The Pretenders by F. Sionil Jose

What lead Antonio Samson to commit suicide?

Antonio Samson believe that he's a smart man. He got pride of which his sister Betty told him to just disregard, for it's not suitable for poor people like them. But still, Antonio Samson saves some pride for himself. And as he got married by a woman named Carmen Villa, a daughter of a wealthy family, he somehow changes his views in life as he got along by the rich men in a company. Don Manuel Villa has his own belief and as days or weeks passed by, he somehow influences Antonio and the way he thinks. He quite convinced Antonio that everybody has a price and he proved it by buying Antonio's friend, Godo, who he never thought would have a price. Antonio became close to the rich men, the business men, and shows him that they only care is money. I guess he has adopted the belief of the rich men and though he knows it's wrong, he ignore it for the sake of being part of the Villa family now.

Antonio knew deep down himself that everything that's happening to him is the opposite. He know how it feels to be a poor man but then when he join the club of the rich society, he forget all about the poor men. He tried to hide away the things he knows. He closes his eyes to reality that even the 'priceless' can have a 'price' because of poverty. He became numb of all of these things. But when all is said and done, frustrations and conscience came running down into his mind and he knew that it's better to start all over again. Committing suicide is the only courage thing he could do for himself. "There was honor in death" (Jose, F. Sionil, 171) Yes, maybe there's honor in death and it's the only thing Antonio thought he could get.

In Antonio's situation, I'd rather say that he's just trying to escape it all. He's a kind of man that would keep his thoughts to himself not trying to hurt anyone. But as he adopted the rich man's behavior, and as his father in law used to say that he could say whatever in his mind, he no longer the humble Antonio Samson as he was in the first few chapters. The changes in his character can be seen or noticed as you go on to the end of the story. Antonio Samson knows very well the reality. The reality where people's land was owned by the influential people as what had happened to his family. The reality that poverty is rising but he could no longer feel it or see it for he closes his eyes. He was, surely, influenced by the people around him. His friends, the Villas, his wife, and his haunted past. All of this thoughts, in a small package, came down running to his mind as he go for a walk the night he committed suicide. An maybe, it's the reason why he said that there's honor in death, for 'death' is his only way to pay all the mistakes he have done in his life.