Review of Fray Botod

Fray Botod
by Graciano Lopez Jaena

          In 1874,the eighteen years old Graciano Lopez Jaena,character sketched Fray Botod,that means Big-Bellied Friar. In this work,he caricatured the typical friar of the day as abusive, cruel, lazy, indifferent, greedy and lustful. He particularly abhorred the abuses and greediness of the friars that his first written work was against this group of people.

     This work,opens my mind on  how cruel and unfair the friars during the Spanish era. Filipinos suffered 333 years under the power of Spaniards when they colonized the Philippines. It gives reflection on how Spaniards abused their powers to control the Filipino's way of living during the era.

      The author was fascinated about the way how Spanish treats Filipinos,it made a way for Graciano Lopez Jaena to create this kind of work. This work emphasizes how Filipinos suffered the sensation within the era,that is comparable to pandemonium. It targets the characteristics of a typical friar during that time. Where in it intensifies how Filipinos are being mistreated by the power of friars by punishing and made them as slaves.A man of vast and morally questionable appetites, the Friar takes advantage of his position to pursue everything from drunkenness and gluttony to have an exploitative relationships with young girls. This work gave me a vision on how perilous it is to live during the Spanish era.

    

     The title Fray Botod,meaning Big-Bellied Friar portrayed the characteristics of a friar during that era. It is very clever for the young author to come up with the title which is suited for the work. It woke my mind about the situation in Philippines under the colonization of Spaniards. 

     Torture and injustice was brought during that era,its trace will forever stay in history. But it is never to late to show our patriotism to our beloved country.