A Critical Analysis Paper on “The Road to Aras-Asan”

Going over the material, Rebekah M. Alawi's literary work "The Road to Aras-Asan" is a journey narrative of a mother to meet her prospective daughter-in-law and witness her son tying a knot on her behalf.  From Pamamanhikan to the wedding day, the mother describes her experiences and hardships in traveling to Aras-asan, supporting her son as he embarks on a new chapter of his life as a married couple.  Furthermore, the writer's explication on how religiously and culturally connected Filipinos are emulated in this narrative.  It can be observed that the cultures and heritage of both Christian and Muslim traditions were depicted to demonstrate how wealthy and culturally intertwined Filipinos are.  The protagonist's (mother) experiences have brought her to a life-changing decision towards the end of the story.

The groom's mother's intense portrayal represents a typical Filipino mother and how dynamic actions, and decisions are only for their family.  The lines, "I thanked my son's new family, for taking him in despite his different cultural background, or treating him as their own," illustrate how motherly love emulates supporting their child and ensuring that they are in safe hands.  The main heroine exhibited the value of friendship, which enabled her to develop the solid willpower for travel to the isolated and abandoned territory of Aras-asan.  Within their journey, her friends made the ride bearable for her as they cracked jokes and conversations to ease the static vibe and challenging ride.

The story's theme is another noteworthy aspect worth considering.  The author underlined the Filipino virtues, which include a love for culture, tradition, and family.  Because they practice various beliefs and practices, family cultures impact the plot.  One of the things that influence both families' decisions is culture. Inside the story, the mother tried to shoehorn into the culture of her daughter-in-law, who practices Muslim culture due to their Christian beliefs.  They agreed to begin the wedding with two religious’ rituals.  The ceremony has two stages, one for the bride's side and the other for the husband's side.  They are rewound on the Christian side for each side's success in the wedding ceremony.

Moreover, the author made the readers realize that everything can be agreed upon if you genuinely love someone.  It also values the spirit of friendship, which was emulated in the later parts of the story.  Despite the Christian wedding, the mother's friends stayed until they reached Aras-asan.  It only shows how multi-dimensional love is.  Even though they have experienced bumps along the way, such as disagreements and external conflicts, love will still shine within their hearts to fulfill their goals of supporting the couple's wedding in a deserted and remote area.

In conclusion, I appreciate how the author emphasized Filipino values and the strong characterization of a mother in his affiliation to family affairs.  A mother's love is the greatest affection that emulates the entire story, which its readers must cherish.  Mother's love is always leaning for the happiness of its family and that it will always defy obstacles, even differences in culture.