The "Eve of May" written by Nick Joaquin is about lovers of two individuals who believe that by looking in the mirror and then singing a spell, if all goes well, you will see the person you are married to. If not, you will see 'Devil' or "Witches". This short story was written in 1947, where legends and superstitions such as the devil and the witch may be common. This greatly contributed to the theme of the story: a hasty decision to believe in superstition. Agda, Badoy, their daughter and Voltaire are dependent on superstition.
Agueda is one of the protagonists, innocent. She believes that superstition is real because she heard and learned this from a veteran old Anatasia. She is very curious and wants to know if this is true. She disobeyed the elders and said, "I don't care! I am not afraid! I will go!" and escaped without saying anything else. [Paragraph 17] She met Badoy in history and eventually married him, because according to the spell, "If everything goes well, the face of the man you are about to marry will appear above your shoulder." [Paragraph 16 ]
Voltaire, the grandson of Badoy, believed in superstition when he was young. His grandfather looked at the mirror at the end of the story to complete him. "If I look in the mirror tonight, the boys in the school say I will see her [his future wife]..." he argued. [Paragraph 28] This leads to the conclusion that when people are young, people can easily believe and make hasty decisions.
Because of these behaviors, it can lead to a painful ending. Agueda regrets not marrying Badoy and said she saw her daughter's "devil" because she was replying to what happened that night. [Paragraph 21] Badoy also regrets marrying Agda. At the end of the story, Badoy "forgot that she was dead, she was dead." [Paragraph 47] He knew that it was too late to change the past, he felt regret and sadness; Agueda was dead and he could do nothing. "This sadness tears his throat" and "The old man is sobbing in the window painfully." [Paragraph 48]
On the other hand, unlike Agueda and Badoy, Voltaire did not have a painful ending. He was caught in superstition, which is a good thing. Badouy found him and told him that he saw the experience of a witch. I am.
The short story "Eve of the May" is a sloppy decision, especially trusting superstition. Superstition can lead to multiple approaches. It may be harmful or unhelpful. They may lead to major mistakes such as marriages like Badoy and Agda. Nick Joaquin is able to teach his readers the lessons of superstition. Superstition is not always the case. I admire him because he can say a lot through a simple story. He also made two endings. For Voltaire, it is not difficult because he no longer believes in superstition. For Badoy, it is not easy for him to feel sad and regret for the marriage with Agda.
Orignal From: False Belief - Literary Analysis on the Eve of May Day'
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