A Literary Analysis of "Alaala" by Jayson Gamelo

 Alaala by Jayson Gamelo

Group 1

Bacalso

Gelig

Hoyumpa

Kawarasaki

Lapera

Santillan

Introduction

     “Alaala” by Jayson Gamelo is a story that establishes the mental limitations that come with age. The text tells the story of an old man who suffered from dementia. In the story, he struggled to distinguish past memories from the present. He also failed to recognize the people around him but recognized someone from his memories instead.

     The story highlights the concept of temporality as the element of time became the root of conflict. The problem in the story correlates with the fact that the main character’s mental ability was declining due to his age. The story also incorporated a partial and holistic point of view by gradually changing the reader’s perspective from indicating pieces of information to revealing the plot twist.

Summary

    One morning, an old man wakes up planning to go to church with his wife, Jane. Finding strangers inside his home, he could not find Jane so he searched for her. He went outside and found children playing. In his backyard, a child reveals the truth–Jane has been dead for a long time and those people in the house are his children and grandchildren. The old man does not know that he is suffering from dementia.

•Biographical Context:

     Understanding the poem based on biographical context means that we have to look on the authors experiences and background that influences the content, structure, characters, emotions, and themes of the story. “Alaala” which means “memory” in Filipino, explores themes of longing, nostalgia, heartbreak, and the pain of remembering someone he loves that is no longer present. The narrator of the story expresses deep emotional pain from a past relationship clinging to the memories of his beloved one.

    Considering the author's background, there isn't any widely available information about the author in full biography. However, we can assume from his other literary works such as “Pagsisisi”,”Paglimos ng pag ibig” and etc. that he often writes about personal emotional experiences, especially love, loss, regret, and inner emotional conflict. His works are like personal confessions, suggesting that they may be drawn from real-life emotional conflict

     Based on the past stories that he has written, we can reflect on those and assume that the person's background can be similar to what he writes on these stories, on how the plot and characters are arranged as well as the message it brings to audiences.

•Linguistic Context:

    The word “alaala” has several meanings depending on the context and pronunciation. It could refer to a memory or a recollection of the past. It also translates to ‘anxiety’ or something that causes worriedness. Or, it could also mean ‘token’, an object that holds emotional weight. In the context of the story, all of the meanings would make sense but ‘memory’ is the word that closely translates to it.

   The story heavily implies the themes of reminiscence and remembering. In the story, the narrator uses  a first-person point of view. His narration uses a casual tone and he does not describe everything in detail. He narrates not by telling the story to the readers but in a way as if it was his internal dialogue. This can be observed in the constant use of “ko” or “ako”. The use of first-person pronouns establishes that the narrator is in a partial point of view. This technique of narration effectively puts the readers in his shoes. It adds to the mystery and the curiosity of the readers. Moreover, it is a great element that contributes to the weight of the plot twist.

    Throughout the story, the scenes were full of confusion which leaves us, readers, with many questions. At first, it seemed like the main character was in trouble as observed in the lines “lumabas

ako sa aking kwarto at may bumungad sa akin na ibang tao.” The introduction of the conflict was well delivered. The main character was peacefully waking up just moments ago and as he steps out of his room, he is immediately greeted by faces he does not recognize. Upon reading this part, readers would try to guess the explanation and come up with speculations behind this. Hence, the partial point of view opens our minds to tons of possibilities and expectations when faced with uncertainty. The puzzling behavior and the anonymity of these “visitors” gave the readers a false sense of threat. What’s really perplexing is how these “visitors” interacted with the main character. When he asked them about Jane, they simply ignored him. “Hindi nila ako pinansin kaya agad kong hinanap ang asawa ko dahil baka mga bisita nya ito.” That line seemed to extend the conflict even more.

    All the tension drops in the final line: "Lolo, matagal na pong patay si lola. Hindi nyo po ba kami nakikilala? Kami po ang mga apo nyo at ang mga tao sa loob ay mga anak nyo." What the child said revealed all secrets and answered all the readers’ questions. It revealed that the main character is an unreliable narrator and it strongly implies that he has a decline in mental ability. When the children called him “lolo”, it indicates the main character’s age which could be the reason for his weakened memory. The concept of temporality states that the passage of time is constant and everything around us is bound to have a time limit. Not only that time affected the main character’s ability to remember but it also took his lover away. Lastly, the concept of death indicates that death is universal and irreversible. The story shows how death could take people away from us but our love and our memories stays behind.

•Sociocultural Context:

   The sociocultural context of the story includes the topics of mental health of elderly people and familial bonds in connection with Filipino culture. The main highlight of the story is the main character’s trouble with his memory. With the implication of his age, we can assume that the main character, in his old age, suffers from memory deterioration. "Sino kayo? Anong ginagawa nyo dito sa bahay ko?" he asked his own children. It was apparent how he struggles to remember certain things and most of all, recognize his own children.

