Villanueva, Lennon C.

R02 LIT 13

Response Paper
(Bread of Salt)

What does the ending suggest and symbolize?

The ending of the story signifies his return to normal life and at the same time
compares the pan de sal bread to the unnamed protagonist.
In the story, it was mentioned that the old fashioned taste of the pan de sal was
salty unlike today where its sweet and creamy. This can be likened when the
embarrassment of Aida seeing him hiding food from the party triggers an epiphany
which is much like that of Pan in Door Forever. The boy leaves the scene out of the
humiliation and decides to go buy pan de sal however to his dismay, the bread was
not yet quite ready. The bread just like the boy was not mature enough and therefore
the bread has not yet acquired its sweet and creamy test but is still salty. The text is
considered a coming of age story because it signifies the innocence of the boy and
how it is not prepared to face the realities of the world and understand its struggles.
However we can see that the boy has slightly matured through buying the bread with
his own money.
Another interpretation of the ending can be how the protagonist left the party
and returned to the simplicity of his life after losing the obsession with Aida. His
normal routine of buying the bread is once again seen in the ending and perhaps his
life will return the way it used to be before meeting Aida.