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I. Introduction
This paper shows the literary analysis of the short story Love in the Cornhusks by
Aida L. Rivera-Ford. Rivera-Ford was educated at Silliman University and later obtained
an M.A. degree in English from the University of Michigan. She now resides in Davao
City and is the President of Ford Academy of Arts. In her written biography, Rivera-Ford
said that “One autumn afternoon, I sat on a bench of the campus park wondering what I
would submit next. A very dead-looking man lay across on the grass. A great wave of
homesickness swept over me. The sights and smells of our farm in Davao enveloped
me and the figure of our maid who did errands at the farm emerged”.
At that moment, the reality of the maid’s emotions possessed her and became
as valid as her own. So she started writing “Love in the Cornhusk” – a story that has
Love in the Cornhusks deals with the illusions of love which are ultimately
shattered by the mess of assuming things that we are not yet sure of that would often
lead to regrets. The story illustrates this by depicting a young woman with so much
promise brought low by love. Tinang gets a letter from her first love that says he still
loves her. However, Tinang is already married to a Bagobo. Moreover, this fall from
grace is emphasized by the marked physical difference in Tinang before and after her
marriage.
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Also, the story shows the concepts of the role of women in the society, and the
The problem that can be seen in the literary text Love in the Cornhusks is how
lives of women especially in the barrio depend on their future spouse. Their lives seems
to be dependent on whoever they are going to be married to, like how they would look
physically and the struggle or abundance that they would experience in their lives.
entails the responsibility to your spouse as well as to your children. And life will be very
difficult if your spouse cannot provide the things that you really need to live a
comfortable life just like the situation faced by Tinang in the story.
happiness?
Women and Society, it was noted that women had little legal independence and were
expected to be under the control of their fathers and then their husbands throughout
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their life. This can be reflected in the story on how Tinang’s life has changed when she
got married to Inggo who is a Bagobo and has a baby with him while currently pregnant
on their second child. It can be understood in the story the changes she had physically
and the struggle she has been through after getting married.
Camp (2009) claimed that married women’s first priorities were to their husbands
and they were expected to not only remain faithful to their duties, but obey their
marriage contract. With this, it shows how Tinang’s commitment as a married woman
was evident, fulfilling his duties as a wife and as a mother to her children even if she
This paper is an analysis of the story Love in the Cornhusks by Aida L. Rivera-
Ford. The basis of the analysis is in the perspective of Feminist Theory considering the
appropriateness of the story in relation to the theory. This paper is limited only to the
Feminist Theory
relationships between women and men, drawing attention to how women have been
marginalized and denied a voice of their own in much of canonical literature, and to how
literature reflects society's prevailing ideological assumptions with regard to gender and
power.
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Modern Feminism began with Mary Wollstonecraft’s Vindication of the Rights of
Women (1792), a work that criticizes stereotypes of women as emotional and instinctive
and argues that women should aspire to the same rationality prized by men. A product
of the Enlightenment, Wollstonecraft believed that women should enjoy social, legal,
and intellectual equality with men and drew for support from the work of progressive
Simone de Beauvoir in her work The Second Sex ( 1949), she claimed that “one
is not born, one becomes a woman,” de Beauvoir challenged the idea that a woman’s
essence was distinct from a man’s, that she was born with certain inherent potentialities
and qualities that defined her personal, social, and legal existence.
Virginia Woolf as cited by Carter (2006) stressed that fender is not predetermined
but is a social construct and, as such, can be changed. She also considered especially
the social situation of women and in the latter, she explored the dominance of the major
professions by men.
The role of women in the Philippines is explained based on the context of Filipino
culture, standards, and mindsets. Although they generally define themselves in the
focused on the community, with the family as the main unit of society, but not always as
Filipino women are respected well by men. Compared to other parts of Southeast Asia,
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women in Philippine society have always enjoyed a greater share of equality (Clamonte,
2007).
In rural areas, the Filipino woman belongs in the home. The children approach
her for money and help. She is the family's treasurer. She supports the children’s
educational needs. For non-family members who require support, the wife is the person
to be approached. However, the wife is neither the person who makes the final decision
former Philippine senator, described in his book, Doctor to the Barrios, that whether
some (Filipino) men are willing to admit it or not, rural women in the Philippines wield
who is often referred to as the Ilaw ng Tahanan (Light of the Home), is convinced of the
benefits that will be gained from a certain practice such as the concept of family
planning in the barrios. Flavier also mentioned that "In the Philippine barrio, the one
responsible for the home and its management is the wife, she holds the key to
household development."
