The Mats Essay

The narrative assigned to our group is ‘The Mats” . And based on our treatments and group meetings. the reading we all agreed to do is the “reader-based interpretation” .

The Mats. written by Francisco Arcellana. is a short narrative picturing a really typical Filipino value – a deep sense of close family-ties and adhering. In this peculiar narrative. a adult male -depicted as a really loving and thoughtful father/husband- seems to still non able to travel on from the unfortunate going of his three kids. The word picture of the household is about a typical large Filipino household with household members taking out functions in a really typical Filipino diehard life style. that is ; father/husband as the breadwinner and wife/mother as homemaker and loving. obedient and submissive kids.

The basic secret plan of the narrative is about the most memorable homecoming of the breadwinner of the household. the male parent. who came place from his periodic reviews which were celebrated everytime these happened. But during this peculiar review to the South. he “met a fantastic matweaver – a existent artist” harmonizing to him. He wrote a missive about this event to his household that said “I shall hold a surprise for you. I asked him to weave a sleeping-mat for every one of the household. He is utilizing many different colourss and for each mat the dominant colour is that of our several birthstones. I am certain that the kids will be really pleased. I know you will be. I can barely wait to demo them to you” and when the missive arrived place. his household was so dizzy and excited about the event. They kept on speaking about it and they read the missive once more and once more when they could.

“Mats” played a large function in their ain “family culture” . “They had such a mat in the house. one they rarely used. a mat older than any one of them. This mat had been given to Nana Emilia. the wife/mother. by her female parent when she and Mr. Angeles. the husband/father. were married. and it had been with them of all time since. It had served on the nuptials dark. and had non since been used except on particular occasions. It was a really beautiful mat. non truly intend to be normally used. It had green foliage boundary lines. and a batch of mammoth ruddy roses woven into it. Nana Emilia ever kept that mat in her bole. When any one of the household was taken ill. the mat was brought out and the patient slept on it. had it all to himself. ”

For us. that peculiar and particular mat was an emblem. a symbol of tranquility and good wellness and a safety from being ill. It was a symbol of mending and beauty and elegance because of its intricate design and embellishments. We imagined it as a truly lovely and beautiful mat with the aureate woven name of the hubby and married woman.

But because of the rareness of its use and where it’s about normally used. as a kiping mat of a ill household member. it became “associated with unwellness in the household. even serious illness” . Taking out those mats because of those occurrences made this like a ritual.

For us. although it symbolizes good wellness and a safety of being ill. it besides sort of depicts a symbol of suppressed sorrow and torment as some of the kids who took safety on that peculiar mat died and were non fortunate plenty to be rejuvenated by the mending powers of the mat.

Anyhow. so when the dark came. the male parent arrived and was with his household once more. Depicted in the narrative was that every homecoming was celebrated so we believe that during this clip. there’s a immense dinner for the household. We can see them truly happy for the foundation of the household has come back. We can conceive of the many narratives being shared at the minute. the joyous laughters shared upon the household tabular array. The “pasalubongs” or “souvenirs” being put aside. fruits and bric-a-brac.

Despite the momentous minute and 100s of random beginning subjects being brought upon. all of them idea of the fantastic mats brought by the male parent. Mr. Angeles. We can truly conceive of. establishing on their background of being ace mat-lovers. the exhilaration they had of seeing and having their several mats. Just like one of our groupmates who shared the similar feelings contained about every homecoming of his soldier father the ace exhilaration of having the things promised that are said to hold acquired a enormous monetary value of beauty and sentimental value. He said it truly felt ace exciting to eventually see and have the promised things that his male parent told them. It was a different sort of exhilaration compared to normal feelings of exhilaration. because this sort of exhilaration. our groupmate said. was built upon months and months of waiting. merely like in the narrative although we think it was merely for yearss. but still the similarity of the state of affairs is at that place.

So anyhow traveling back. when the clip came to administer the promised of all time fantastic mats woven by a “real artist” as how the male parent described him. we can conceive of everybody were so elated and can non wait for their several glorious mats. We can even conceive of the kids and even his married woman dearly badgering him to eventually administer the mats.

