Dichotomizing Narratives on Post-Colonial Filipina: Inferencing Narratives of Joaquin and Alfon
Abstract
This paper examines texts written by two renowned Filipino post-colonial writers in the guise of motifs and forms of representations associated with post-colonial Filipina women. Dichotomizing styles of narrative, this textual exploration aims to frame how female characters were re/presented by two authors in terms of virtue, vices, passion, and struggles.
It draw on three narratives by Nick Joaquin and three narratives by Estrella Alfon. As such, the study attempts to compare representations of women by a male and female author, whether unintentionally or unwittingly, in conjunction with the period during which women were faced with the issue of adapting to their identities brought about by colonization.
Joaquin’s narratives significantly lean on a less-feminist depiction, which contrasts with Alfon’s re/presentation. Images of being weak, frail, submissive, and dependent dominate in Juaquin’s characters, while Alfon possesses the opposite. An apparent dichotomy of representations appears between the authors resulting in a regulated level of representation of Joaquin’s fiction while a respected representation of Alfon’s fiction.
Keywords: Dichotomy, stylistics, post-colonial, comparative analysis, linguistic anthropology