Traditionally, rural and tribal women do all the household related chores. Heavy
works that require more strength is done by the husband. Now, the chore work is evenly
distributed with the men doing just as much work as the women. The scope of their
functions include cooking, cleaning, teaching the children, washing clothes, repairs,
budgeting, and helping in the farm. The husband is the one who makes sure the farm
would yield quality crops, so he does all the maintenance work. In some cases, where
the husband needs help from other men, the wife would make sure that the men are
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fed, so she cooks food and bring it to the farm. The Filipino women, ensures that
In general, Filipino women find pride in their work. They do not find themselves
alienated from their chores because they work with, around, and for their families. This
family-oriented mindset gives them a sense of dignity and responsibility. The family and
the children are the primary priority some Filipino women's life. In addition to doing
housework, the contemporary role of a Filipino wife today is to provide financial support
expands the Filipino female work outside the household (Alcantara, 1994).
Theoretical Framework
Literary
Analysis
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III. Methodology
There are principles and considerations why I have chosen the story Love in the
writer from Mindanao which means that her work would reflect the culture of Mindanao
in context. Second, the text is interesting because there are lots of concepts tapped in
the story including the feminine attributes of the protagonist and her experience. Third
its text language is easy to understand. Lastly, the text is very applicable to the Feminist
One day, Constantina Tirol, also called as Tinang, visits her former master,
Señora, whom she was working for before she got married. While carrying her baby
boy, she walksthrough the entrance of the house of her former Señora and meet his
former young master, Tito, and the Señora. Upon getting inside the house, Señora 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 Señora, especially the one who was
good, Amado. After that, Tinang finally tells her former Señora about her intention of
being there. The baptism of her baby is about to come and she wants Señora to be a
Madrina or a Ninang to her child. The relationship between Tinang and her former
Señora with her family remains good. And so, Señora 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 Señora’s house, she was told by her that there is a letter for her in the
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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 Señora 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 was not informed that his mother’s 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.
Analytic Approach
The following approaches were done in order to come up with this literary paper:
1. Analyze concepts and arguments – this was done by reading the text
thoroughly and by doing close-reading on what is the story all about. This also
includes those arguments that can be extracted from the story that will be
discussed.
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2. Synthesize ideas and evidence drawn from different sources – this was
done by getting the main points from the story where you can relate to a concept
in the chosen theory used. Notions about the theory would come from various
sources.
from the story to prove the point. Citation should also be done to recognize the
names of the proponents who mentioned some concepts about the theory.
subjective. It should always reflect what the text has said about your argument.
5. Make judgements and express informed opinion – this was done by stating
Decisions are essential things we do in our lives. Wrong decisions might lead us
to misery and regret. In situations like marriage, we should also be rational if we are
ready for the responsibilities emotionally and financially. In the story Love in the
Cornhusks, the protagonist experienced difficulty in her married life. And this difficulty
would reflect her decisions of marrying a man who cannot provide her a comfortable life.
This only shows that lives of women especially in the barrio depend on their future
spouse. Their lives seems to be dependent on whoever they are going to be married to,
like how they would look physically and the struggle or abundance that they would
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Tinang was a former maid of a Señora in certain barrio. She visited her former
master to make her the godmother of her child. It was shown in the story how Tinang
struggled to go to the Senora’s house …”she sighed thinking of the long walk home
through the mud, the baby’s legs straddled to her waist, and Inggo, her husband,
waiting for her, his body stinking of tuba and sweat, squatting on the floor, clad only in
his foul undergarments.” This line indicates that Tinang is living a difficult life with her
husband. Based on how his husband was described, he is not well-off and showed that
he can’t properly present himself by wearing descent clothes. It would also mean that
her husband is a typical man living in a barrio who is not really particular in making
himself presentable.
The way the Señora perceived the looks of Tinang was different compared to
what she was when she was not yet married. According to Simone de Beauvoir in her
work The Second Sex (1949), “There are differences between the interests of men and
women which results to male dominance over women.” In the story, the Senora said,
““Ano, Tinang, is it not a good thing to be married?” pitying Tinang because her dress
gave way at the placket and pressed at her swollen breasts. It was, as a matter of fact,
a dress she had given Tinang a long time ago. And Tinang responded, “It is hard,
Señora, very hard. Better that I were working here again.” From this dialogue, we can
infer that Tinang missed her old life when she is still working with the Senora thinking
about the essence of a comfortable world. But now, since she is married, her life
changed because she does not have only a responsibility to her husband but a
responsibility to her children. Being a woman, it is a traditional view that they will be the
one to take care of the children and to stay at home to do all the household chores. And
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this view was also experienced by Tinang. That is, being a full time mother to her child
and to take good care of them at home. 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 she’s not being
forgotten.
