Yearning

Both stories showed how males swooned over women – young or old. However, that observation did not even scratch the surface of both stories. Yes, both stories showed the “power” of women, however this “power” has an underlying social pretext, which should be delved on further.

Bread of Salt

N.V.M. Gonzales

In a nutshell, the boy was put back to his senses. The story started out with the boy buying pan de sal for his grandmother. This errand started out as something of value to him as he guarded the pieces of pan de sal from harm every single morning that he purchased it for his grandmother who after losing three molars, could only take pan de sal for breakfast.. He was in love with Aida. He spent most of his time pining for Aida – saved money for a brooch, excelled in academics, and played the violin well. Eventually, the boy grew restless of his errand of buying bread, as he wanted to spend more time mastering the violin. His efforts gave fruit as the violin drew him closer to Aida – his band was tasked to play at the asalto of Aida’s cousins. The irony of it all was that just as when he was so close to Aida, Aida saw him at his weakest moment. He was shoving egg yolk desserts dipped in peppermint down his throat like a hungry pheasant boy and even managed to pocket quite a few. The story ended with him back at the baker’s store, waiting for the pan de sal, back to his senses.

The boy’s efforts to win the attention of Aida and his far-fetched thoughts were prevalent in the story that one might say that Aida held him on his sleeve as he swooned over her. She had in a way a “power,” maybe unknown to her, but she had it nonetheless. What is the social pretext of this? It should be noted that Aida was the niece of a Spaniard who lived at plain view from the baker’s store. Not only did the boy love Aida, he desired to have a lifestyle acceptable to Aida and to the elites of that time – landed Spaniards and the like.

It was a puppy love story, so to speak, that mirrored the reality of that time. It was very hard to live at that time, indeed! It was a time when a Filipino had to standout in order to be recognized. It was a time when a Filipino had to slave his way into society in order to be accepted much like how the boy had to save for Aida’s brooch only to find out in the end that he had no idea what suited her – he had no idea what that life was.

Maybe he should have taken a bite of the pan de sal he was guarding from harm, after all. That way, he would not have noticed the old Spaniard’s house. He would have instead savoured the pan de sal; he would have savoured the life he had and did not yearn for more than what he was ought to have. After all, he still ended up with pan de sal.

The Summer Solstice

Nick Joaquin

The story was set during the feast of St. John where the cult of the Tadtarin is celebrated. On the first night, a young girl heads the procession; on the second, a mature woman; and on the third, a very old woman who dies and comes to life again. At the heart of the story was a couple, the Moretas – Don Paeng and Doña Lupeng. The couple could be considered part of the affluent members of the town at that time, hence certain decorum is expected of them. Men were thus considered the padre de familia, while the women would take care of the household. The men were the providers of the family, hence they are stereotyped as strong; while the women on the other hand are considered the weaker sex, hence, they should be loved and respected.

The celebration of the female sex was prevalent in the story as women would dance during the three days of the celebration of the cult of the Tadtarin, while men are dumbfounded and were in awe of the women who they took for granted during the other days of the year.

Much like the transition of seasons, which characterized the summer solstice, Doña Lupeng transformed from a woman who found the cult of the Tadtarin as deviant from the norms of society into someone who actually participated in the dancing at the plaza. From someone who was content to being loved and respected, she transformed into someone who also wanted to be adored. From this observation, one may deduce how feminism abounded in the story, how the “weaker sex” of that time demanded for equal or if not superior treatment from the men, however, an underlying social pretext of the patriarchal system which abounded on that time seems more worthy of further discussion.

As mentioned above, the patriarchal system of that time gave men this macho image, while women were given this frail image. Therefore, women were to be loved and respected. As men achieved this ideal treatment towards women, they themselves gained respect for themselves since by respecting women and providing for their family, they likewise were deemed respectable and honourable men. It could be considered a paradox because women were respected and loved because they were thought to be weak and helpless without men.

When I look for innocence I look at the children. Where are the children?

Innocence once lost is lost forever. This could be the reason why in both stories the parents were concerned about keeping the innocence of their children. In the same manner, both stories somewhat allude to Pilate’s ‘washing of the hands’ to purge him from sin as the once innocent children in both stories washed their bodies in hopes of regaining their purity.

Magnificence

Estrella D. Alfon

The children in Magnificence were naïve and innocent – they were easily amazed after having been given pencils of different colors by Vicente, their tutor. Vicente was described as a queer yet gentle men, characteristics that gravitated the children towards him.

Without implicitly stating the obvious, the girl was taken advantage by Vicente. He took her to his lap and afterwards must have conjured obscene thoughts in his head causing him to be aroused. The mother saw this incident and forced him with slaps out of their house.

