I.

Wedding Dance by Amador Daguio

II. SYNOPSIS/ SUMMARY

Awiyao and Lumnay were husband and wife for seven
years, but now the husband has to marry another woman,
Madulimay, because Lumnay was not able to give him a child.
(In their culture in the mountains during those times, having a
child to follow after the husbands name was a must.)
On the night of the wedding, Awiyao goes to his and
Lumnays house to personally invite her to the traditional
wedding dance. However, Lumnay, the best dancer in the
entire tribe, refuses to go. Then, during their conversation, it is
revealed that both of them still love each other, but because of
their tribes custom, they have to separate.
Awiyao goes back to the wedding, to the wedding dance,
after being fetched by some friends. Lumnay wants to follow,
partly because of the dance, and partly because she wants to
put a stop to their tribes tradition of having to marry another
partner just to have a child.
III. SHORT STORY ELEMENTS

A. CHARACTERS

1. Lumnay a woman who was left by her husband because
he had to marry another woman/ Developing
2. Awiyao- the husband stated above / Flat
3. Madulimay Awiyaos new wife / Flat

B. PLOT - Linear
a) Introduction
The story opens with Awiyao entering his and Lumnays
house.
b) Rising Action
Things start to heat up when Lumnay says she does not want
any other man.
c) Climax
There is more intensity when Awiyao says he does not want
any other woman.
d) Falling action
But they both have to follow their tribes tradition.
e) Denouement
Awiyao has to go back to the wedding dance.

C. SETTING
a) place in the mountains somewhere in the Philippines
b) time- a long time ago
c) weather conditions- fine
d) social conditions- lower-class
e) mood or atmosphere- sad and tense

D. POINT OF VIEW
The Point of View used in this short story is the
Omniscient Limited - The author tells the story in third person
(using pronouns they, she, he, it, etc). We know only what the
character knows and what the author allows him/her to tell us.
We can see the thoughts and feelings of characters if the
author chooses to reveal them to us.



E. LITERARY DEVICES
For me, there is an extensive use of the literary device
Symbolism. There are many symbols here, and these are the
darkness, the houses four walls, the smoldering embers, and
the beads. The darkness symbolizes how the two lead
characters feel. Meanwhile, the houses walls symbolize the
former couples imprisonment. The smoldering embers that
become glowing coals symbolize the love that both of them
still feel towards each other. Finally, the beads symbolize
Awiyaos great love for Lumnay even if she was not able to
give him a child.

F. THEME
In my opinion, the theme True love never dies is
applicable to this story.

G. CONFLICT
The conflict here is Man vs. Society. The lead characters
have to follow their tribes custom.


Setting: at the mountain

Characters:
1. Awiyao
2. Lumnay
3. Madulimay

Summary:
This is sad story of a man, Awiyao, who in spite of
being in love with his wife, Lumnay, feels the need to marry
another in order to have a son. According to the story if a man
does not have a son he is considered to be inferior to others in
their community. It is not a case of not loving Lumnay, which
he does, but of his perceived necessity of a son to be
considered a man. He is however; insensitive believing the
answer to Lumnay's sorrow would be to join the other women
at
the wedding dance. Little regard for her feelings and the
willingness to abandon her seem to be the predominate
thoughts in the author's mind. She seems to obsess over the
necklace of his grandmother which he had given her. Towards
the end of the story I had the feeling she contemplated suicide
but in the end changed her mind.

Introduction: The introduction is when the protagonist is in
their hut listening to the festivity outside and thinking of the
past.
Initial Incident: When she remembers how her husband
courted her in the past.Rising Action: When they realized that
they cannot have any child

Climax: When they society norms dictates their future that her
must marry another girl to have a child

Falling Action: The Wedding Day: She's alone in the house
contemplating

Ending: When she's in the field touching the grains.



