Footnote to Youth (Jose Garcia Villa)

• More known for poetry rather than narratives, Jose Garcia Villa (National Artist for Literature) who is said to also had troubled upbringing authored Footnote to Youth.
• Aside from the fear of his father's rejection, Dodong was also worried in abandoning his mother.
• "Too young" was the objection of his father to Dodong's proposal.
• Dodong was 17 years old when he proposed marriage.
• Dodong's love interest is Teang, whose sensual image prodded Dodong to overcome his fear and face his father.
• Knowing the consequences of an early marriage, this character did not want the same fate to fall upon his son Dodong.
• Resenting his father's disapproval and questioning, to cool down Dodong stripped all his clothes and bathered in a creek.
• During Teang's labor with Blas, Dodong realized that he was not ready when he whispered "Father?" "Father?"
• Dodong and Teang had seven children which gave them hardship and "did not fulfill all of youth's dream.
• "Like father, like son" a cliche that could truly characterized Blas.
• Tona was Blas' love interest.
• "A short colorless worm marched blindly to Dodong's foot and crawled over it. Dodong got tickled and jerked his foot, flinging the worm into the air. Dodong did not bother to look where into the air." (The worm in this account is an omen and a foreshadowing of moral decay.)
• "A small angled stone bled his foot, but Dodong dismissed it cursorily. He lifted his leg and looked at the hurt toe and then went on walking." (The stone in this account is symbolic to hardship)
• "Yes. I want your permission... I... want... it..." (stubbornness)
• The lessons of Footnote to Youth could be summed up in this line in the story "As long ago, youth and love did triumph for Dodong... and then life.