How’s the life of people under the lower classes? This is the question that this analysis is going to answer.
This story is about the advantages of the upper-class people compared to those in the lower class. The text also accurately demonstrates why Marxists want to remove the idea of social classes because of how those in the upper class can easily manipulate those who need their help. From a Marxist standpoint, the World is an Apple by Alberto S. Florentino demonstrates why Marxism exists.
The world is an apple set under an acacia tree with a wooden bench under it. The scene starts with Mario
entering and sitting on the bench. Gloria comes out of the house and recognizes that Mario has arrived from work. Mario asks Gloria about Tita, their daughter. Gloria tells Mario that she hasn’t eaten, so she grabbed the money from Mario’s pocket and told him that she will buy her biscuits. Mario is annoyed, but he realized that it was for their daughter. They both calm down and Gloria asks him to hand his money to her but Mario tells her that he has no money. Gloria doubts his statement because she knows it’s payday. Mario confirms that he doesn’t have the money. Mario tried to lie that he went to drink with his friends but Gloria knew that he was lying.
He told her that he spent it on another woman, but she still didn’t believe him because Mario wouldn’t spend hismoney on a woman when his daughter is sick. He gives up and tells her that he lost his job. In addition, he also tells her that he lost the job a week ago. So Gloria asks him what happened. Mario reveals that he stole something which he calls “nothing much” because it’s just an apple. Mario was kicked out of his job because he stole an apple because he was thinking of giving it to his daughter who wants one. Gloria was furious and told him that he should’ve asked for a second chance but Mario knew that they were waiting for him to make a mistake to fire him. He comforts Gloria by saying that he’ll get a job in a week. Gloria doesn’t believe him but Mario told her that he’s in fact seeing someone in the night for a job. She is worried, but she wants him to meet the person as early as possible, so she hands him his shoes and tells him that she will try to wait for him. She recalls her mother saying that marrying Mario is the wrong choice. Furthermore, she wishes that her mother is alive to see Mario become a changed man.
A third character enters the scene: Pablo. His entrance made Mario nervous. Gloria is angry at Pablo and asks him what’s he doing in their place. Pablo tells her that she’s still the same woman who hates him. Pablo asks her about their daughter and Gloria replies that she’s all right. He tells her that he thought their daughter was not well. Gloria asks him how he knew about it then asks Mario if he told Pablo about their situation. Pablo convinces her to get her to the hospital and hands them money. Gloria admits that they need it but refuses the offer because she believes that his money is not honest money. Pablo asks her a question: “what is honest money?” He asks if honesty adds more value to money if honest money can purchase more things, and proceeds to talk about how their house doesn’t look like a proper house. Gloria tells him that she knows that he’s come back to bring Mario back to doing dishonest business, but she believes that he can’t persuade Mario anymore and that they can live without his help. Pablo mocks her asking if they call their life living when it’s more like dying slowly by the minute. Mario convinces Pablo to stop. Pablo told him that he got tired of waiting for him. “So you have been seeing each other!” says Gloria. Pablo told Gloria about Mario’s plan on working with him and told Mario that he should tell her everything. Gloria blames Pablo that it’s all his fault.
Pablo replies and tells her that Mario approached him first. “When you know he’ll cling to anything and do anything! Even return to the life he hates! Get out!” Gloria said. Pablo tells her that he’s leaving as soon as Mario is ready to go. Gloria tells him that Mario’s not going with him. Pablo encourages her to ask Mario. Gloria asks Mario if he will really come with Pablo and ends up trying to convince him not to. But Mario has already thought of his decision since last week and tells Gloria that he will take care of himself and to not wait for him because he will come home very late. Mario walks away with Pablo. Gloria stares at them then she shouts. “MARIOOOOO!” the curtain closes with her covering her face with her dress crying into it.