Basic situation and conflict Man vs. Society. The two lead
characters have to follow their tribes custom

Event 1 - Awiyao enters his and Lumnays house

Event 2 - Lumnay says she does not want any other man

Event 3 - Awiyao says he does not want any other woman

Event 4 - However, they have to follow their tribes tradition

Event 5 - Lumnay feels rebellious; she wants to oppose the
tradition

Event 6 Lumnay accepts that she has to agree on Awiyaos
marrying Madulimay

Resolution - Awiyao has to go back to the wedding dance.
Meaning, he has to be firm on his decision of marrying
another woman

Here are my answers to the following questions:

1. How is Awiyao introduced in the opening of the story?

Awiyao's physical attributes are mentioned in the middle part.
In the opening of the story, he is introduced as a strong man
who can lift a log easily. Meanwhile, he is also shown as a
kind man via the line "I'm sorry this had to be done. I am
really sorry. But neither of us can help it."

2. Does the beginning entice you to read further? why?

Honestly, when I first read this story, I did not find the
beginning part enticing because it lacks action.

3. What does the writer mean by "listening darkness"?

Amador Daguio could have referred to Awiyao being very
sure that Lumnay is in the house despite the darkness all
around, and that she is attentive and listening.

4. Describe Lumnay's walk to the beanfields by giving sensory
images.

Lumnay's walk to the beanfields begins in this part: "She
followed the trail above the village. When she came to the
mountain stream she crossed it carefully. Nobody held her
hand, and the stream water was very cold. The trail went up
again, and she was in the moonlight shadows among the trees
and shrubs. Slowly she climbed the mountain." The stream
water being very cold is a sensory image, that of the sense of
touch.

Then, "When Lumnay reached the clearing, she could see
from where she stood the blazing bonfire at the edge of the
village, where the wedding was. She could hear the far-off
clamor of the gongs, still rich in their sonorousness, echoing
from mountain to mountain. The sound did not mock her; they
seemed to call far to her, to speak to her in the language of
unspeaking love. She felt the pull of their gratitude for her
sacrifice. Her heartbeat began to sound to her like many
gangsas." The blazing bonfire is for the sense of sight while
the gong for the sense of hearing.

5. Why did she go to the beanfields instead of going home?

Lumnay goes to the beanfields instead of going home because
she seems more "at home" in the beanfields than in her and
Awiyao's house where they have spent their lives as husband
and wife.

1. what do the following symbolize : beans, beads, flooring of
the house, stream and house?

2. whose love is greater: awiyao's or lumnay's? explain.

3. is the story still relevant today? explain.

4. if you were lumnay, would you have released your
husband? justify..

1. For me, the beans symbolize Lumnays approval of
Awiyaos marriage to Madulimay, inspite of the pain which
she feels, because of her true love for him. Meanwhile, the
beads seem to stand for Awiyaos continuing love for Lumnay
because even if he will marry another woman, he did not get
back such beads which were originally from his grandmother.
In my opinion, the bamboo flooring of the house seems to
represent freedom (the freedom of Awiyao to marry another
woman) since the bamboo goes up and down when the rattan,
that is there to keep it in place, is moved. On the other hand,
the stream, which is mentioned in the part When she came to
the mountain stream she crossed it carefully. Nobody held her
hand, and the stream water was very cold is somewhat an
indication of her being so lonely and alone, perhaps for the
rest of her life. Lastly, the house that is dark and illuminated
only by fire, can mean that despite the merriment of the people
for Awiyaos and Madulimays wedding, both Awiyao and
Lumnay are not happy.

2. Awiyao and Lumnay still love each other, as mentioned in
the story, but I think it is Lumnays love that is greater
because of the bigger amount of sacrifice that she is making;
she is left alone whilst Awiyao has someone with him who can
give him a child.

3. With the modernization and high technology today, I can
easily say that this story is not relevant anymore. However,
looking at it in a deeper perspective and in another manner, I
believe that it is still relevant, especially that the overall focus
here are unconditional love, sacrifice, and selflessness which
many people still experience and do so as to make their
respective loved ones happy even if they themselves will be
left sad.

4. If I were Lumnay, I would have also released my husband
because of our tribes tradition. More so, I would not want to
continue living with a man if we cannot follow the tribes
rules, and he would have eventually regretted the decision of
not marrying another woman for this reason.