The White Horse of Alih (Analysis)

The White Horse of Alih

Character:
o Alih, a Moro/Non-Christian
o Omar, older brother of Alih
o Imam, the village priest
o Lucy, the little girl who lived in the reservation area where the Americans lived; Childhood crush of Alih
o Fermina, a beautiful bar maid with a mole near her mouth
o Lim Ching, the rich Chinese merchant

Setting:
o In a town under the acacia tree at noon on the Fourth of July

Plot:
o Exposition – When Alih reluctantly thinks if he is going to kill.
o Rising Action – When Alih saw a float with a girl whom he thought it was Fermina. Then he saw that the girl has a mole near the girl’s mouth and confirmed that it was indeed the girl he loves.
o Climax – Alih was about to hold Fermina’s hand but then, his brother Omar came and was drunk. He takes out his blade and he was coming to Fermina swinging the blade. He was about to kill Fermina.
o Falling Action – As Omar was about to kill Fermina, Alih went to protect her from Omar and killed him despite their plans to get the white horse.
o Resolution – The town spoke about the incident but no one knew why Alih killed his own brother.

Theme:
o The story tells us about the faith and beliefs of Filipinos.

Literary Approaches:
o Psychological Approach
o Cultural Approach
o Historical Approach
o Humanistic Approach

Analysis:
o Whatever religion or beliefs we have, it does not affect who we choose to love. Because love is powerful and no one can dictate whom we can love. It is full of sacrifices. Sacrifices that we do for the people we love, for love is selfless. Like what Alih did, he killed his own brother to protect the girl he loved.