“Red ang Luha ni Michael” and “Blue ang Kobre Kama ni Jake” are works of writer, Jimmy Alcantara. To be honest, I have never heard of him, or his works before the class discussion of his “Red ang Luha ni Michael” story. But I must admit that the story-and it’s sequel as well-are very much different from the usual comedies and tragedies written by any other published or unpublished writer. His first story and its prequel are undeniable tragedies of an unusual love affair.
However, both had made different appeals to its readers. Some find it funny, while others believe that there are deeper messages in the story than an extraordinary love affair between Michael, a straight-headed bisexual, and Ricky, his partner who’s a little loose in the head. In humanities, it is discussed that there are different factors that affect an artist; who, in this case, is Jimmy Alcantara.
Of course, we cannot conclude that the story is just a narrative of the writer’s experiences. But it is possible to say that his writings may be the reflection of his thoughts, which are likewise the result of his experiences. If I were to guess who Jimmy Alcantara was, I would say that he is a man with an open mind and a liberated personality. I also think that he is a conscientious individual who strongly believes in the teachings of his religion.
I came to this thought because if you will look closely at the story, its characters are in a guy-to-guy relationship, which shows how possibly liberal Alcantara is. However, the relationship of the two characters doesn’t prove to be a good one, instead, they suffer a lot because their relationship was, according to the sequel, sinful in many probable terms. I guess it may be true that a reader can guess or assess parts of the personality of the writer. In the case of Jimmy Alcantara, these are my assessments in accordance to his stories.
