes how domestic violence doesn't stay contained - it spreads like poison through society, with the powerless always suffering most. Rizal shows us that oppression creates oppressors, and that those who are crushed often seek to crush others in return.
That's what happens. To understand what the author is really doing—and to discuss this chapter with confidence—keep reading.
Terms to Know
Alferez
A Spanish military officer in charge of local law enforcement during colonial rule. The alferez commanded the Civil Guard and had almost unlimited power over the townspeople. These positions were often filled by brutal men who used their authority to terrorize locals.
Modern Usage:
Like a corrupt sheriff or police chief who abuses their power because they know no one can stop them.
Civil Guard
Spanish colonial police force that maintained order through fear and violence. They were known for brutality against Filipino civilians and operated with little oversight. The Civil Guard represented the oppressive arm of Spanish rule.
Modern Usage:
Similar to militarized police forces that occupy communities rather than serve them.
Cycle of abuse
When someone who is victimized becomes an abuser themselves, passing trauma down the chain of power. Doña Consolacion, beaten by her husband, takes out her rage on those weaker than herself. This pattern shows how oppression spreads through society.
Modern Usage:
We see this in toxic workplaces where managers who get screamed at by their boss turn around and abuse their employees.
Colonial language trauma
The psychological damage caused when colonizers force people to abandon their native language and adopt the oppressor's tongue. Doña Consolacion can no longer speak proper Spanish or Tagalog after years of violent 'correction,' leaving her linguistically homeless.
Modern Usage:
Like immigrants who lose their native language but never fully master English, feeling like strangers in both worlds.
Domestic violence spillover
How violence in the home doesn't stay contained but spreads to affect the entire community. When families are torn apart by abuse, the damage ripples outward, creating more victims and perpetrators.
Modern Usage:
When kids who grow up in violent homes either become abusers themselves or struggle to form healthy relationships.
Powerlessness displacement
When people who feel helpless in their own lives seek out someone even more vulnerable to control and hurt. It's a way of feeling powerful when you have no real power.
Modern Usage:
Like bullies who pick on weaker kids because they're being bullied at home, or people who are cruel to service workers because their own boss treats them badly.
Characters in This Chapter
Doña Consolacion
Tragic antagonist
The alferez's wife who has been transformed into a monster by years of abuse. She speaks neither Spanish nor Tagalog properly after violent 'corrections' from her husband. Tonight she tortures the helpless Sisa, showing how victims can become victimizers.
Modern Equivalent:
The bitter supervisor who makes everyone's life hell because her own life is miserable
The Alferez
Primary antagonist
Doña Consolacion's husband, a brutal Spanish officer who beats his wife for her language mistakes and rules through fear. He represents the violent face of colonial oppression, destroying everything he touches.
Modern Equivalent:
The abusive cop who terrorizes his family and his community with equal brutality
Sisa
Victim/symbol of innocence destroyed
The mad woman who has lost her mind searching for her missing sons. Completely helpless, she becomes Doña Consolacion's target for torture. She represents all the innocent victims crushed by the system.
Modern Equivalent:
The homeless person with mental illness that everyone ignores or abuses
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to trace the real source of workplace aggression by following the power chain upward.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone suddenly becomes hostile—ask yourself who might be pressuring them from above, and whether you're just the safest target.
You have the foundation. Now let's look closer.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"She was dressed as usual, that is, badly and horribly"
Context: Describing Doña Consolacion as she sits alone in her dark house
This isn't just about clothes - it shows how abuse has stripped away her dignity and self-care. When you're constantly told you're worthless, you start to look and feel worthless.
In Today's Words:
She looked like someone who had given up on herself completely.
"From her mouth issued little clouds of smoke"
Context: Describing Doña Consolacion smoking while plotting her cruelty
The smoke symbolizes the poison inside her - the bitterness and rage that she's about to unleash on innocent Sisa. It's a visual representation of her toxic inner state.
In Today's Words:
You could see the anger and bitterness radiating from her.
"The house showed neither lanterns nor banners and was gloomy precisely because the town was making merry"
Context: Contrasting the dark alferez house with the town celebration outside
This shows how abuse isolates and cuts people off from joy and community. While everyone else celebrates, the house of violence sits in darkness, excluded from human happiness.
