A Powerful Exploration of Martial Law Era Philippines - Lualhati Bautista's Dekada '70
As President Ferdinand Marcos declares Martial Law in 1972, the family’s life changes drastically. The eldest sons get involved in political activism: lualhati bautista dekada 70 pdf 359
: The eldest, who becomes a revolutionary activist and joins the communist insurgency . A Powerful Exploration of Martial Law Era Philippines
One of the most striking aspects of Dekada '70 is its critique of the Marcos regime. Bautista pulls no punches in her depiction of the regime's brutality, corruption, and cronyism. The novel exposes the mechanisms of oppression used by the regime, including censorship, propaganda, and violence. Bautista pulls no punches in her depiction of
One of the most striking techniques in Dekada ’70 is how the first-person narrator, , gradually changes her sentence structures, vocabulary, and tone across the ten-year span (1970–1980). Early in the novel, she speaks in short, compliant, domestic phrases — often deferring to her husband’s opinions. By the later chapters (where page 359 might fall in some editions), her sentences become longer, more analytical, and openly critical of the Marcos regime.
Here is a functional recreation of what readers find on that crucial page (translated from the original Filipino):
Dekada '70 is a seminal Filipino political novel by Lualhati Bautista that chronicles the struggles of the middle-class Bartolome family during the Martial Law era under Ferdinand Marcos. The story is told through the perspective of Amanda Bartolome, a mother of five sons, as she navigates her family's radicalization and her own awakening as a woman and citizen. Core Themes and Narrative Focus Book Review: Dekada '70 by Lualhati Bautista