Love in the cornhusks (short story) .pdf

A short story that tells about love and regret

1. LOVE IN THE
Presented by Hayajen C. Ante
Written by Aida Rivera Ford

2. SUMMARY
The story with a girl named Tinang, asking her former employer to
be the madrina in her son’s baptism. Tinang had a brief conversation
with her employer whom she called as Señora. The conversation was
mostly about married life and it could be concluded that tinang had
experience hardship. Tinang was then informed that a letter awaits
her in the drugstore (which served as the post office at that time).
She originally thought that its content would all about death, but it
was from her first love, Amado. She cried as she read the letter.
Amado still loved her but she is already married. Then, a snake came
near to them and she grabbed her son closely and prayed for her
son’s safety . Among the cornhusks, the letter fell unnoticed.

3. A. CHARACTERS
Constantina “Tinang” Tirol - The main protagonist of the story.
- “What do you expect?, The father is a Bagobo. Even Tinang looks like a
Bagobo now.” - Señora
- “pitying Tinang because her dress gave way at the placket and pressed at
her swollen breasts.” - Author
- “Her skin, too, was not as dark as those of the girls who worked in the
fields weeding around the clumps of abaca. Her lower lip jutted out disdainfully
when the farm hands spoke to her with many flattering words.” - Author
Señora - The former employer of Tinang
- “The sight of the Señora’s flaccidly plump figure, swathed in a loose waist-
less housedress that came down to her ankles, and the faint scent of agua de
colonia blended with kitchen spice, seemed to her the essence of the comfortable
world.” - Author

4. A. CHARACTERS
Senor - the husband of Señora
- “Ay, he is always losing his temper over the tractor drivers. It is not the
way it was when Amado was here” - Señora
Amado - the first love of Tinang
- “You remember what a good driver he was. The tractors were always
kept in working condition” - Señora
- “He was very dark and wore filthy and torn clothes on the farm but on
Saturdays when he came up to the house for his week’s salary, his hair was
slicked down and he would be dressed as well as Mr. Jacinto, the
schoolteacher.” - Author
Tito - The son of Senor and Señora
- “Aba, you are so tall now, Tito.” - Tinang

5. A. CHARACTERS
Inggo - The Bagobo husband of Tinang
- “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.” - Author
- “The father is a Bagobo. Even Tinang looks like a Bagobo now.”- Señora
A Baby - Tinang’s baby boy
The Señora called from inside. “Tinang, let me see your baby. Is it a boy?”
“Yes, Ma,” Tito shouted from downstairs. “And the ears are huge!”
“What do you expect,” replied his mother. “The father is a Bagobo. Even
Tinang looks like a Bagobo now.” - Señora and Tito

6. B. SETTING
Señora House
-full of flowers and
where Tinang and
Señora talk about life
Drug Store
-also serve as a post
office at that time and
the place where Tinang
received a letter
Calamansi Tree
-has a cornhusks
underneath and a place
where Tinang read the
letter

7. C. CONFLICT
Internal Conflict
-As Tinang struggle to resolve her issues with
herself about her past life with her love with
Amado and her present life with the baby and a
Bagobo husband.
External Conflict
-Tinang fear that society may judge her that her
baby has no father, so she decided to marry a
Bagodo to stand up as her baby’s father

8. D. PLOT
EXPOSITION - The story starts when Tinang caring her baby visited her
old master. The dogs bark at them but later stopped by Tito (Senor and
Señora’s son). Señora welcomed Tinang in her home and they briefly talk but
most of their topic was all about Tinang’s situation. Tinang asked Señora as
her baby’s madrina. Señora accepts and tells Tinang about a letter was
waiting for her at the drugstore (it was a post office at that time).
COMPLICATION - Tinang goes straight ahead to the drugstore holding her
baby and bundle of clothes from Señora. Her heart beats violently as she
thought someone dead. She arrived at the drugstore and finally received the
letter but did not open it.
CLIMAX- Tinang struggle to travel home; As she holding a baby, carrying a
bundle of clothes, and holding a letter. Then came a heavy rain and she saw
a kalamansi tree with a pile of cornhusks and decided to stay there for a
while She place her baby down and then desperately reads the letter. Here is
the content of the letter:

9. My dearest Tinay,
Hello, how is life getting along? Are you still in good condition? As for myself, the
same as usual. But you’re far from my side. It is not easy to be far from our lover.
Tinay, do you still love me? I hope your kind and generous heart will never fade.
Someday or somehow I’ll be there again to fulfill our promise.
Many weeks and months have elapsed. Still I remember our bygone days.
Especially when I was suffering with the heat of the tractor under the heat of the
sun. I was always in despair until I imagine your personal appearance coming
forward bearing the sweetest smile that enabled me to view the distant horizon.
Tinay, I could not return because I found that my mother was very ill. That is
why I was not able to take you as a partner of life. Please respond to my missive
at once so that I know whether you still love me or not. I hope you did not love
anybody except myself.
I think I am going beyond the limit of your leisure hours, so I close with best
wishes to you, my friends Gonding, Sefarin, Bondio, etc.
Yours forever,
Amado
P.S. My mother died last month.
Address your letter:
Mr. Amado Galauran
Binalunan, Cotabato

10. D. PLOT
DENOUMENT - Tinang was speechless and intoxicated as the letter was
from her first love, Amado, that he still love her. She then remember her
past self two years ago, when she was young and still together with Amado.
(The baby’s father is Amado)
CONCLUSION - As Tinang remembering the past, a little green snake
slithered. Tinang started violently and grabbed her child. The baby woke up
and cries lustily. She prayed her child safety and search the baby’s skin for
snake marks. Among the cornhusks, the letter fell unnoticed.

11. Third Person / Omniscient
The author use He/She and
the author sees all; knows
the character mind and their
next action
E. POINT OF VIEW F. MOOD
The atmosphere of the story
is Suspense and Melancholy
G. TONE
As the Author narrate the
story, the tone is Serious.
H. SYMBOLISM
SNAKE
--A warning sign to Tinang that
she will make the mistake again.
I. IMAGES
Tinang passed quickly up the veranda stairs lined with ferns
and many-colored bougainvillea
“Bantay. Ay, Bantay!” she exclaimed as the little dog laid its
paws upon her shirt to sniff the baby on her arm. The baby
was afraid and cried. The big animals barked with displeasure
A little green snake slithered languidly into the tall grass a few
yards from the kalamansi tree.

12. J. THEME
“Destiny is not a matter of chance, but of choice”
The things we do from the past may affect our
present time. We may wish of having the
chance to change it, but must we learn to let
go and learn chose our choices wisely.

13. THANK
YOU