Tell the Rain Not to Drop
M O D E R N I T Y A N D I T S D I S C O N T E N T S
Many Filipinos are devout Roman Catholics. I was raised in this faith and I have been taught that divorce
essentially should not exist. A man “[leaves] his father and mother and [to] be united to his wife, and the
two will become one flesh" and one must “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the
bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:31, 2-3). Since God joins a man and wife together, no one is to separate
them (Matthew 19:5-6). Don Juan’s view of marriage and his actions as a philanderer show his disregard
towards the sanctity of marriage. His affinity for bedding any woman who charms him puts him in
harm’s way since “those who live [sinfully] will not inherit the kingdom of God”, just as his father
warned him (Galatians 5:21). From the viewpoint of orthodox believers, Don Juan’s behavior is very
wrong. All his actions fit the description of what is considered to be of a sinful nature: “sexual
immorality, impurity, and debauchery” (Galatians 5:19). However, it is easy to rationalize Don Juan’s
“technique for ensnaring beautiful young women” (Don Juan 1.1). His technique, as his valet Sganarelle
describes it, consists of doing whatever is necessary: “he’ll marry anything” (Don Juan 1.1, 1.2). This may
sound unsightly, but he lives in an era where the formality of marriage stands between him and his
desires. As Sganarelle observed after Don Juan’s encounter with his Don Luis, telling Don Juan to stop
marrying women in order to obtain his desires would be like telling the wind not to blow; it is inevitable
since it is part of human nature (as explained by Hobbes). Don Juan was simply born in the wrong era. It
would not be far-fetched to think that negative connotations of fornication would not be an issue for
someone who believes meeting “one [beauty] first shouldn’t deprive all the rest” of his love, especially
since our current society condones it (Don Juan 1.2). He would not make a mockery of marriage in this
present era, because it would (for the most part) no longer be necessary to achieve his desires. I found
truth in his rant of “the whole pleasure of love [lying] in change,” and the intensity the pursuit
preferable to “placid affection” (Don Juan 1.2). Don Juan’s rational even agrees with Hobbes’ theory of
“there is no such thing as perpetual tranquility because life itself is but motion.” As Hobbes argued, “we
are beings whose fundamental characteristics as human beings are willing and choosing… and much of
our happiness depends upon ability to exercise our ability to choose…. Continual success in obtaining
those things a man from time to time desireth is what is called happiness and our well-being depends on
our ability to achieve the object of our desires”. Don Juan simply chose his path to his happiness and
pursued it to maintain his well-being (when disregarding the supernatural powers of Heaven, of course.)