By Connie Jan Maraan
Connie Jan Maranan: a Filipino author who has written ―The
Boundary,‖ "Transient and other short stories,‖ and ―The Children’s Hour: Stories on Childhood.‖ ―The Boundary" presents a Filipino
teenager’s attempts to pull away from
the false Americanized images her pretentious folks have adopted. a professor in De La Salle University was nominated for an award for an annual
fellowship who is completing a work in any of the following genres: poetry, fiction, drama, and creative nonfiction
The fellows are expected to complete a
publishable writing project during the school year covered by the writing grant, and this creative output is submitted to De La Salle University Press for publication. Since its initial offering in 1991, the
writing fellowships have enabled writers to make contributions to the diverse and growing body of Philippine literature. Fiction in English (1992-1993) A bionote on her is being constructed but is
not yet ready on a website about her. It will be an interesting read when ready.
According to Dr. Joyce Arriola (Department of Literature, Faculty of Arts and Letters and the Graduate School of the University of Santo Tomas): Maraan is an obscure writer, not so well
anthologized.
―The current author presents herself as a prose writer whose story ―Ghost‖ has been
included in the UST textbook. It depicts the story of a wandering soul who figured in a road accident. Her stories present ruminations on death, the destiny of souls and divine design.‖
The protagonist of the story is a ghost who died when the Tayuman LRT Station suddenly collapsed and the train came falling down on his face. According to him, he has seen Christ because of that incident. However, science fiction fans would get disappointed with Ghost, Connie Jan Maraan’s
short story, which did not dwell much on those paranormal premises. Instead, Maraan weaved what turned out to be one of the most intriguing ideas about the afterlife with a love story that, in every aspect from social to spiritual, was one for all time in itself.
Ghost started with the sexless narrator’s
account of the incident that caused his or her death. From there on, the words journeyed the reader through a life that had seemingly been dead long before the accident. Maraan suggested through her main character that some things really transcend death, and that, because of fate’s bitter sense of humor becomes apparent,
these stuff would linger if not resolved when one is still alive. Ghost was not an ordinary mush narrative just because of the involvement of death; Maraan wanted a story that had loops around its twists. It is in this line of suspensions of disbelief that Ghost really achieved what it — wanted the power of love in a stirring story that not even Shakespeare managed to conceptualize.
Absence of feeling – immortality Sto. Nino in khaki – blasphemy Unmangled Foot – identity Creator with no Beard – difference of
reality and belief Manila Rail Transit – laughter and pain Tayuman – memory
In Connie Jan Maraan’s story entitled ―Ghost‖,
she used different imagery to show what happened in the accident, used figurative speech to make the story more vivid and depicted the possible events that may happen after death. The absence of feeling shows immortality and gives the urge to fulfill desires. The story also shows the difference of reality and belief. In other stories, God is described as an old man with a beard but in Maraan’s story she described God as a young man
with no beard who looks like an angel with a handsome face. Having said this, our beliefs about spirits is also indicated in the story.
We believe that if a man dies, he/she will go to heaven or go to hell. But in Maraan’s
story the spirit will be locked in other persons’ heads and will stay as a memory. In
conlcusion, the story reminds us not to forget our departed loved ones, to always let them remain in our hearts and make their memory stay with us always.
Death is more often than not a very unhappy thought to many. Sudden death is even more unwelcome. Maraan is a very interesting modern writer who cleverly and kindly uses colorful imagery and language in depicting the realities presented in the story. She helps the readers acquire a good grasp of the potential beauty in what could otherwise be morbidity in its very concept. Death is presented and tackled in the most acceptable terms like making anything possible because of the absence of feeling, depicting God as a handsome young man who actually looks like an angel. Now, what could be more desirable and understandable to a young mind like mind?
Then, there is the implication of the potent role of memory in keeping our connection with our loved ones who have passed on. There could be no better assurance of the continuity of love than the knowledge that you will never lose the thought and remembrance of a dear one who has gone ahead because he will always be there in your mind, heart and be part of your soul.