The last few scenes struck me the most as the mother hurriedly searched her daughter’s body for signs of abuse and later bathe her. It seemed like a cleansing ritual. Though a so-called cleansing ritual was done and the tutor was taken care of, the child’s innocence was already blemished. The next scene wherein the mother burned her clothes immediately yet mentioned that the pencils can be discarded the next day seemed like the mother’s acceptance of the incident, that her daughter was in fact violated – she already accepted the existence of the pencils (a reminder of Vicente’s presence).

Generations

Ninotchka Rosca

Three generations were portrayed in the story. The first generation was Old Selo and his wife, the second was the drunkard husband and his wife, and the third generation consisted of the children. All three generations were greatly affected by the unjust society. Old Selo had to experience giving a share of his harvest to the landowner. The second generation on the other hand, had to experience poverty to the extent that they are unable to have enough rice for the family. The third generation on the other hand seemed to have been bled dry by the unjust society so much so that the only thing they had left, which was their innocence, was still taken from them.

Because of poverty, people have only their rights, dignity, and self-worth left to their name. They are hungry and oppressed, but they have this. Unfortunately, as seen in the experiences of the young girl who bailed out her drunk father from jail who violated the curfew, she had to give up even this; she gave up her innocence.

She realized eventually that she was entitled to this right and to have dignity and self-worth. It was too late, yet this did not stop her from taking revenge. She gave her father a fatal blow in the head. Thereafter, she met her siblings and told them to have a bath in the canal before heading home. Once again, an image of cleansing was portrayed. In spite of this ritual cleansing, the girl was still unable to regain her innocence.

Women then, and now.

She finds herself trapped, desperate and trying to breathe. She believes she is condemned to a life that is mediocre, trivial and ironically lifeless. She believes that she has no choice, no decision, no say in what she will become except that which society will dictate.
Both stories tell of how women in those times see a world with four corners within a few feet of them. They are meek, content and submissive, afraid to move, to create ripples because of what society might think of us. But it is in our nature to be different, to be unique, to be an individual. To do otherwise would be to deny our own humanity.

Love in the Cornhusks
Tinang finds herself regretting and after a few moments, forgetting. I assumed from the text that she was with child well before marriage, to a man named Amado. [Her child, a bastard child born out of a passionate moment in the fields behind the tractors.] It was because of being pregnant that she sought out the man that had the most interest in her, the Bagobo. And in her haste and panic, she had left the home she was tending and then after sometime, Amado, and then she married the Bagobo, A man whom at first, she did not see as an equal but rather a man who’s social stature was below her, until now. I believe that she had feared what society might have thought of her, a loose woman, promiscuous or perhaps even a whore., hence she married a man she did not love, but who loved her.

The Corral
Our persona finds that she is steadily approaching a turning point in her life. An age where most women find themselves a husband, become a wife and hopefully, hopefully they become mothers. She is seen exercising her motherly instincts by being a teacher in the school, teaching and caring for the students, as with the way she cares for her father, making him meals and tending to their home.
The story describes how the society at that time “traps” the women. As shown in how the father treats her as well as her suitor treats her, trying to one up each other in who “wins” her affection. The corral symbolizes the entrapment of women, how men build fences, to capture women, its foundations deeply and heavily rooted into the society. And she sees herself as a fish, trapped, despondent and dying. But she isn’t dying, but rather her dreams, her desires and her future.

These days these things would have not been the case. Tinang would most probably have had an abortion or better yet take control and hunt down Amado. Pilar would not have been trapped, but rather set free by her own dreams. She might have gone elsewhere to work, find another man who would woo her, a man that she approved and not an ugly principal, who think that he is God’s gift to her. Women are more liberal, more decisive, commanding and powerful. They take hold of their lives and live it the way they want to be. Often times better than what most men would have or could have become. It is this former social status that gives them strength, as well a society who’s eyes have been opened to what the capabilities of women are.

Divide the mats by two

Anything worth having is worth fighting for.

Arcellana uses these two totally different short stories to convey one theme. I believe that theme is loss, the loss of a loved one.

In “The Mats” Arcellana depicts the tragic loss of a father’s loved ones, his three daughters. Though at first the tragedy is hidden through the story as Arcellana tells a story of a loving family, their small joys and excitement for their father to return home with pasalubong. A traditional Filipino trait, we always expect that when a relative returns from a trip, however far or near it maybe, that they will come home bearing gifts. I guess its part of how we want to experience what that person experienced when he was there, the same way the kids wanted the mats and the same, though tragic, the father wanted his family to experience how bad he felt by bringing home mats that didn’t belong to anyone anymore. It really is sad that the father experienced that, knowing how excited and happy his family would be when he comes home with the mats, which his family treasures (though now it may be trivial), but saddened that he won’t be able to see his three daughters smile and say thank you once he unwraps the mats bearing their names. Mats that they could have used for college, that they could have used when they got married and that they could have used for their own children. I guess this is where the feeling sayang comes in.

