Choices of # Short Stories

The Image of Filipino Women in Selected Short Stories

by Ivy Bernadette C. Nobleza, II-HC BSE English
The relationship and difference of men and women has been a central and recurring theme in
literature, which spans across various cultures. Likewise, most of these stories have one
underlying similarity with one another: they embody the image of the women accordingly to the
kind of culture and society of the particular literature. In the same manner, the Philippine
literature provides a well-pictured image of women in the Filipino society. These stories provide
not just a simple, sole description of the Filipino women; but rather, give a meaningful portrayal
of the complexity and beauty of a Filipina character.
Throughout the history of Philippine literature, women writers have barely managed to be heard.
Nevertheless, their accomplishments have built solid and sturdy foundations. Leona Florentino,
a late 19th century poet, chose her freedom to write over her chauvinistic husband and became
the first Filipina to receive international recognition through her poetry. She was also regarded
as the mother of Philippine womens literature. Magdalena Jalandoni, a prolific feminist writer
who began writing in the early 1900s, deliberately chose a career as a writer despite the
objections her mother and was able to produce numerous novels, short stories, novelettes, and
plays (Vartii, 2001). In 1920s, English had become the medium of instruction under the
American Regime and Filipinos had become adept in utilizing the language. Women writers like
Paz Marquez Benitez, Loreto Paras Sulit, and Paz Latorena were among the early masters of
the short story (Kintanar, 2008). Their respective works Dead Stars, Harvest, and The Small
Key have made great impact in the Philippine literature and are being included in high school
and college curricula.
These women writers have definitely given substantial contributions to the Philippine literature;
however, the literary arena has always been dominated by men, like most aspects in a Filipino
society. Male writers have perhaps outweighed female writers throughout the decades in terms
of their number and their accomplishments. Women mostly tell stories of themselves, but these
male writers also have stories to tell of women who have deeply touched their lives or
significantly affected the lives of others (Kintanar, 2008). Hence, the Philippine literature
contains stories and portrayal of women that are predominantly according to the male
perspective. This gives us a clear insight on how men in general view women in the Filipino
context.

The Philippines had to suffer colonial domination not just once, but three times: first by the
Spaniards nearly 350 years, then by Americans for half a century, and finally by the Japanese
for almost four years. The disparities in the widely differing cultures of their colonial masters plus
their search for the indigenous roots of their culture have resulted to shaping of intricate and
multifaceted cultural identity (Kintanar, 2008). Similarly, the colonial centuries had given foreign
nations to introduce and impart their culturesespecially the Western cultureto the Filipino
culture. This has greatly affected the kind of society the Philippines have had in the past, in the
present, and probably how it would be shaped in the future.
Women have been long dominated by men in the society, and they were regarded as
submissive, docile individuals who submit themselves to the men in their lives. However, this
practice is actually part of the Western ideology, and it has been inculcated to our own Filipino
culture due to the fact that we had been colonized by Westerners for such a long time. Yet in
reality, Eastern traditions have given so much importance to the women. In pre-colonial
Philippines, the tradition of womens activity played an active role in the literature. One of the
pillars of the community was the babaylan, or poet-priestess. She was the one who took charge
of all the matters pertaining to culture and the art of healing, as well as all theoretical knowledge
pertaining to nature. Thus, she was looked upon as the repository of wisdom, the cultural and
spiritual leader of the community. She was the story-teller of the tribe, the bearer of the oral
tradition, and was hence the one who transmits the history of her people from generation to
another. She presided over rituals, chanting prayer-poems of supplication and praise (Salazar,
1990: 3541).
The active role of babaylan and women in the shaping of the Philippine literature has long been
replaced by men. Like our patriarchal society, men continue to dominate the literary arena, and
their pens are regarded as mightier than that of a womans. Agreeably, these male writers have
helped in the founding and flourishing of the Philippine literature, with some even recognized in
the international scene. But with their own literary talents and gifts of written words, these male
writers have wrote stories of women according to their own perspectives, and according to their
notion of ideal women and how women should be treated. Thus, we are plagued by the stories
of a province girl named Zita who had her heart broken because of falling in love with her
teacher; of Lumnays tragic and lonely end because she cannot bear her husband a child; of
Maria seeking for the approval of her father-in-law and need to prove herself first to become
accepted in the family; of Agueda whose marriage turned into a bitter one because of her proud
and chauvinistic husband. These stories are undeniably great on their own, and have proven

