Documentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kecI6DU8qI0&t=1s

1. JUAN T.
GATBONTON

2. Juan T. Gatbonton
 Born on February 25, 1928 in Candaba,
Pampanga
 Awards: - National Book Award for “Little
Reports” (1986)
- First Place, Gawad Palanca for “Clay”
(1951) “A record of Our Passage” (1963)
- First Place, Philippines Free Press
Literary Award for “Clay” (1951) and
“A Record of Our Passage” (1963)

3. Characters
 Young Boy – He is the one who
narrates the story. He treats Clays as
his best friend.
Type of Character: Flat, he remained
being kind towards the other characters
and he adores Ms. Rosete like a jewel
from the beginning to the end of the
story.

4. Characters
Clay – He is an American soldier
and an army mechanic. He was
treated as the young boy’s best
friend.
Type of Character: Round, at the
beginning he is kind towards Clay and
Ms. Rosete but at the end he took for
granted the kindness of Ms. Rosete.

5. Characters
 Ms. Rosete – She is the teacher of the
young boy. She is admired by the young
boy for her beauty and traits.
Type of Character: Flat, she
remained just a typical Filipina in the
story from beginning to the end of the
story.

6. Setting
 Mt. Arayat, Pampanga
 Around 1900s until 1946 – The
American Regime or
Colonialism in the Philippines

7. Plot Synopsis
The story began wherein there’s a boy
waking up and he’s looking forward to a usual
day where he bonds with Clay, his best friend.
But it was an unusual day wherein Clay could
not be found in their usual meeting place. The
kid was studying in a public school back then.
The classes start at noon for high school level.
When their teacher is absent, it signifies
there’s no lesson for that certain subject while
others with their teachers present can still
take it.

8. Clay and the kid’s friendship is not
common because they were seen as enemies at
the eyes of Filipinos and Americans that time,
knowing that Clay was one of the army. Clay
didn’t treat the kid as an enemy, he treat the
kid as a student and he was a teacher. They
really enjoyed each other’s company whenever
they’re together.
The kid doesn’t have that much
communication with his parents that’s why he
became friendly and closer to older people. In
the story, there’s nothing mentioned on how
the kid and his parents bidding them goodbye.

9. One evening, the kid can easily go to the
barracks without any permission because of
Clay. This kid is different with the other kids
because their friends are normally at school,
they are with somebody, gathering in the
stairway, laughing and talking. But in the
story, he has friends like Ms. Rosete and Clay.
Ms. Rosete in the story was shown as an
image of an ideal woman at that time. She has
the traits of such a woman: beautiful,
charming, kind, hospitable, and really ensures
that her visitors feel that they are welcome as
if they were at home.

10. Clay in this case however, seizes the opportunity to
gain advantage over these people who are different to
him like the kid and Ms. Rosete. Clay was mean to the
kid who treats him as his best friend. Also, Clay took
advantage on Ms. Rosete which was shown in the form of
symbolism in the story - a pool and the carabao.
Ms. Rosete, the woman the kid adores the jewel
and as well the teacher of the school is indeed being
common woman in that area. With that all of a sudden,
Clay and his friends laugh at the idea because they think
that women in their place are all equal in terms of
weakness into giving in to temptation or desires. A
woman who gives in to any foreigner like Clay is just like
any other women who are weak enough to temptation or
desires; even she was the purest woman.

11. Plot Type & Devices
 Plot Type
*Classic Plot
-The events are chronologically sequenced.
It follows the beginning-middle-end pattern.
 Plot Device
*Foreshadowing

12. Plot Pyramid
 Exposition
- There was a boy who has a best friend,
Clay. Clay is from American Army. The boy also
has a teacher named Ms. Rosete. Ms. Rosete
helps the kid find the pool where Clay and the
boy usually go.
 Rising Action
- The boy introduced Clay to Ms. Rosete.
After the introduction with each other, Clay
started seeing Ms. Rosete

13. Plot Pyramid
 Climax
- The boy went to the army barracks one
night. There, he heard soldiers talking to Clay.
Clay was talking about last night. He was
talking about how he convinced Ms. Rosete. He
also said that she didn't even know how to kiss.
They were humiliating her because she easily
spread her legs like the other girls there.

14. Plot Pyramid
 Falling Action
- After hearing what they just said, he
turned towards the gate. Clay noticed him
and was giving him an ice cream. The boy
ignored him and continued to ran not
knowing where to go. He ran until he
reached the pool.

15. Plot Pyramid
 Resolution
-In the pool, he saw a dark thing rose out
the water. It is the carabao that he saw last
time where he threw a rock which makes the
carabao go away. But this time, its fiery eyes
stared at him even though he throw and
throw rocks. It just moaned and refused to
go away

16. Conflict
Man vs man
-The conflict between Clay and Kid
and Ms. Rosete .

17. Theme
The story talks about the experience
of many Filipinos during American time.
The story depicts that most of the
Filipinas became a “toy” of Americans to
satisfy their pleasures.

18. Symbolisms
 Pool – It symbolized Ms. Rosete wherein
the whiteness of the pool refers to her purity.
Quote: “If the pool jewels the forest
with is whiteness.”
Ms. Rosete jewels the school especially
with the 16-year old kid, with her beauty and
goodness. When she went gone, the school
became in its gloomy form.

19. Symbolisms
 Carabao – It symbolized Clay because of it being
dirty and harshness gives an impression of a messy
attitude.
Quote: “They didn’t give that much care and
respect to the sacred pool than the kid gives.”
Therefore, as the carabao being messy, it tends
to be a very easy stuff for the carabao to make the
water impure and for Clay to do something for Ms.
Rosete, whom is a very inviting pool.

20. Point of View
First Person
Point of View
-The young boy is the one who
narrates.

21. References
 “Clay by Juan T. Gatbonton”.
http://www.sushidog.com/bpss/stories/clay.html.
Accessed December 9, 2017.
 Maryhill College. “CLAY – Clay by Juan T. Gatbonton”.
http://www.coursehero.com/file/16834655/CLAY/.
Accessed December 11, 2017.
 “Summary for the story “Clay” by Juan T Gatbonton”.
http://www.pitzviews.blogspot.com/2016/02/summary-
for-story-clay-by-juan-gatbonton.html. Accessed
December 14, 2017.

22. Members
 Cajumban, Allen A.
 Flores, Mhatthew B.
 Hatol, Marc Nikholas Q.
 Mariano, Joachim C.
 Alarcon, Erica Li B.
 Bartomole, Jan Rapaela
B.
 Bosi, Trishia Joy S.
 Cruz, Racel Bon Erica
 Cruz, Jinger Danielle L.
 Sangalang, Eurika S.
 Teodoro, Jane Krystia V.
STEM 11-A