Weaving Memory, Weaving Family: Familism, Continuing Bonds, and Material Heritage in Francisco Arcellana’s The Mats

Abstract

In this paper, the author focuses on the Reading of Francisco Arcellana’s story The Mats (1938) as an expression of Filipino familism, ancestral memory, and the significance of material objects in the family’s everyday life. Drawing on scholarship in Filipino cultural psychology, the sociology of grief, and material culture analysis, the author argues that the sleeping mats given to family members by Mr. Jaime Angeles serve as both heirlooms passed down from one generation to another and a means of establishing relationships with the deceased. Looking through Arcellana’s story, the author shows that it portrays Filipino culture as one based on the importance of family ties, highlighting the process of maintaining family connections through naming, gifting, and creating, which functions as a classic example of an early Philippine short story in English.