A Reader-Response reading of N. V. M.

Gonzales The Bread of Salt

The short story "The bread and salt" which was written by Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzales
or N.V.M. Gonzales portrays the reality of a teenager. It also depicts about admiration,
failure, and hope.

The protagonist in the story was introduced as a fourteen - year old boy. His morning
routine was to buy pan de sal or bread of salt. The young boy wondered why it was called
bread of salt. It gives an impression to the reader that the imagery of bread and salts
refers to the young boy.

The age of the boy marks his teenage life or the adolescence life. Deepening the imagery
of bread of salt, the reader could associates this to Eric Erikson's theory about stages of
psychosocial development. He said that during this stage, adolescents explore their
independence and develop a sense of self. They are also facing developmental conflict
because this is the time of transition from childhood to adulthood. Teens may begin to
feel confused or insecure about themselves and how they fit into society. Their behavior
often seems unpredictable and impulsive and as they seek to establish a sense of self,
they may experiment with different roles, activities, and behaviors. With this description,
the reader can relate this to the image of bread. Bread is like the young boy in the story
that needs to be molded. Erikson highlighted the role of the parents and guardians in
guiding the teens as they undergo the process of forming an identity.

The highlight of the story was the admiration of the young boy to his classmate, Aida
who was the girl of his dreams. He often busied himself with fantasies about her and
dreamed of being a man worthy of her affection. Seeing Aida was seemed like an award
to him in buying pan de sal every morning where he could pass by her old Spanish house.
The intensity of his love for the young girl, however, also instilled in him an initiative to
improve. He was motivated to persevere on becoming a good violinist. He made himself
stronger and capable in the field of music and academics. He did this along with the
notions that he was doing Aida a favor by becoming the most chivalric and dashing knight
he can be. He even imagined becoming a poet and a virtuoso musician. With this, his
mind has already wandered as far as Europe in the joyous relish of the fame and fortune
that extremely talented artists are bound to receive. He also imagined that he spent at
millionaire's country house. To be attracted to the opposite sex is normal to the period of
teenage years. The ability to feel romantic love develops during adolescence. Erikson
viewed crushes and youthful romances as important contributors to adolescent self-
understanding and identity formation. He described teenage 'falling in love' as a form of
self-development rather than true intimacy. But the problem lies which was cited in the
story when the young boy focusses his most attention on Aida. He dreamed of her almost
every time. On the downside, romantic relationships can sometimes lead to unhealthy
outcomes. Identity formation may be compromised if a teenager closes off developmental
options through a partnership in which unhealthy living choices are made, or through
early, unplanned parenthood. This is a common tendency of the youth today. Teenage
pregnancy becomes a common reality. Other realities in participating in romantic
relationships are unrequited love and breaking up. In the case of unrequited love,
fantasies about the other can be intense and obsessional, sometimes leading to
misinterpretations that the feelings are reciprocated. This is what happen to the young
boy where all his dreams seemed true to him. Only that in reality, he hasn't even bought
the lovely stationery on which to pour out all the unuttered emotions he has towards Aida
and the brooch he suddenly planned to offer her.

A defining moment was happened in the story when the young boy together with his
band was chosen to perform on during the grand surprise party in Aida's house. This is
the climax of the story. He felt very hungry because they are discouraged to eat before
their performance. When finally they were told to have their meal, he got overwhelmed
with confusion because of the dishes of beautifully presented food, most of which he
doesn't recognize. He conveyed every food in his mouth as if he was on the battlefield.
Not only that, he put some sweets which "appeared like whole egg yolks that had been
dipped in honey and peppermint" in several sheets of napkin paper and slipped them in
the packet under his shirt. To his utmost surprise and embarrassment, Aida approached
him and asked if he has eaten, offering him a big package if he waited until the party's
over and the guests have gone home. Reality slapped him. It was like a forceful punch
against his ego, making him too small in front of the girl. The damask curtain mentioned
in this scenario which he wanted to be hidden is the thing that separates the light from
the dark. Behind it, he describes as dark and he also commented that there were no
sunbeams to which his love trod. At the beginning of this scene, he saw the multicolored
lights. The image of light depicts the young boy's illusion, his perceived reality which is a
fantasy to Aida. After the embarrassing moment, he saw the dark. This symbolizes his
reality; the reality he tried to cover with his illusions. He realized that his feeling is only a
one-sided love. For a long time, he tried to look perfect in the eyes of the girl but in this
scenario, he seemed like a glass that almost broken. The reader could feel that he already
felt defeated even he never express his feelings toward Aida. This depicts failure. He
realized that his dream for the girl was not what he thought it would be. Unrequited love
is a common feature of adolescent's romantic relationships. The impact may not severe
or long-lasting. Nevertheless, some teenagers are vulnerable and in this case, according
to Leitz & Theriot, 2005, this may result in maladjusted acting-out behaviors, such as
aggression and stalking, but more commonly the distress is turned inwards, contributing
to depression and low self-esteem, sometimes with the risk of self-harm. Parents play an
important factor in this situation. This story also persuades the parents of their important
role in the growth of their children during the adolescent stage.

The last part of the story depicts about hope. As the young boy realizes from his illusions,
he accepted his reality and decided to buy pan de sal after receiving his share from the
earnings they have during the party. He did not dream again about buying some things
for Aida. The story ended with the line "the bread is not yet ready". This refer to the boy
who is not ready to enter into a relationship, to immerse in the real world with no illusion
and in taking risk for his feelings. He still needs guidance and the reader assumes that
this aspect was the mood of the boy in the ending part. He may felt defeated but it
doesn't mean that he already step in the end but it gives him a new ray of hope.

Salt denotes also certain imagery. As the bread symbolizes the young boy, salt symbolizes
the experiences, learnings and other factors that add flavor to the boy's life. This the
important highlight in the story assumed by the reader. Teenage or adolescence is the
stage of developing one's identity and it is very important that they are being guided
especially they might confuse the changes happen in their body. This also the stage of
vulnerability because the peer is one of the factors and the attraction toward opposite
sex develops. The strong need for belongingness in a peer can lead to the wrong direction
and even unguided relationships.

As the story depicts the teenage reality, it also brings awareness to the parent's
responsibility. I was amazed at how the author constructed the story using simple and
deep imagery that can be drawn by the title itself. The story impels me to be part of the
role in guiding the youth and to be involved in the ministry to the young which was also
the invitation of Pope Francis.