Name: Paulita Gomez
Sex: Female
Race: Indio (with Spanish blood)
Occupation:
Aliases:
Affiliations:
Background
Paulita Gomez resides in Manila, having lived there since birth. She is well-known as a rich heiress, the niece of Dona Victorina and the girlfriend of Isagani. Her parents died when she was young, making her an orphan who was raised instead by her aunt. Because her family was always very wealthy, she had a sheltered upbringing and was used to having servants and slaves. She is said to be well-educated, although in El Filibusterismo (El Fili) she is never seen going to school. Therefore, she might have been taught at home. Paulita Gomez is almost always seen with her aunt Dona Victorina, even when she is out with a friend or with Isagani.
Story
Chapter 1: Paulita Gomez does not appear but is mentioned for the first time as the niece of Dona Victorina
Chapter 2: While on steamship Tabo, Basilio and Isagani talk about Paulita Gomez. Basilio asks Isagani about what Padre Florentino thinks about her. Basilio and Isagani talk about how Dona Victorina asked Isagani to look for her husband Don Tiburcio, so Isagani can keep dating Paulita Gomez.
Chapter 12: Paulita Gomez appears for the first time, arriving in UST with Dona Victorina since they are going to visit the Virgin of the Rosary. When Isagani sees Paulita Gomez, he becomes nervous, but Paulita Gomez smiles at him. Tadeo sees Paulita Gomez and says he has fallen ill. Later, Paulita Gomez enters the church, with Tadeo following her.
Chapter 17: Paulita Gomez is seen attending the Quiapo Fair with Dona Victorina and Isagani. Padre Camorra is surprised by her beauty and pinches Ben Zayb’s arm by accident. Isagani becomes upset by everyone noticing Paulita Gomez.
Chapter 19: Paulita Gomez is spotted together with Isagani, Dona Victorina and Juanito Pelaez by Placido Penitente and Simoun.
Chapter 21: On the night of the play’s first performance, Tadeo sees Paulita Gomez outside the theater with a friend, Dona Victorina and Juanito Pelaez. Tadeo is distracted for a moment by Paulita Gomez.
Chapter 22: Inside the theater, Isagani sees Paulita Gomez sitting with Juanito Pelaez and becomes jealous. Paulita Gomez smiles at him, but her eyes show that she is sorry. Isagani is surprised because they agreed he would watch the play first, to see if it was appropriate for Paulita Gomez.
Later, during the can-can dance, Isagani feels embarrassed that Paulita Gomez is watching it. Meanwhile, Paulita Gomez is jealous of the actresses on stage because Isagani is staring at them. Paulita Gomez cannot understand what is happening in the play and asks Juanito Pelaez to explain. He gives her the wrong explanation but she doesn’t seem to notice.
After the first act, Paulita Gomez and Isagani stare at each other, Paulita Gomez looking like she wants to tell him something.
Chapter 24: Paulita Gomez and Isagani plan to meet up at the Malecon. Isagani gets there first, bringing two love letters she gave him. He thinks she is going to break up with him and remembers their dates, wanting revenge on Juanito Pelaez.
Paulita Gomez arrives at night in a carriage, together with her friend and Dona Victorina. Paulita Gomez smiles at Isagani, which makes him feel better. Paulita Gomez’s friend gives them privacy by taking Dona Victorina with her to find her fan at the beach.
Paulita Gomez accuses Isagani of staring at the actresses, and says she was forced to go to the play by Dona Victorina. She laughs at the thought of Isagani being jealous of Juanito Pelaez, since Dona Victorina is the one in love with him. Isagani laughs at her joke. Isagani confesses to Paulita Gomez that Don Tiburcio is in Padre Florentino’s house, and Paulita Gomez promises not to tell anyone (though she plans to tell her friend later).
Isagani tells Paulita Gomez his memories of his hometown, which makes Paulita Gomez jealous because he seemed happier there. Isagani explains that even then, something felt missing until Paulita Gomez entered his life. He tells her that if she goes with him to his hometown, it will become like Eden. But Paulita Gomez is hesitant because she knows the trip would be uncomfortable. Isagani tells Paulita Gomez that someday the whole country will be connected by trains. Paulita Gomez says she will be old already when that happens. Isagani gives a speech about the country’s progress and how people are working to make it a better and more technologically advanced country.
Isagani tells Paulita Gomez that there will be no slaves and that the Spanish and Filipinos will be equals. Paulita Gomez doesn’t believe him and says that according to Dona Victorina, the country will always be enslaved. Isagani says Dona Victorina believes that because she needs slaves. He says that they will overcome their struggles.
Paulita Gomez asks what happens if they do not succeed. Isagani says he will still be proud to have fought for the Philippines. Dona Victorina returns and they invite Isagani to share their carriage. Paulita Gomez and Isagani sit side by side.
Chapter 28: Paulita Gomez is mentioned by people speculating about the students who were involved in the poster incident. In a confectionary shop, they discuss that Isagani surrendered himself, which means that Paulita Gomez will probably marry a Spaniard instead.
