The Marxist Approach

The Bolo
by Loreto Paras

The Bolo by Loreto Paras Sulit, illustrates the struggle between modernism and
tradition; the bolo represents tradition and the myth instilling such tradition. Written in 1927,
it can be a reflection on whether we should subscribe to the foreign, colonial culture of the
United States or to struggle for the preservation of Filipino native culture.
It can be said that the dire situation of the two sisters, Clara and Sita is due
to poverty.One cannot ascertain, firstly, that they are proletariat within the confines of the
piece, or as partof the supposed working class. It was not stated that the two sisters
maintained or was evenassociated to any form of labor before and after their conflict with
the bolo. However, one can
infer that Sitas late husband, Ramon, was the designated proletariat in the plot. Our society
has
always been perceived as a patriarchal society, thus inhibiting women with labor within and
forthe household as well as the primary provider of care towards the children of the couple,
but in
respect of the situation of The Bolo, Ramon passed away along with
their unborn child. Thus,the siblings are rather victims of poverty through the hands of an
already established society ofcapitalism, presented in the story.
Firstly, it needs to be pointed out that the means of production is the bolo itself. The
bolo throughout the story acted as the most valuable asset in producing the wealth needed
for the two sisters to survive. The bolo is the main instrument of labor for the two main
protagonists who were merely victims of the capitalistic society situated by Paras. Their
hardship and desperation
was not only due to the death of Sitas late husband, who can be said as the main subject
to wage labor, but also the manipulated market presented by the pawnshop, Old Hisons
Store. Due to one of the sisters unwavering desire to feed herself, she was opted to trade
the bolo for income,blinding her of the true importance of the artifact.

Capitalist production is based on wage labor. A clear line of division and conflict
emerges between the owners of capital, who own what Karl Marx called the means of
production, andthose who sell their labor in exchange of wages. In the case of Sita and
Clara, their labor is defined and represented by the bolo, which also symbolizes their
capital; an investment that aims to produce more than what their initial capital. Towards the
end however, it was not a worthy investment from the side of the sisters. The exchange-
value of the bolo which acted as their capital was far lower than the initial cost, which was
then pointed out by the customer, Oscar, the supposed savior of their investment. Even
though a sense of justice was achieved through the return of the bolo to its owners, it still
did not succeed in producing an acceptable in return in terms for the production of material
life, which was the quest for sufficiency in terms of habitation and sustenance, despite the
preservation of tradition through the return of the bolo.

Therefore, Loreto Paras was able to grant its reader a glimpse of how our country
before was in the state of tension from preserving certain traditions that support our culture
and heritage, and an age of advancement where for one to keep up with the times,
sacrifices are needed for a path to development. The two characters represent such a
contradiction, thus also subjugating themselves to a world that is being run by the market.
Through the Marxist analysis, this paper was able to determine how we are torn apart by
our needs to survive through exploiting ourselves or our own personal possessions for the
simple desire to feed. The Marxist approach offers a vantage point of how people are solely
reliant on such superficial object to survive such a world. through this reliance, we exploit
ourselves, disregarding all forms of safety, and for the case ofThe Bolo, their heritage and
tradition.