LOVE IN THE CORNHUSKS

Aida L. Rivera

SUMMARY

One day, Constantina Tirol, also called as Tinang, visits her former master, Seora,
whom she was working for before she got married. While carrying her baby boy, she walks
through the entrance of the house of her former Seora and meet his former young
master,Tito,and the Seora. Upon getting inside the house, Seora asks her some
questions how her married life is together with his Bagobo husband and also how is it to be
a mother of a baby boy. Their conversation continues and they reach to the point of talking
about the tractor drivers of Seora, especially the one who was good, Amado.

After that, Tinang finally tells her former Seora about her intention of being there.
The baptism of her baby is about to come and she wants Seora to be a Madrina or a
Ninang to her child. The relationship between Tinang and her former Seora with her
family remains good. And so, Seora hastily agreed to be so and yet wants to provide
baptismal clothes for the baby and the fee for the Priest. Before she left from Seora s
house, she was told by her that there is a letter for her in the drugstore, which also serves
as the post office of the barrio. By that moment, she thought that someone might be dead
or maybe that letter comes from her sister. So she hurriedly takes her way home and
passes by that drugstore to get the letter.

As she continues walking in a muddy road to her way home, she tries to look for a
place where she could lay down her baby, hoping that she could read the letter before she
arrives home. Finally, she finds a good place where she can stop for a while. There is a
Kamansi tree and under of it are scattered cornhusks. So, she prepares a heap of it using
her foot and laid her baby upon it. Then, she starts reading the letter. After doing so, she
finds out that the letter is a love letter, her first love letter, which comes from Amado, her
boyfriend, saying that he does not want to break up with her when he left from the field of
Seora without telling the reason why he did so.

Time cannot be back anymore. It is already too late that she discovers that Amado
still loves her. However, she w as not informed that his mothers worst illness made him
gone for some time. Instead, Tinang marry a Bagobo man, whom owns 2 hectares of land.
After all, what she does is only to remember her past with Amado until the time comes
when she has to leave upon noticing that a snake is sneaking towards her baby boy. In the
end, she leaves the place without noticing that her first love letter fell down among the
cornhusks.
 Author

Aida Rivera-Ford was born in Jolo, Sulu.

She became the editor of the first two issues of
Sands and Coral, the literary magazine of
Silliman University. In 1949, she graduated
with an AB degree, major in English, cum
laude. In 1954, she obtained an MA in English
Language and Literature at the University of
Michigan and won the prestigious Jules and
Avery Hopwood for fiction.

She taught at the University of Mindanao and

Ateneo de Davao University where she was the
Humanities Division Chairperson for 11 years.
In 1980, she founded the first school of Fine
Arts in Mindanao the Learning Center of the
Arts, now known as the Ford Academy of the
Arts.

In 1982, the city of Davao recognized her

contributions to culture and the arts through
Datu Bago Award. In 1984, she was an awardee in the Phil. Government Parangal for
Writers of the post-war years. In 1991, she was a Gawad CCP awardee for the essay in
English. In 1993, she was the recipient of Outstanding Sillimanian Award for her
contributions to literary arts and culture. In 1993, the UP ICW named her National Fellow
for Fiction. She became the director of two NCCA Mindanao-wide Creative Writing
Workshops and two UP National Writers Workshops. As of 1997, she was the president of
the Mindanao Foundation for Culture and the Arts.
Analysis

From Feminism point of view, Ms. Aida Rivera- Ford, written short stories that
become outstanding, entitled Love in the Cornhusks. The story involved of a woman who
become failure to her lover, Amado. She classifies Tinang as the helper of one of the rich
families in their town. Like the other women, she works inside the house, cleaning,
preparing meals and gardening. Sometimes she would take the food for Seor in the field
and because she is a bit different in her look the laborers would eye her furtively. For this
instances, Tinang feels great and thought herself above them, for she knew she was always
neat and clean. She had gone to school and had reached the sixth grade. For us we know,
that in old times, women are not important to have education, men do through they are the
one who work for the family.

It also emphasises the role of a woman, when having a family as Seora said Ano,
Tinang, it is not a good thing to be married? As Tinang declares, it is very hard and it is
better she working again in Seoras house. It reveals the true feelings of Tinang through
her situation right now. I think if she can choose again, she refuse to marry and have a
family especially when she knew that Amado really love her and shes not being forgotten.
It is because of his mother thats why he cannot return to fulfill his promises. The character
of woman here is being sensible in all outcomes she experienced in life. In Amados act of
being take good care of his mother ill, it illustrate the feminine touch of a woman. Even he
is a man his duty and roles changes by the situation specified. It simply shows that even
our culture is womens responsibility to perform it, it happened to change when the
situation cannot be stand.

The story shows the lifestyle of a woman in every era. We can still observe now that
if a woman is belonging to unfortunate family she carries out all kinds of work to have a
better life. Like happened of Tinang, she is a helper in some way but somehow she gains
an education to boost her position in life. But like in reality we made a choice through in
that time you think that is the right thing to do. Then when we realize its too late to turn
back the things you wanted in life. So better to move on and face the consequences
because we cant live in past better in future.

For Tinangs love tale maybe she feels disappointment for what happened but she
come back to reality when she saw the snake slide close to her baby. Tinang demonstrate
the vulnerable side of a woman character in her choosing the path of her life. Yet she had
regret she wants to move ahead for her baby, for her life.
In text used by the writer it is written in low point because the words she used are very
simple. I notice that some of the words used here are in Tagalog, like ano, hala and
oy .Maybe the writers feel like to add some expressions of Tagalog for better livelier of the
script when we read.