their significance throughout the long time that it had been part of the academe and read by
common Filipino; but these short stories also portrayed women in lesser light than that of mens.
On the other hand, male writers are not just the ones to depict Filipino women in lesser light, but
female writers also somewhat continue that practice. Students have read stories of Julia Salas
who have been misled by a man into thinking that he was single and available for a relationship,
and of Esperanza who have to endure a marriage knowing that her mans heart is not hers
entirely; of Choleng who has been portrayed as a curious wifethe very downfall of a
womans characterand this curiosity had led to losing her husbands trust on her; of Tinang
who was left behind by the love of her life and had to endure a life as a homebody for the sake
of her husband and child; of Miss Mijares desperation to find someoneanyonewho make
her feel like a woman, regardless of the mans qualities; and of Miss Noels need to endure the
unequal hierarchy of the educational system, simply because she was idealistic and the fact that
she was a woman. These short stories have all been written by female writers, and have also
proven their significance in the Philippine literature throughout the time; and yet, they seem to
depict women as a weaker sex compare to that godly, mighty nature of a male character.
Despite the rampant instances of portrayals of women in lesser light, however, there are also
some

stories

of

women

who

have

shown

their

bravery

and

strength

of

character. Magnificence, written by Estrella D. Alfon, a Palanca awardee for multiple times and
national fellow in Fiction at UP Creative Writing Center in 1979, wrote a controversial yet
powerful story about sexual abuse to a child and how the mother had toughly and gracefully
dealt with the appalling situation. While being a modest and typical mother, the woman in the
story showed her strength of character. It is also worthy to be noted that the story is not just
about one magnificent woman, but of all women and mothers who have been in the shadows,
but raise their hands against male abuse. This is shown throughout the story the mother is
referred to as mother, but at the moment she was punishing Vicente, she is referred to
woman. (Gapuz, 2010). It also showed that a womans motherly love and maternal instinct
some of the qualities that defines her as a womancould be the persons strength and weapon.
The image of Filipino women has been shaped, molded, and formed throughout a long history.
Their image was built by the society and culture, and this same society and culture have helped
craft the kind of Filipino women that were presented in the Philippine literature. Through the
skilled hands and awe-inspiring talents of writersboth male and femalethe qualities and
characteristics of women have taken its form in the written words. There are many examples of
women who had been subjected to female poverty or male dominance; but no matter how much

they stuffer, these women refuse to regard themselves as victims. Rather, women retain their
independence of mind, their reliance on self, and their dignity as human beings their stories and
histories.
References:

Gapuz, Christine. (2010) Analysis of the Short Story Magnificence by Estrella

Alfon. Retrieved

fromhttp://books-authors.knoji.com/analysis-of-the-short-story-

magnificence-by-estrella-alfon/

Kintanar, Thelma B. (2008). Her Story: Womens Narratives in Modern Southeast Asian
Writing. Pasig City: Anvil Publishing.

Salazar, Zeus (1990). Ang Babaylan sa Kasaysayuan ng Pilipinas (The Babaylan in the
Philippine History. In Womens Role in the Philippine History, edited by Thelma B.
Kintanar. Quezon City: UP Center for Womens Studies, pp. 3541.

Vartii,

Riitta

(2001). The

History

of

Filipino

Womens

Writings. Retrieved

from http://www.filippiinit-seura.fi/firefly.html
Outline of Occasional Paper in Philippine Literature
(The Image of Filipino Women in Selected Short Stories)
I. Introduction
II. Brief History of Womens Role in the Philippine Literature and Their Contributions
a. Important women writers in the Philippine literature
b. Domination of male writers in the literature
c. Colonial domination in the Philippines and how it affected our culture
d. Women in the society and literature as presented by the Westerners, and as presented during
the pre-colonial Philippines
III. Philippine Literature and Image of Filipino Women
a. According to the Perspective of Male Writers
b. According to the Perspective of Female Writers
c. Strength of Character of Filipino Women
IV. Conclusion
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