The story of “The world is an Apple” portrays the injustices in social class and the struggle and perspective
of poor people or in a lower class. Each character represents what is happening in real life. Mario and Gloria are a couple who have a child, and they don’t have enough money to provide for her. Family is the foundation of society, and it clearly portrays what is happening in exploited workers, especially their children who suffer a lot. Because of poverty, children experience malnourishment. Gloria represents society who expect Mario to do good works to provide for their family, she always reminded Mario to do what is right and have faith in God. She believes that they cannot afford beyond their means, at their status they just can buy pan-de-sal, rice or milk, so she doesn’t want Mario to buy “delicious” apples. It shows how poor people accept their situation and be content with what they can. Society believes that as poor people cannot afford those things, they must work hard blindly, so they hope and believe in what God will do for them.
However, even if there is a “Gloria” person in the society who believes in contentment with their lives, there is a “Mario” person who feels discriminated against by the higher class, injustices, and dreaming of giving a better life for their loved ones. There are people who will try everything and fight for their rights, and it was proven in his lines “…they kicked me out for it: for taking one, a single apple, not a dozen, not a crate.” (2) and questions the inequality between them and their social class. Mario said to his wife, “Did God create [an] apple trees to bear fruit for [the] rich alone? Didn’t He create the whole world for everyone?”(2), from this question it tells the readers that there are inequalities and there are people who ask like this. There are “Mario” people in society who want to do their best for their children when he said “I could not left [leave] us out of this kind of life..”(4) and they don’t want to disappoint them. These bad experiences push him to do against the flow of society, he was forced to Pablo, so he can give sufficient food for his family.
In this text of “The World is an Apple ”, there are some Gloria, Mario people, and it emphasizes the Pablo
person who portrays two characteristics. Mainly, the revolutionary person which proved in his lines, “what is honest money?” (3) and “how can honesty her [Tita] now?” (3) when Gloria is against his decision. He persuades Mario to be with him and asks the way they live, that honesty cannot give them a better life. He has a good intention and that is to provide himself a good living but the way he works is not appropriate to what is in the norms. Secondly, Pablo represents a rich man who can manipulate the exploited workers. He can manage to persuade the abused people because he has a “way” to give them a work and good living. Gloria already knew his “way” where he can earn enough money but in a dishonest way, it was obvious in the line of Pablo “… he has not been to one since you “liberated” him from me. And that was almost four years ago”(4). Gloria won’t get mad if this is not kind of bad work but the dialogue itself, it shows how Pablo works. Gloria and Mario knew that Pablo is a rich man so Mario easily believed him, but Gloria didn’t accept this offer because she knows what might happen if they continue this work. He took advantage and used his power to manipulate Mario, so they can work together. What they can do for their loved ones if they continue to be abused by the capitalist and still experiencing discrimination so as for Mario, he accepted his offer and left their situation.
The author is successful in portraying different points of view of the social class, the poor, and the rich
man. It also shows employers who use their power to abuse the lower class, so they can bring their own men. This tells us how capitalism works, and how the rich man can be richer because of the sacrifices and hard work of poor men who don’t deserve discrimination and inequalities. This is an eye-opener for all the people, if this system continues to work there are people who suffer a lot, especially the children. It might continue to the future generation so there must have to take action, so it can prevent this from happening.
In conclusion, the writer uses a person to represent individuals in society. They are ‘Gloria’ who expects
their husband to work with dignity and conforms to the expectations of the society and believing in God that it is their destiny, so they must be content with what they can afford for a living. Then, there is ‘Mario’ who believes that they do not deserve what they are experiencing, that they can be a good father for their children and easily manipulated by the rich people to try everything for their loved ones even if this is not the norm of the society. Finally, there is Pablo who persuades abused people to protest or manipulate the oppressed one in his flowery words that have a logic also so people like Mario will believe him and choose the path which leads him to “dishonest money.” What else they can do if their children suffer because of the “honest money” so they are forced to become revolutionaries and lead him to fight for their rights.
