The Image of the Filipino Women in Selected Short Stories

There’s no one description that would suit what are Filipino women for they are a product of distinct cultures, different blood and diverse periods. Writing about them and attempting to animate them by means of delicate threads of words should be utterly true to their heart. It is not as simple as tying a string in any way for they are, undeniably, the many faces and the detached pieces of a great picture. Filipino women in short stories reflected the mind, heart and psyche of a Filipina- a Filipina possessing numerous characteristics: likable and unlikable and manifesting important factors of existence: period and milieu. Akin with numerous characteristics, the image they portrayed in literature were also many: a beauty, a believer, a fighter, a homemaker, a lady and a victim.

A beauty: Their guise was a concoction of a handful of Asiatic ancestors and western invaders that enriched the mien of Filipino women. If not for the physical attributions, the ways and acts of these women would lucidly depict how beauteous they are. They don’t need the treacherous hues of white, purple and red to flaunt what they have gotten; there’s even no demand for pretentious layers of colored masks to show to the sinful eyes how comely they are. They are adherents of the virtue of simplicity.

A believer: Their beliefs were a conglomeration of their obsolete pagan origin, tribal set-up of year’s immemorial, patriarchal nature of society and established taboos by the Christian faith. They were bound to adhere in superstition, devote in laws and principles that speak of their stronghold in religious orders, stay and confine themselves in the quarters of the social norms and retain unwritten laws that dictate a fate of an innocuous entity.

A fighter: They are determined to engage in a struggle to stood for what is right, to defend their ideals and to eradicate the wrongs of the society. They are capable of being stern, brave and fierce- breaking the submissive and servant image of being a woman and abrading the delinquency that is ever-present in the areas of society. Women they are; but do not conform to the stereotypes of their gender- they are full of wits, spunk and vigor.

A homemaker: They are either a mother or a wife whose prime activity and concern are household chores and matriarchal responsibilities. They are the light of every abode. If not there, the dwelling is barren and dim, and the strengths of the home are slowly fading. They give satisfaction to the body, provide warmth to a soul and supply sanity to the mind.

A lady: They are mannered and controlled- words and actions were a great show of a proper nature. They are also affable, modest and honorable; fashioned with authority and graciousness- not just of shirrings and sequins that attract a mundane spirit.

A victim: They are martyrs for they make sacrifices and accept hardships coupled with the belief it was a part of their fate, a part of their femininity- written in the lines of their palms, destined by God. A martyr; a result then of being a victim, thus strengthens their image of being forceless- a captive of the opposite gender, a dummy for fleshly satisfaction and only a supplier of life. Object they are not—they breathe and dream but had been traded for a trifle.

            Filipino women are a reflection of their own selves in the short fiction narration of their nation; reflections of their pleasant and unpleasant identity in the society  for “Filipina of centuries ago still composed the contemporary Filipina, who she was in her past life and who she is in the present will be thoroughly indicated in our national literature.” (Lomigo- Ojas, 1984, p.21)

The Filipino Culture in Selected Dramas

“A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”

                                                                                                         -Mahatma Gandhi

A culture is a vital constituent of an individual. His culture is like the roots of the tree; he is the tree and the leaves are his actions. The more the roots tuck into the deep of the Earth the more nutrients it can seek to make the tree sturdy, and a firm tree can make better foods for its leaves thus making the leaves verdurous. It can be also said that one’s culture is the root of his actions: the reason for his every inch of movement. A man cannot be detached from his culture. Once he is exposed with a culture, he will never be departed from it. Culture makes up his constitution: his heart, mind and soul. True to Filipinos whose culture is an image of the different epochs of his forefathers, the religion long been buried in the chest of his memories and the accumulation of the influence of various Asian neighbors and foreign colonizers.

            The family is the core of the Filipino society and its head, the parents, are expected to commit to their responsibilities. A typical Filipino mother attends to the matters of the abode and the Filipino father is expected to shed the utmost of his sweat and the most of his capabilities to provide the needs and give his family a dignified living. Filipino parents regard a smart and able child as their pride, seeing the child with sparkling eyes of admiration. They also have the tendency to be so protective they do not want their children to establish their own family without their consent for their responsibility does not just stop on feeding their youngs neither in the mere responsibility of clothing, housing and educating them. Their responsibility goes beyond the next generation. 

How Filipinos establish connection and relationship to others is also affected by their culture. Filipinos recognized friendship even beyond life, despite the status and the distance of their allies. They always have the most comforting words and embrace for their comrades. When fate allowed them to gather, the warmest smile and jolliest scene can be witnessed. Even when one should spill the bean, he must consult first his friends for telling secrets is one of the test of authentic friendship for Filipinos. It is also to be noted how Filipinos have intimate connections. One’s loved one should never be snatch away by somebody else; a clear reflection of Filipino men’s culture: “Kung ano ang kay Juan ay kay Juan at kung ano ang kay Pedro ay kay Pedro.” Naturally these men would seek revenge to the person who covets what they own. They would never allow a mischief of such a nature for this also damages their mighty pride.

Very salient to Filipinos is their reverence to departed love ones even they are dead and in their culture, burial an important event. Filipinos believe in life after death and so fervently pray for the right journey of their dismissed beloved for a number of days. They also believe in the wandering of spirits seeking for justice and revenge, then if solemn pleading are given for the dead that’s the time it would be at peace. A part also of the Filipino culture is their consideration of what other would say for what they do may damage one’s good name.

It is also visible to the Filipino culture of how they offer things to have a good impression and try to compensate what they lack. The belief on bad omens and superstitions is also visible which includes the sound made by animals, the thing that coincidentally received on the same day of an unfaithful event and even the direction of going out on a house.

Filipino culture offers the most irrational practice but it also offers a colorful display of beliefs. An identity can be a puzzle itself and it can never be completed without culture. One’s constitution is not only defined by the information available at hand, his roots- his culture, should be a part of it.

My First Blog

It's the first time I'll going to test my writing... weeh! Cheers for me. It's the first time too I will have a blog and write a blog. I created a blog because I felt the need to have one as an English student, but it's only the shallow reason for it. I know I need a better way to channel out my ideas especially when I am down or I feel there's something worth telling.