In Today's Words:
Their house was the only one not celebrating - a black hole of misery in a neighborhood of joy.
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Justified Cruelty
When people who are systematically hurt seek to restore their sense of power by hurting those more vulnerable than themselves.
Thematic Threads
Power
In This Chapter
Doña Consolacion uses her small authority over Sisa to feel powerful after being powerless with her husband
Development
Evolved from earlier chapters showing how colonial power structures create hierarchies of oppression
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when someone with a little authority over you seems to enjoy exercising it after being powerless elsewhere
Identity
In This Chapter
Consolacion has lost her ability to speak either Spanish or Tagalog properly due to constant violent correction
Development
Continues the theme of how colonial pressure destroys authentic cultural identity
In Your Life:
You might see this in how constantly changing yourself to please others can leave you unsure of who you really are
Violence
In This Chapter
Domestic violence between the alferez and his wife spreads to innocent victims like Sisa
Development
Shows how violence introduced earlier doesn't stay contained but spreads through society
In Your Life:
You might notice how unresolved anger in one relationship often spills over into others
Class
In This Chapter
The poor and vulnerable like Sisa become outlets for the frustrations of those slightly above them
Development
Deepens earlier exploration of how class systems create chains of oppression
In Your Life:
You might recognize this in workplaces where people take out their frustrations on whoever has less power
Isolation
In This Chapter
Consolacion is trapped alone in her house while the town celebrates, cut off from community
Development
Continues the pattern of how oppression isolates people from healing connections
In Your Life:
You might see this when shame or anger keeps you isolated from the very people who could help you heal
Modern Adaptation
When the Promotion Goes Sideways
Following Crisostomo's story...
Crisostomo's nonprofit tech training program is gaining attention, but the established players are pushing back hard. Marcus, the community center director who initially supported him, is now getting pressure from the city council and major donors who don't want their comfortable arrangements disrupted. Unable to fight back against his superiors directly, Marcus starts taking it out on Crisostomo's students—suddenly finding reasons to kick them out of programs, questioning their 'commitment,' making impossible demands. When Crisostomo confronts him, Marcus explodes: 'You think you can just waltz in here with your fancy ideas? I've been getting screamed at in meetings because of you!' The man who once championed change has become its biggest obstacle, redirecting his humiliation downward onto the very people the program was meant to help. Crisostomo realizes that good intentions aren't enough when the system's pressure turns allies into enemies.
The Road
The road Doña Consolacion walked in 1887, Crisostomo walks today. The pattern is identical: when someone is crushed by power they can't challenge, they seek to restore control by crushing those beneath them.
The Map
This chapter provides a navigation tool for recognizing displaced aggression. When allies suddenly turn hostile, look up the power chain—someone is probably pressuring them, and you're the safer target.
Amplification
Before reading this, Crisostomo might have taken Marcus's hostility personally, wondering what he did wrong. Now he can NAME it as displaced aggression, PREDICT that Marcus will escalate until the real pressure is addressed, and NAVIGATE by either addressing the source or protecting his students.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What does Doña Consolacion do to Sisa, and why does she feel justified in doing it?
analysis • surface - 2
How does the alferez's treatment of his wife connect to how she treats Sisa? What pattern do you see?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this 'hurt people hurt people' cycle in workplaces, families, or schools today?
application • medium - 4
When you're feeling powerless or frustrated, how can you avoid taking it out on someone more vulnerable than you?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter teach us about how abuse spreads through society, and what it takes to break these cycles?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Power Chain
Draw a simple chain showing who has power over whom in a situation you know well - your workplace, family, or community. Mark where you fit in this chain. Then identify one spot where someone might be redirecting pain downward instead of addressing it upward. What would it look like to break that link?
Consider:
- •Look for people who seem angry at the wrong targets
- •Notice where you might be tempted to redirect your own frustrations
- •Consider what support the person would need to address their real source of pain
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you took out your frustration on someone who didn't deserve it. What was the real source of your anger, and how could you have handled it differently?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 40: When Authority Clashes with Justice
In the next chapter, you'll discover personal vendettas can masquerade as official authority, and learn standing up for principle sometimes requires accepting isolation. These insights reveal timeless patterns that resonate in our own lives and relationships.