Analysis — Bob Ong and RJ Ledesma
Bob Ong and RJ Ledesma’s Stainless Longganisa and I Do or I Die manifest two very different attacks on humor and life. One gives us multiple philosophical questions in the guise of dry humor while the other gives us a lighthearted kind of humor in a retelling of a big moment in life.
Ledesma’s chronological retelling of how his wedding came to be in an excerpt from his book I Do or I Die took me on a ride. It felt like going on a road trip with a tito who had stories to tell, funny stories that would last half the ride. It was Ledesma’s conversational tone that made me feel like this. He was very subjective in his approach to narrate the events leading up to his wedding, his opinions usually in the form of jokes.
“Later I found out that she thought I had said, “My love for you
has grown like an atomic mushroom.” Up to now, I am still unsure as to what sort of hard drugs she had taken before our trip to Tagaytay.”
…
“Will you marry me?”
And so here we were in a torch-lit garden along the windswept mountain ridges of
Tagaytay overlooking Taal Volcano, with the sun lazily descending over the lake, and blessed by the presence of those nearest and dearest to us. What would be her
answer?
“Yes,” she cooed.
Whew. I didn’t have to sorrowfully consume copious amounts of alcohol that night.
It would’ve been a really good rom-com pick me up reading. It made me say “Sana all!” to Ledesma’s cute little moments multiple times. It made me swoon, and feel kilig when his father-in-law welcomed him into the family. I wanted to be a bride myself the moment Ledesma gushed over how beautiful his bride was as she walked down the aisle.
However, the sexist comments threw it away. One example would be how he automatically didn’t plan to get involved with major preparations for his own wedding. It may be the choice of words but the way I understood it was he just assumed his wife didn’t want or need his help in the preparations just as how society has dictated it for brides-to-be. Yes, it might be what his bride wanted but the list he made of the “only five things a man must know in preparation for his wedding day” made it worse. He made it even more obvious that he had no intentions to make it at least a bit easier for his fiance. This fact made Ledesma’s anecdote turn from cute-little-pick-me-up-romcom to a cute-but-warning:sexist-do-not-copy-guilty pleasure-romcom. If that makes sense.
On the other hand, Bob Ong’s parallel structure in Stainless Longganisa was a bit heavier for me to read. It was like reading someone’s journal. It had scattered thoughts that intertwined at some points but barely creates a clear big picture, if you don’t pay enough attention. I’m not sure if I got to see this bigger picture Bob Ong intended for their audience to see but the theme that stood out for me was the search for the meaning of identity. His question, “Pero kung magkakahiwa-hiwalay ang mga parte ng katawan mo, sino ang ikaw?”, echoes in my mind now and then. Though his approach was humorous, the underlying message was deeper and heavier than that of Ledesma’s piece. The interesting way (using how we communicate on the internet, jokes from prison, etc.) he presented the heavy topic was what kept me reading on.
Both authors left me with thoughts to think about after reading their work. One left me with hope for a sweet love story when the time comes and the other left me with a rather existential question — both equally keeps me up at night.
