THE TAXIMAN’S STORY

By: CATHERINE LIM

CHARACTERS
The Taximan
Protagonist of the story, a very generous and hardworking father of eight. He works as
a taximan, earning by driving all day for his family. He narrates the life and the
significant events that’s happening as a taximan in their city. He thinks that success is
made if you work hard especially for those who are like him, who didn’t get any
chance to get an education nor have a a capital in starting a business. He is very
concerned of what was happening to the new generation nowadays that unlike during
their age, they were under by a disciplinary action and should be obedient at all cost
or else they’ll get punished.
Madam
A protagonist also of the story, a teacher and the taximan’s passenger who’s rushing
for her meeting. As they travel along the way, she is listening to the taximan’s real
story of what’s happening in their city. She was innocent of how the teenagers are
currently doing without her knowledge, not until the taximan tells every detail of
those things that are undesirably happening at their city.
Lay Choo
The taximan’s daughter whom he was proud of because she is very determined in her
studies not until one day she was caught by her father doing the thing that her father
knew and definitely not wanting and expecting to happen to her.

PLOT

Exposition
The story begins when the taximan had his passenger who was rushing for her
meeting whom he called “Madam”. He drove their way to somewhere they can get in
a half hour due to the traffic. He told her that he had been driving for almost twenty
years and shared a thought that the their city, Singapore, was very crowded unlike
before. Success for him is a matter of striving hard because he didn’t get a chance to
get an education nor have any capital for a business so he should have to go work hard
to earn and feed his family of 78 and his wife. He got a big family because there are
no such things like family planning before during his time which is now implemented
today in their city by their government. But then he was lucky because all of his
children are already grown-ups. Four of his sons are working-one businessman, two
clerks, one a teacher of a Primary school, one working in a National service and the
other one is still on her second year in her secondary level. His eldest daughter who is
now on her twenty’s is still at their home helping her mother. She is not yet married
because she is a shy type kind of a person and she had a bad health condition but
despite of that, she is a good and obedient woman. Opposite of his elder daughter is
her younger sister who isn’t good enough and go against her parents. He tells that long
time ago he was being punished by his parents by a cane whenever he disobeyed them
even though he was big enough to get married. He said also that his father was very
strict but if not, he’ll might become useless like the other girls and boys which is now
currently happening in their city. When he finds out that his passenger was a teacher,
he told her that those schoolgirls who were about fifteen to sixteen year old, go to
school in the morning in their uniforms and instead of going home, they proceed to a
public lavatory or hotel and change their clothes which they have in their school bag
and put make-up on their face. In addition to that, that was out of their parent’s mind
then tell them that they have a school meeting or the like but actually not. The
taximan then tells about the tricks and the dirty secrets that these girls are doing so
like earning a big amount of money from those foreigners and that’s where also he get
his big extra income. Like when last night, a young girl who was very dolled up and
wearing sexy dress and told him to take her to Orchid Mansions, he was shocked into
finding out that she had her purse full of American notes and handed him ten dollars
without even asking for a change! He further added that he usually wait outside the
Elroy Hotel, Tung Court or Orchid Mansions and almost make nearly a hundred fifty
dollars just for one day, some of it came from extra services.
Rising Action
He then suddenly shared about and describe her daughter named Lay Choo, as a good
girl and striving hard for her studies. She always got a good compliment from her
teachers on her report card. She was his favorite daughter, asked her what she wants
after she left school and she answered him that she wanted to go to a University. None
of his children could go to a university unlike Lay Choo who is a smart and very
helpful on her mother even though she is sometimes a little lazy that her teacher
advises her to do extra work at her weak subject which is math. So then he let her go
back again at her school.
Conflict
One day, as he was driving, he saw a girl that looks familiar to him, she was all dolled
up with the other girls and some Europeans outside a coffee-house. He didn’t think
that it was Lay Choo because she was in her school and that girl was dressed-up with
make-up on and she was bold in her behaviour. He then suspect her daughter and then
there find her out the next day, confirming that it was really her. He suddenly
outraged going to her, slapped then dragged her to his taxi and went home. When they
arrived at their house, he trashed the food and beat her so bad that his wife and his
neighbours are pulling him away.
Falling Action
He decided to lock his daughter at her room for three days and lied to his daughter’s
teacher that she is sick so that she will be excused. Not long after that incident, things
are going on well according to what they want for them.
Resolution
They made a rule that she cannot leave the house but only by going to school. He told
also his wife that she shall check her every now and then to whatever that she do and
also her friends – what sort of people they are.
THEME

Genuine Love
Here we can tell that the story is patronizing about the taximan’s genuine love towards
his family especially to his children. He works all day eventhough sometimes he can
observe some of his passengers are doing “unlikeably things” in his car or during his
travels just for the sake of earning more for their family’s expenses. With his
knowledge about his passenger’s dirty little secrets (like some teenagers tend to bring
clothes in their bagpacks, telling their parents that they will be going home late due to
their meeting but then, they’ll change their uniforms in comfort rooms and go out
somewhere), he consider that as a lesson or a reminder for him if ever that’ll happen
to his daughter. Yes, it was when he confirmed that he saw his daughter at a cafe
looking so different and scolded her. Well for that, let us understand that as a parent
they have also the right to be mad and scold their children to discipline them not
because of their fault but for them to learn their lesson and never be doing stupid
things.
Trust
Here in the story, it also gives importance about the trust towards the other people.
Like for example, when the taximan lost his trust to his daughter because he saw her
unexpected to what he don’t wanted to happen for his child. Moreover, when the
taximan gave a hint for his passenger which is usually the negative consequences
thereafter that ‘clue’, with this, it gave her doubt and is trying to earn her trust for her
children yet made her worried about. It further emphasizes that trust is something that
is very hard to earn and difficult also to earn back once you lost it.
Modernization
We can observe in the story that every happening and/or the things is describing a
modern lifestyle and how it influenced the society especially the teenagers. It was
mentioned in the story the buildings, the cafes, hotels and the like which aren’t that
famous a long time ago or from the past generations. In addition to that, unlike before,
the children is under control for every little move that they do but in the story, it
shows how they let their children just go on along their way unknowingly what their
teens are doing specifically, right after school.