Literary Criticism

”Close Reading Analysis of Pagliawan’s Short Story: Kamatayon

Abstract

In Kamatayon, a traditional cultural practice and belief regarding death are depicted. The story
maintains a dramatic and occasionally spooky tone. Presented as first person point of view, the main
character, which is a child of 7 years old, being clueless of the death of his stepfather whom he have had
treated as his own. It also demonstrates how ignorant, despite being observant, the child was of the
events surrounding the death of his so-called father.

This child did not expect to lose his father. The agony of learning the truth about what happened to this
child, whose father died when he was only seven years old. When he brought him home, he assumed
that his father was still alive and that he was simply sleeping. This boy had never seen a dead person
since he could remember, and he had no concept of death at the time.

Introduction

The poem narrates how the child growing to know what has happened, speaks of his remorse about not
being able to know and failing to understand the situation as a 7 years old kid at that point in his life. He
recounted the time when his father was brought home from the hospital. He recalled how good was his
father to him, how much he was favored and how he was given more attention by his deceased father
not that he know of. As well as remembering the fact that his father wasn't his biological father and that
his real father died even before he had the consciousness of the world.

His stepfather died as a result of his father stepping on a rusted nail. This child couldn't believe his father
had died; despite the fact that his body was cold and stiff and wrapped in a white blanket, this child had
no fear of his deceased father. This fearless child came and lay next to his father, covering him with a
blanket that was draped over his father's dead body. He could feel the cold in his father's body. He saw
his father's face beneath the blanket, still looking the same, and his face was already black. He wanted
to wake up and talk to his father, but his father was immobilized and not breathing.