Because of Tinang’s reponse, the Senora said ““There!”. “Didn’t I tell you what it
would be like, huh? . . . that you would be a slave to your husband and that you would
work a baby eternally strapped to you. Are you not pregnant again?” This only shows
that there behavioral expectations are imposed on the character of Tinang. She was
thought to be above among other girls in the barrio for she was always neat and clean
in her hometown, before she went away to work, she had gone to school and had
reached sixth grade. Her skin, too, was not as dark as those of the girls who worked in
the fields weeding around the clumps of abaca. Because of her physical beauty and
potential, the Senora did not hesitate to make Tinang realize that she has been
reminded what is the right thing to do before but she did not follow what the Senora had
advised. The term “slave to your husband” would mean that once a woman is married,
she should follow what her husband wants since she already committed to the marriage
and a woman can’t say no because patriarchy is all-pervasive and treats females
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. Millett in her work Sexual Politics (1969) states that, “The main cause of the
oppression of women is ideology.” Women at that time are not really educated because
they are perceived to be a woman who will just stay at home, take care of their children
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and serve their husbands. 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
it’s too late to turn back the things you wanted in life. So better to move on and face the
Upon knowing that the letter she received was actually a love letter from Amado,“
a flush spread over her face and crept into her body.” This only shows that she still feels
something for Amado which she remembered all the times she had with Amado. Yet,
Amado was not able to communicate to her after he left since his mother was ill. At that
time, Tinang was not able to wait thinking that Amado really left her that is why she
decided to marry the Bagobo that was courting her. She then realized that things may
have been different if she waited for Amado to return but now it’s too late. The marital
status of Tinang being married affected her happiness because it was not Inggo whom
she really loves but is actually Amado. And being married to his Bagobo husband
changed her life forever, experiencing the difficult life with her children. We can infer
that Tinang is really having the regrets from her decisions before. But since she is
already married with kids, her decisions or way of thinking has also changed. Tinang felt
disappointment with her failed love story with 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. This only shows that as a married
woman, you are not anymore thinking about yourself or your own happiness but you
need to prioritize the welfare of your children before anything else even if it would take
your own happiness. Being a mother, Tinang was already matured to face the effect of
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the decision she made. And when she already saved her child from the snake, she
prayed, searching the baby’s skin for marks. Among the cornhusks, the letter fell
unnoticed. The last line of the story would indicate that Tinang will move on with her life
together with her family forgetting the past that she had where she did wrong decisions
in her life and she will be focusing on being a mother to her children and a wife to his
husband.
From this, we can infer that Tinang missed her old life when she is still working
with the Senora thinking about the essence of a comfortable world. But now, since she
is married, her life changed because she does not have only a responsibility to her
husband but a responsibility to her children. Her husband seems to be dominant over
her because she cannot do things without the presence of her husband.
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Theory Concepts Lines from the Text
The term “slave to your husband” would mean that once a woman is married, she
should follow what her husband wants since she already committed to the marriage and
a woman can’t say no. In the perspective of the Senora, she understands the difficult
situation of Tinang and that Tinang’s husband has something to do with this situation.
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V. Conclusion
Tinang, being the female protagonist in the story was portrayed as a woman who
is experiencing difficulty in her married life. She married a Bagobo named Inggo and
had a child with him and she is now pregnant again with their second child. Their life
was not that comfortable because she even struggles in going to the Senora’s house
Yes, the work or the text affirms the traditional views of women. In the story,
being a woman, it is a traditional view that they will be the one to take care of their
children and to stay at home to do all the household chores. And this view was also
experienced by Tinang. That is, being a full time mother to her child and to take good
care of them.
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 worked
as a helper to a rich family in the barrio to sustain her needs and also to go to school.
3. What behavioral expectations are imposed on the characters? What effect do these
expectations have?
Tinang was thought to be above among other girls in the barrio for she was
always neat and clean in her hometown, before she went away to work, she had gone
to school and had reached sixth grade. Her skin, too, was not as dark as those of the
girls who worked in the fields weeding around the clumps of abaca. Because of her
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physical beauty and potential, the Senora did not hesitate to make Tinang realize that
she has been reminded what is the right thing to do before but she did not follow what
4. How does the marital status of a character affect her decisions or happiness?
The marital status of Tinang being married affected her happiness because it
was not Inggo whom she really loves but is actually Amado. And being married to his
Bagobo husband changed her life forever, experiencing the difficult life with her
children. But since she is already married with kids, her decisions or way of thinking has
also changed. Tinang felt disappointment with her failed love story with 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. This only
shows that as a married woman, you are not anymore thinking about yourself or your
own happiness but you need to prioritize the welfare of your children before anything
else even if it would take your own happiness. Being a mother, Tinang was already
matured to face the effect of the decision she made. And when she already saved her
child from the snake, she prayed, searching the baby’s skin for marks. Among the
cornhusks, the letter fell unnoticed. The last line of the story would indicate that Tinang
will move on with her life together with her family forgetting the past that she had where
she did wrong decisions in her life and she will be focusing on being a mother to her
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A LITERARY ANALYSIS OF LOVE IN THE
CORNHUSKS BY AIDA L. RIVERA-FORD USING
FEMINIST THEORY
Submitted by:
SHEENA C. OCUTARE
Submitted to:
October 2017
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References:
Alcantara, A. (1994). Gender roles, fertility, and the status of married Filipino men and
women. Philippine Sociological Review . Retrieved from
https://www.jstor.org/stable/41853665?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
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