COMPARATIVE LITERARY ANALYSIS OF ‘SUGMAT’ AND’ ‘THE WEATHERED MOSS’

By Marielle Dominique G. De la Cruz

The events presented in the stories: ‘Sugmat’ by Corazon M. Almerino and ‘The Weathered
Moss’ by Reynaldo Arcana Caturza both showed the depth and buoyancies of the human heart. No matter
how overwhelmed we are of our emotions, our will to live does not let us sink underneath. The stories
showed that every aspect of life: the people, places, things, culture and history all play a part in shaping
who we are now. Even when time and history had passed, the memories and the emotions that come with
it still remain. We may remember sadness, joy, or pain, but the things we left behind, and then found, also
reminds us that we survived and we are alive.

In this comparative analysis, I will examine how similar and dissimilar the aforementioned stories
are in their content, style, organization, and purpose. I will also explore the elements used by the authors
in conveying their message to the readers.

CONTENT
Sugmat and The Weathered Moss both introduced characters who were reminiscing past
memories in their lives that greatly impacted who they are now. The characters both experienced their
unique way of sufferings in the story. In Sugmat, we followed Chona’s struggles in her worklife with
Boyet, her husband; her devastation when they found out that their child would grow up blind; her trauma
on her parents’ sudden death; and then her husband’s. In The Weathered Moss, we followed Mr.
Caturza’s longings to go back to his Boholano roots and reconnect with every history that made up his
town and his life.

Both authors explored how memories, though fragile, are powerful enough to elicit vivid feelings
of regret, pain, sadness, happiness, and love in humans. However, the stories were different in its
characters’ life events. Even though both characters suffered, they did not experience it the same way.

STYLE
In terms of style, Sugmat had a more dramatic and emphatic tone. The author used short story as
a genre to effectively send her message. To do this, the author intricately used descriptions in the setting,
the characters’ actions and emotions. The story had a melancholy mood in it that readers could feel from
the 1st point-of-view of Chona. The 1st person point-of-view used was perfect for the story’s personal and
sensitive vibe. It seems we are almost like Chona—we are her and we feel what she feels.

As for The Weathered Moss, the author used nonfiction genre where the author talked about the
histories that founded and shaped his hometown, Talibon. The author’s style of making the readers
travelers of his own memories perfectly fit the story. As the author moves around his hometown, sees a
significant place in his life, he tells the readers about the significant people and events that he
remembered. Compared to Sugmat’s dramatic tone, this nonfiction story was more lowkey and
informative with its historical facts. But what made the text so interesting is that readers could feel tinges
of vivid longing in it. Readers love nonfiction stories that elicit in them raw feelings of fear, hate, love,
longing, etc.

In both stories, the authors used the first-person point-of-view and prose form.

ORGANIZATION

How the authors organized their stories are interesting. In Sugmat, the author started the story In
Medias Res or in the middle of action. We can see Chona reading paper works and then suddenly feeling
a sharp pain in her head. This starting point made the readers curious about what is going to happen in the
story. The author slowly laid out little hints about the characters and the plot through descriptions of the
characters’ actions, emotions, and thoughts; also, descriptions about the setting told the readers about the
situation of the characters. In The Weathered Moss, the author organized the events in his life place by
place. The author started with a little background of what his hometown was like and then proceeded to
tell about his childhood memories.

Both stories employed flashbacks in order to give reasons to why things are happening in the
present. Since both stories explored reminiscence of memories, flashback is a good way to do it.

PURPOSE
In my opinion, both stories have a similar purpose: tell a story about how beautifully vulnerable
our hearts are and how powerful enough it is to redeem itself. After reading the stories, it gave me an
array of emotions. Sugmat made me feel pity towards Chona’s loss of loved ones. Her sorrows broke her
heart, but it did not destroy her enough to give up on life. It made me admire her strength to be there for
Dodong, her son. I also felt the longing of one’s roots in The Weathered Moss. It made me think about
where I came from, what ancestry, and what geographical origin my ancestors came from. The story
helped me realize that I will better know and remember myself in a place where I am my most original
self.

In conclusion, both stories served to make empathetic people of us. Its creatively woven stories
entice us to be more open with our emotions, find our true selves, follow our desires, and most of all,
keep living.