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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