It does happen with Filipino families, where even though that person has passed on, we still try to live normally as if the person were still there. I remember a time when my grandmother passed away, my father would keep her cane in the same place she kept it. And the few days after she passed, when we would have dinner in her place, there was still a set plate and utensils placed for her on the table.

“Divide by 2” is a story of a slowly decaying relationship. Though it is not explicitly said but rather it is felt throughout the story. I believe this is because it is a collective experience when we talk about loss of a loved one, especially a partner. We may not know it or see it immediately but we definitely feel it. That is how Arcellana relates his story to us. A complex stage in a relationship weaved into a simple argument, an argument over a few inches of lot.

I guess this is the point where most, even the most passive person, would lose it, lose their temper, take on a beastly form. The persona had stated that he was against violence, and it is also seen through out the story. He did not like confrontation; he preferred to write a letter instead of saying it in person. But at the thought that he might lose his partner to his neighbor he loses it. As they say, anything worth having is worth fighting for. Unfortunately the sad part about this story, who or what was his wife fighting for?

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First Foray into Phil. Lit.

Have you ever read Filipino literature? Not just your regular Filipino “komiks” or “kwentong bayan” but rather socially significant stories, which at first seems trivial but apparently they act not as a reflection of reality but rather the writer’s perception of it. It began last week in our LitFili class. As the name suggests the class is the study of Philippine Literature, but more contemporary and socially significant stories written in English.

The two stories taken up for blog discussion were “My Father Goes to Court” by Carlos Bulosan and “How my Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife” by Manuel Arguilla. Manuel Arguilla and Carlos Bulosan depict the Filipino beautifully through their short stories. It is amazing how the complexities of out culture can be brought out in such simple stories.

[“How my Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife” by Manuel Arguilla - Get it here]

“My Father Goes to Court” is a tale of how a family, though financially incapable, not only survives but lives their lives to the fullest through laughter and love. Though later on they are accused of stealing their neighbor’s wealth and food but only through spirit. Through this short satire we get a glimpse of how Bulosan sees the Filipinos, kindhearted, lighthearted and very family oriented. He describes the Filipinos to be always happy or make light of dire situations as well as our “Barangay” nature, to include everyone even those who aren’t in our immediate family in all that we do.

“How my Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife” is a short story, a highly descriptive short story, of how Baldo, a young province boy, drives his brother and his brother’s wife home. A story so simple but the genius lies between the lines as it tells a book’s worth of our culture. Arguilla’s subtlety conceals the intricacies of our culture through a short journey in the backcountry. This short story depicts our culture’s family oriented nature as well as its wariness for change. We are indeed very close nit when it comes to our families, as well as the elderly being extremely traditional and often they find it hard accept change.

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Filipino Values? Well I’d like to think we still have the traditional values we’re still known for, such as being hospitable, loving, caring (care giving?), etc. More often than not when we ask about Filipino Values there are always two that crop up. Those are: We are extremely family oriented and close nit as well as being extremely Christian.

I definitely agree, when we say Family we really say FAMILY. I’ve had experiences where those who are usually called 2nd or 3rd cousins in most countries (well ours as well but you know what I mean) are considered Immediate family to most of us. I mean I have a tita who isn’t really my tita (she’s not a tranny, just very distant).

I can also say that we Filipinos are very Christian, it’s a bit ironic though I mean Christianity was used to conquer us and when it comes to conquering history dictates that religion is key to being able to capture the people. It is a tool used to silence the “indios”. In the Philippines everyone’s houses and in every nook and cranny of that house would probably have an image or idol of saints, Mary and Jesus. That’s how Christian we are, so much so that our priests and cardinals have more authority in running our country (and I thought there was separation of church and state :P Crucify them!). I guess you can say its still a tool being used to conquer the people.

But on a lighter note, I'd like say that Filipinos are definitely hospitable especially in other countries when encountering fellow Filipinos. I had this experience last year while I was in Mexico covering the Bayanihan National Dance Company of the Phil. Right after one of their shows, there was a crowd of elderly women that came rushing to the backstage shouting and crying. At first I could not make out what they were saying, it wasn’t Spanish nor was it in English. I was surprised to realize that as soon as they got close it was tagalog. “Kabayan! Kabayan!” one woman exclaimed in a shakey voice. These were Filipina women who were working overseas. As we met them they couldn’t stop hugging and kissing each of the members as if they were longtime friends addressing each other in their first names. Invites to dinner or lunch or whatever they could offer were given, it was extremely surprising and touching that they would go through all that trouble. That was a memorable experience and touching one at that, I’m glad I was there. It’s something I’d like other Filipinos to experience so you do know that when they say Filipinos are hospitable it isn’t BullSh*t.

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