   Dementia is a general term for diseases that affect the memory, thinking ability and behavior of a person. Dementia is a lot more common among elderly people. In the Philippines, roughly 10.6% of elderly people over the age of 60 suffer from dementia. Hence, the concept of temporality is applied in this context. The concept of temporality states that people undergo changes and ultimately reach a limit as time passes by. In the story, the concept of temporality is evident to the main character's mental health. It shows how the passage of time could affect someone negatively.

  Additionally, the story puts emphasis on the Filipino culture of familial bonds. In our country, it is part of our culture to be close with our family members and to take care of our elderly loved ones. This is heavily implied in the line “Kami po ang mga apo nyo at ang mga tao sa loob ay mga anak nyo." It is indicated that the main character’s home is occupied by multiple generations of the family. This practice is very common in the Philippines. This shows how Filipinos value the importance of maintaining a close relationship with the family. Moreover, in our country, most households take good care of elderly family members rather than sending them to nursing homes. This shows the concept of being with others. Humans are social beings who cannot thrive alone. Therefore, it is important for us to connect and depend on others especially when we are in need. Other people, such as the elderly, need our love and connection as well. In the story, the concept of being with others is highlighted during the interaction of the grandchildren and the main character. Because of the help given by the grandchildren, the main character was able to learn the truth. In other words, the main character got awareness by the help of the grandchildren.

 

Philosophy

    The current issues of the story are the emotional and psychological effects of dementia; the narrative presents the emotional and mental distress that dementia causes, not only for the person who has it but also for their family. A sad illustration of the loss that the characters went through is the grandfather's inability to recognize his family members and his struggle to bring his memories into the present. The number of families dealing with this illness rises together with the nation's aging population. The story effectively captures the tragic confusion that many people with dementia go through when they become unable to distinguish between past experiences and the present. It shows that dementia is more than just a health issue, it's a deeply personal one that affects real people and their families.

    The story also sheds light on the emotional side of caregiving, which is a big part of Filipino culture. We see the grandfather's family caring for him at home, a tradition of love and respect. But the text doesn't look away from the pain of this role, showing how difficult it is for them when he sees them as strangers. It reminds us that dementia doesn't just take away a person's memories; it can change them so much that it's tough for everyone involved.

    It gives readers a partial point of view of people who experience memory loss and elderly people's experiences with dementia. Throughout the short story, the protagonist, who is the elderly man, constantly seeks his deceased wife Jane.

   The line " I am having a hard time getting up but I have to go to church with my beloved Jane" implies  that he is still hoping for a meaningful moment with his lover. Yet, his lover is already deceased. His memory loss and rejection of his wife's death is the main conflict or event of the story, providing an unfortunate mystery he has to discover. In the eyes of our protagonist the truth is that Jane is still around the house; he kept looking around and asked the "guests" which turned out to be his children and grandchildren. The short story revolves around the search for Jane yet she was not found but he learned that Jane was already dead. The foils which were his children and grandchildren gave us a hint of his condition which was dementia. He even forgot he had children and dismissed them as guests.

    In the conclusion of the story, he then went to the backyard and asked the grandchildren. The children were confused by Lolo's question, and replied "Lolo, Lola Jane was already dead long ago, don't you already know us? We are your grandchildren". Giving a grim realization to our protagonist. His mind at the setting of the story is already deteriorating, he suffered from memory loss forming an opinion that was only true to him. Meanwhile his children and grandchildren already had a consensus truth that Lola Jane was long dead.

   The partial point of view of the story was that Jane was still alive from our Lolo, meanwhile the holistic point of view was delivered through the foils. The reality is, because of memory loss the elderly majority are experiencing difficulty remembering people, the story gave us a hint of the experience of having this condition. Though the story had an unfortunate conclusion, it is a realistic situation most of the families with elderly people experience.

Conclusion

     The story offers a moving reflection on aging, memory, and identity. Through the old man's confusion and longing for his late wife, the story reveals how memories are deeply tied to our self-awareness and connection with others. Memories can fade away through time as a human being grows. From a holistic point of view, it invites the readers to understand human life not just in parts, but as a connected experience of love, loss, time, and change. It simply reminds us to value the present and appreciate the people around us before our memories fade.

    It affects readers and can shift their values whereas it changes the way they treat their beloved family members and people around them. That’s why the message behind the story is about cherishing ones that are close to you, because as time passes, people change. This story marks a point that it is not too late to understand and cherish a person who’s suffering from aging, memory loss and identity crisis, because all of us will eventually get to that point of life. And that’s why "Let our memories live on, share them, tell them, and cherish them."