Chapter 32: After most of the students are suspended due to the poster incident, there is a rumor in April that Paulita Gomez will marry Juanito Pelaez. The rumor turns out to be true, as it is revealed that Paulita Gomez no longer loves Isagani. The reason is because he was involved with the posters and gave himself to the police instead of hiding, which showed her that he is not sensible. She prefers Juanito Pelaez instead, whom she now likes because he is smart, happy, capable, from a rich family and has Spanish blood (all traits that Isagani does not have). Paulita Gomez is said to have chosen the “fitter male” who is able to adapt to the environment.
Chapter 34: Paulita Gomez gets married to Juanito Pelaez. While they are in a carriage on the way to the wedding feast at Capitan Tiago’s old house, Basilio sees them and feels bad for Isagani.
Chapter 35: Paulita Gomez and Juanito Pelaez arrive at the wedding feast in the evening, accompanied by Dona Victorina. Ben Zayb calls them “Cupid and Psyche presenting themselves in the Olympus”. While running away from the house thinking Simoun lit the bomb lamp, Basilio sees Isagani (who is watching Paulita Gomez through the window) and tells him to run. Isagani refuses and says it is because Paulita Gomez will no longer be herself tomorrow.
Basilio tells Isagani about the bomb lamp but Isagani still doesn’t want to leave because he wants to see Paulita Gomez one last time. Basilio leaves Isagani, who realizes that Paulita Gomez is in danger. Isagani runs inside and steals the bomb lamp, saving Paulita Gomez’s life though no one knows that it was him who did it.
Chapter 37: Paulita Gomez is only mentioned and not by name. The Orenda family discusses the wedding feast and the bomb plot, and it is revealed that Chichoy delivered earrings to Don Timoteo, which were a gift to Paulita Gomez and Juanito Pelaez. The family wonders who is responsible for the bomb plot, and jokes that it might be Isagani because he is a rival of Juanito Pelaez.
Isagani tells the Orenda family that he would not want to be in the thief’s place and that if the thief had known what would happen, he might not have done it. This implies that Isagani regrets his actions and secretly wishes he had not tried to save Paulita Gomez’s life.
Physical Description
“The young woman was resplendent with beauty: everyone stopped, necks turned, conversations were suspended, eyes followed her.” (Chapter 17)
Paulita Gomez is described several times throughout the novel as beautiful, in many different ways. She is said to be “weightless as a bird” (Chapter 12), “loveliest of the lovely” and is referred to as a “dazzlingly beautiful senorita” (Chapter 17). Every time Paulita Gomez goes out in public, it is mentioned that people stop and stare at her. As a result, she has many admirers and is said to be “coveted by both nationals and foreigners” (Chapter 32). Several characters (including Basilio, Tadeo and Padre Camorra) comment on her striking appearance, though her features are never described specifically. Based on her last name, it is implied that Paulita Gomez has Spanish blood, and most likely has European features which is probably the reason her appearance is so eye-catching.
Personality
“But Paulita had heard it said that to reach Isagani’s home it was necessary to cross mountains where little leeches abounded, and with this thought alone, the coward shuddered convulsively. Comfort-loving and spoiled, she said that she would travel only in a carriage or a railway train.” (Chapter 24)
Paulita Gomez was very much influenced by her sheltered and wealthy upbringing. She is very polite and well-mannered, and is said to move with a natural grace. Apart from her appearance, she is described as “witty and elegant” by Basilio, who even says she has no defects other than having a “ridiculous aunt” (Chapter 2). Aside from her beauty, many characters describe her as being very rich. She is never seen alone in public and is always calm and comfortable around a lot of people.
However, she can also be spoiled, immature and self-centered. She only thinks of her own well-being and future. When Isagani tells her about his hometown, instead of being curious and wanting to visit, she quickly becomes jealous because Isagani seemed happier there, and feels disgust that going to his province would require a long, difficult journey (Chapter 24).
Skills
Practicality
Compared to Isagani’s optimism, Paulita Gomez seems more like a pessimist or realist. She is doubtful of Isagani’s claims that the Philippines will get better and asks him what will happen if he doesn’t succeed in fighting for the Philippines’ freedom. Later on, it is revealed that she fell out of love with Isagani because to her, he made a bad decision by surrendering himself to the police instead of hiding. This shows that Paulita Gomez would rather have someone who is sensible, so she picks Juanito Pelaez, knowing her life with him would be easier because he is smart, from a respectable family. In Paulita Gomez’s eyes, Juanito Pelaez is considered the “fitter male” and the one most likely to survive, and thus would be able to create a better future for her.
Relationships
See Relationships of Paulita Gomez
Beliefs
On the Philippines
Because Paulita Gomez comes from a rich family, she was raised with her family having slaves, and cannot picture life without them. She is not hopeful about the Philippines’ future, questioning Isagani’s claims that the country will soon be connected by trains and that Indios will be equal with Spanish. Paulita Gomez believes that if there are any changes, they will only happen when she is already old. Based on her response to Isagani’s speech, she doesn’t seem to care about fighting for the country, and even reminds Isagani that he should think about what will happen if he does not succeed.
Trivia
- Paulita Gomez never directly speaks to Dona Victorina even though they are always together.
- Paulita Gomez is one of the few characters whose last names is mentioned. Because of her Spanish last name, it is hinted that she has Spanish blood, though her skin color is not described.