“Finally. after a long clip over his cigar. Mr. Angeles rose from his place at the caput of the tabular array and crossed the room to the corner where his baggage had been piled. From the pile he disengaged a heavy package.

“Taking it under one arm. he walked to the center of the room where the visible radiation was brightest. He dropped the package and. bending over and equilibrating himself on his toes. he strained at the cord that bound it. It was strong. it would non interrupt. it would non give manner. He tried working at the knots. His fingers were clumsy. they had begun agitating. ”

Possibly because of their fond continuity. we thought the male parent was nervous and was agitating because of the force per unit area they put on him. We found it cute and good story. Anyway. the package was loose and the mats were ready to be distributed.

The male parent gave everybody their several mats with their several names on it. each has their ain unique and intricate designs that symbolize what they do and what defined them like a lyre for Marcelina. the eldest kid. who was a music pupil like one of our groupmates besides a piano player ; Jose. the 2nd kid. had symbol of Aesculapius as a symbol for his being a medical pupil. The married woman got a mat woven in the center was her name and beside it are woven flowers –the cadena-de-amor – which we thought are symbols of his love to his married woman. Cadena-de-amor symbolizes celibacy and pureness so we thought possibly that was why he thought to adorn his wife’s mat like that. The husband/father got himself an austere. intending simple. mat but of purple and gold. which we think these colourss symbolize high quality and/or royalty as male parents are metaphorically referred to as “king of the castle” .

When everybody got their several mats. all of them bursted into complete felicity and gratitude. We can conceive of the large smilings they were have oning now at the clip. but the during the happiest hr of the dark Nana Emilia. the married woman. noticed there are mats that were left unopened yet. She wondered and exclaimed that “there are some more mats” . What our group thought was that because of her curiousness. it ignited the tenseness of the narrative. Because of this the temper began to alter suddenly.

The male parent. Mr. Angeles. replied “Yes. Emilia. there are three more mats to blossom. The others who aren’t here…” The minute we began to read these lines. we felt pilomotor reflexs inside us. We can see and conceive of that everybody merely froze and began to experience truly tensed because everybody knows what their male parent meant. We can see the utmost sudden alteration of Mr. Angeles’ face from being truly happy to being an empty. dull and consecutive face. We can visualize out excessively Nana Emilia sudating like a river because of the clumsiness and nerve-racking state of affairs they were sing at the minute. She couldn’t speak at all. All of the kids became automatic statues and mannequins merely that they breathe of jitteriness.

Mr. Angeles easy unfold the mats. and the mats were empty. no symbols or whatsoever but merely obviously names of the unfortunate progenies he in a heartfelt way loved and couldn’t Lashkar-e-Taiba travel yet. Everybody knew the name “but somehow the name. the letters spelling the name. seemed unusual to them. ”

As we were discoursing this peculiar state of affairs now of the narrative between the group. we sort of felt excessively as if we were at that place at the minute experiencing the heavy pressured and tensed environment that was set around them. Then all of a sudden silence was broken and Nana Emilia “found her voice” and said “You know. Jaime. you didn’t have to” . her voice injury and certainly frightened. Mr. Angeles replied. “Do you think I’d bury? Make you believe I had forgotten them? Do you believe I could bury them? ” He so shouted the names of the kids. who already passed off. and dedicated them the mats he bought for them. During our group treatment we agreed this was the most intimate state of affairs of all time in the narrative.

We can hear them shouting and boggy because of the cryings uncontrollably fluxing from their eyes particularly from Nana Emilia and their kids pleading their male parent to halt. Nana Emilia even asked him to halt but Mr. Angeles. as what we imagine and feel. even became more angry and said “Is it fair to bury them? Would it be merely to ignore them? ” “His voice had risen shrill. about hysterical ; it was besides austere and sad. and someway revengeful. Mr. Angeles had spoken about as if he were a alien. Besides. he had spoken as if from a deep. grudgingly-silent. long-bewildered sorrow. ” The words exploded in silence.

As what the narrative said and what we can conceive of. all of their faces were glued to the face of their male parent no affair how much they wanted to look away from him. what we can see is how tragic that dark was and how the temper changed from highly happy to highly chilling and tensed. “There was a awful stillness. ” Indeed. it was the most memorable homecoming they of all time had.