Palma, Arrianne Mae B.

BSA 1-8

Purposive Communication

May 20, 2019

Scrutinizing Sweets : A Literary Analysis of “Sweet Summer”

One of the most melancholic reality of life is that we live in a judgmental society
wherein people are mostly gauging one’s worth through physical appearances. This
occurrence is made apparent in Cyan Abad-Jugo’s short story entitled “Sweet Summer”
which talks about the story of an eleven-year old Frederick and a twelve-year old Sara’s
puppy love, and other social issues that lie between the lines.

The story begins on a summer afternoon, as the Candy Club, a group of three twelve-
year old girls, does their daily routine by sitting on the villages’ water tank while indulges on
eating sweets. The group consists of Camilla and Faye, in which referred to as “two creamy
long-legged eclairs”, which means that the two have fair complexion and are tall. Whereas,
the third member, Sara, is referred to as “nut-brown fudge in a housedress”, which means
that unlike the first two girls, she is just simple and has a dark complexion. It is said that
older boys started to ogle the two girls, but not Sara.

Until one day, a younger boy with his Doberman, approached and reached for the
faucet. The Candy Club sees them, and the two girls start to vent out their sneers about the
boy. On the other hand, Sara, feeling the attraction, thinks she could not bear to see the two
throwing insults to the boy, so she turns her eyes upon the boy. The boy introduces himself
as Frederick, and the dog as Dolby. Frederick is not the type of boy that Camilla and Faye
wants, for they insulted him earlier. Well, as Frederick gets to be acquainted to Sara, it is
Sara who’s got insulted by the two, introducing Sara as “Sara the Square” to Frederick, which
means that they are describing Sara as a person who is conventional and old-fashioned. Their
difference with their third member makes them more superior, and it is really highlighted
from the way they speak. They even have the guts to say to Frederick, “walk your two dogs”,
which refers to Sara and Dolby as the three would take a walk.

Well, Sara can’t still believe that Frederick is with her, for she considers herself an
inferior to everyone. So she offered Frederick a choice of sweets, wherein he picked the Halls
honey-lemon, and she savored the Cloud 9. As Sara smears her fingers with chocolate, Dolby
pounces on her. Frederick stops his dog, then he offers his hand to Sara, wherein Sara thinks
very special, for a boy offers his hand for her, somehow forgetting her insecurities and the
feeling of inferiority. Then, Frederick reminds her to not walk alone at night because people
might just jump at her like Dolby did. So he demonstrates it to let Sara see what might happen.
Sara looks at them, and wishes she was pounced by the boy and not the dog. This time, it was
her who offered her hand to Frederick. As he stands, Sara can feel his lemony breath, so she
felt the butterflies in her stomach as if she had been kissed. They didn’t let go of their hands.
As Frederick initiates a dance with Sara, they just savored the moment.

This kind of magical moment between the two ends as Felix, Frederick’s older brother,
interrupts the scene and asks what’s going on. When they saw Felix, they let go of each other.
Frederick, then, tells his brother that it’s nothing, and spits a sliver of the Halls honey-lemon,
then Dolby licks it off. His brother laughs and tells him that he’s just being “natural” and that
is something that he is proud of. He even said that Frederick should meet the “real yummies”.
The story finishes as the two brothers walk away, not minding Sara. It was just Dolby who
bothers to look back to Sara.

The short story seems to be light and a simple story for children because the usage of
words by the author is very relatable to children, plus the characters are all still children. But
scrutinizing well the meaning of the story, it greatly depicts different social issues that are
rampant nowadays, not just in children but in all ages.

One of which is how the boys perceive the Candy Club as sweets. They are attracted
to Camilla and Faye, whereas described as ones who are tall and has a fair complexion, while
they see Sara as an unattractive one. Boys tend to just choose who’s got the pretty looks and
a nice body, want someone that they can be boastful of. It is also supported on the last part
of the story, wherein Felix entered the scene. He questioned Frederick on what was he doing
with Sara, whom obviously he doesn’t find beautiful. But he just laughed and said that it’s
natural for boys to act like that, to flirt and express intimate gestures to a girl. But after that,
he just said that he would introduce him the “real yummies”, wherein again, girls are being
objectified as something that can be tried and tasted by boys. This scene also shows peer
pressure. Frederick is somehow manipulated by Felix to be that kind of boy. Well, it’s not
just who they view as unattractive ones they are insulting, but the whole nation of girls. Girls
should never be judged and objectified, no matter what looks they’ve got.

There is also a case of bullying, wherein we can see in many parts of the story,
Camilla and Faye discriminated Sara for having a different physical appearance from them.
Just because Sara’s out of their definition of “beauty”, they view Sara as an inferior to them.
Thus, leading to a case of bullying. This is a horrible reality, for this not just happens on the
story but in our own society. Most people are having this kind of beauty standards wherein
you need to have a fair skin, a tall height, a pointed nose, a sexy body, etc. There are so much
requirements to be called “beautiful”. If you don’t have the so-called qualities, then you’re
dismissed. You will not be privileged as those who have pretty physical appearances. Even
though we are a Filipino and it’s normal for us to have a dark complexion, most people here
still want a lighter and fair complexion, for that is what they believe “beautiful”, as we are
influenced by other countries whose people has fair complexion. They do not just want a fair
complexion for them to feel “beautiful”, but also to avoid other people bullying them because
of how they look. Insecurity opens up to self-pity, and can also may lead someone to lose
their self in the process, just for the sake of the society’s acceptance. While there are others
who can’t really accept what they look and how other people look at them, they can’t stand
it. Thus, may lead to depression and suicide.

Another issue that is apparent is rape and sexual harassment. It is when Frederick
warned Sara not to walk at night because people might jump at her just like what the dog did.
This, too, can be a reminder in our society because it is very relevant. It is not safe out there,
because rapists and sexual harassers are everywhere. This reminder are not just for girls, but
also for boys who may experience the said acts.

And as for what Sara had experienced, there are issues within herself that tends her
to long for other people’s acceptance. Sara is not just alone because many people can relate
to her. There are people who think low of themselves just because of how they look. So when
someone comes who will make them worthy, they become easily attached with them because
they can feel the sense of belongingness, just like Sara with Frederick. But they should be
aware that people are just temporary. Just like what happened when Frederick left Sara
hanging.

We live in a society wherein physical appearances are great issue. It may lead to self-
destruction, and the destruction of your relationship to other people. If not addressed properly,
this also may lead to the destruction of the whole society. That’s why people must be aware
and sensitive on these issues. The story “Sweet Summer”, despite the sweet and light
narration, has an implicit messages in which everyone can learn from.