Sin (José novel)

Filipino National Artist F. Sionil José. This particular work of literature features the History of the Philippines, for the most part spanning the twentieth century, through the eyes of the "amoral"

impenitent progress …"^[2]

Filipino mores" and the "infallibility of fundamental Christianity", the mainstay of the psyche of the majority and "epistemic and spiritual strength" of many Filipinos. From a larger perspective, José’s Sin is a novel that galvanises the call to "mass consciousness" due to its exposé of “vanity and greed” entrenched in the elite configuration of supremacy and control in countries worldwide.^[3]

the Spanish in the 1521. The narration in José’s Sin had been compared to the novels written by Milan Kundera.^[3]

recollections are the "sinner’s" form of repentance, in order to avoid bequeathing a legacy of hubris, decadence, greed, and iniquities. José, however, leaves the reader of the novel unsure whether Cobello was sincere or just pandering during the character’s outburst of "penitent language".^[3]

niece, Angela is in truth Cobello’s daughter, the product of a union with his sister Corito. Although the incestuous relationship is kept secret from Angela herself, she remains a constant reminder to both Cobello and Corito of their acts and guilt. On the other hand, Delfin, who was born from the womb of Cobello’s "old teenage sweetheart" of an impecunious background becomes a lawyer and defender of the rights of the poor, who avoids following in Cobello’s footsteps. Delfin rejected his father’s offer of a "privileged and luxurious" lifestyle, becoming a person who disapproves of the oligarchy, their excesses, and the abuses committed by them. Delfin did not want to belong to the elite world into which his father Cobello has long stubbornly ensconced himself.^[3]