SHORT

STORIES
 What is a Short story?

is a brief work of fiction that focuses on one important

event in the lives of a small number of central characters
and that can usually be read in one sitting.

A work of prose fiction shorter than short novel; more

restricted in characters & situations.

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 Elements of a short story
 CHARACTER - is a person, or sometimes even an
animal, who takes part in the action of a short story or
other literary work.

 SETTING – is the time and place in which a story take

place.

 CONFLICT – is a struggle between two people things in a short

story.

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 POINT OF VIEW – is the narrators position in relation
to the story being told.

 THEME – is the central message of the story.

 PLOT – is the sequence of events that shape a broader

narrative, with every event causing or affecting each other.

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 Five plots of a short story

 Exposition – introduces background information about events,

settings, characters, etc. to the audience or readers.

 Rising Action – a related series of incidents in a literary plot that

build toward the point of greatest interest.

 Climax – the point in a narrative at which the conflict or tension

hits the highest point.

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 Falling Action – the part of literary plot that occurs after the
climax has been reached and the conflict has been resolved.

 Resolution – the conclusion of the story where the conflict is

fully resolved.

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 Examples of short story:

How my brother leon brought home a

wife (region 1)

Wedding dance (car)

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HOW MY BROTHER
LEON BROUGHT
HOME A WIFE (region
1)
A r g u illa
anu el E .
By: M

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  (1911 – 1944) was born on June 17, 1911 in
Nagrebcan, Bauang, La Union to parents
Crisanto Arguilla, a farmer and Margarita
Estabillo a potter.
He was an Ilokano writer and he is known for
his short story “How My Brother Leon
Brought Home A Wife”. Which won first prize
in the Commonwealth Literary Contest in 1940.
Manuel Estabillo Arguilla
He studied at University of the Philippines
where he finished BS Education in 1993.

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The story 'How my brother Leon brought home a wife' is perhaps the most successful and
popular of Arguilla's short stories. The story is written from the point of view of a young
boy called Baldo and his recollections of the night that he met his brother's wife, Maria,
for the first time.

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CHARACTERS:
 Baldo- The one who narrated the story, the younger brother of Leon and fetched Leon and Maria from the
road to Nagrebcan. He is obedient, innocent and a naïve boy.
 Leon- The older brother of Baldo who have met his wife in the city and brought Maria in his hometown. He
is responsible, gentle and a loving husband.
 Maria- She grew up and was born in the city. She is the beautiful, down to earth and loving wife of Leon.
 Labang- The bull who brought Leon and Maria to their home and Baldo considers it as his hardworking pet
and a part of their family.
 Father- The father of Leon and Baldo who planned the challenges for Maria. The one who instructed Baldo
on what he will do while he is on the road with Leon and Maria. The mildest tempered and gentle man.
 Mother- Mother of Leon and Baldo.
 Aurelia- Sister of Leon and Baldo.
 Ca Celin- Caratela driver.

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PLOT:
 Exposition- The inciting action of the story was when “she stepped down to the Caratela of Ca Celin
with a quick, delicate grace. She look very lovely, she was tall. She looked up to my brother with a
smile, and her forehead was leveled to his mouth”. It goes when Leon introduced Maria as his wife to
his younger brother, Baldo whose thinking deeply it father will like Maria. He’s thinking if Maria can
survive or will fit in the life in barrio or rural areas than in urban city where she grew up.

 Rising Action- The rising action of the story was when Baldo took the road of Waig instead of passing
in Camino Real. It was the wish of the father to go by Waig. They were trying to test Maria’s
characteristics, her attitude, her looks, how she talks and the way she handle the situation.

 Climax- The highest point of the story was when Leon already brought home Maria as his wife. He
introduced Maria as his wife to his family and especially to his father hoping they will accept and like
Maria for him.

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 Falling Action- The falling action of the story was when Maria passed they eat or challenges despite of
her personality. She surpassed the trials given to her proving that she is worth it for Leon as his wife.
 Conclusion- The conclusion of the story was when Baldo cross the threshold of his father and ask him
about Maria. Afterwards the door opened and Leon and Maria came in. Baldo went out to water
Labang as instructed by his father. This reflects that love enables Leon and Maria to go forward
whatever struggles may come along the way. It portrays that accepting one’s life and sacrificing is
necessary in order to be happy.

Setting:
 The setting of the story was in Nagrebcan, La Union, the hometown of Leon. The story takes place in a
farm where people would usually ride in a carabao. The place was in the local province.

Point of View:
 The story was told in the second person point of view wherein the brother of Leon, Baldo, was the
one who narrated the story.

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Conflict
Man vs. Society- Leon brought a wife to his hometown, Nagrebcan, La Union. His
wife, Maria, is a woman who grew up in the city and is not used to living in rural
places. But then, Leon came to his hometown with a wife. Their neighborhood who
doesn’t know that Leon was married to a city girl. No one knows what kind of girl is
Maria except for Leon. Will Maria cope living in a province for the rest of her life?
Man vs. Himself- Maria is afraid that maybe his father-in-law and Leon’s family will
not accept her as Leon’s wife nor not liking her.

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Theme:
Culture clash or the setting shift when someone from the barrio or the city is
transported to the other.
To endure journey sacrifices is necessary. In order to achieve success we must be
strong enough, show determination and be patient. In whatever difficult event or
situation we maybe in, we must be willing to sacrifice or step out of our comfort zone
so that we can learn from our new experiences and achieve happiness.

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“wedding dance”
(car)

d agu io
o r t.
ad
By: Am

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  was a poet, novelist and teacher during the pre-war. He was best known
for his fictions and poems. He had published two volumes of poetry,
"Bataan Harvest" and "The Flaming Lyre". He served as chief editor for
the Philippine House of Representatives before he died in 1966.

 was born 8 January 1912 in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, but grew up in

Lubuagan, Mountain Province, where his father, an officer in the
Philippine Constabulary, was assigned.

 was class valedictorian in 1924 at the Lubuagan Elementary School.

Then he stayed with his uncle at Fort William McKinley to study at
AMADOR T. DAGUIO Rizal High School in Pasig.

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  The story was written in 1952 at about the same time he was writing his
thesis (Study and translation of Hudhud hi Aliguyon Ifugao Harvest Song)
for his Master of Arts in English degree at Stanford University in
California.
 Awiyao and Lumnay most likely to belong to the Igorot people who
inhabit the mountain areas of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines.
The Philippine islands were settled by various migrants from Southeast
Asia for centuries.

These peoples built up a number of different cultures and clan-based social structures on the many islands of
the archipelago. In the 1500s, Spain colonized the islands, spreading Christianity and the Spanish language.
Following Spain's loss in the Spanish-American war of 1898, the Philippines became a territory of the
United States. During World War II, the islands were occupied by the Japanese until gaining their
independence in 1945. The Igorot people maintained many of their traditional cultural practices through the
late 19th century. Even today, dance and gangsa music form an important part of their celebrations.

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CHARACTERS:

Lumnay - Awiyao's former wife who is still in love with him, despite the
fact he married another.

Awiyao - The lead male in the story who loves Lumnay, but left her
because she didn't produce children for him.

Madulimay - Awiyao's new, younger wife, with whom he hopes to have

children.

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Exposition - The setting is a mountain village of the Philippines where Awiyao has been
remarried.
Rising Action - Outside, the villagers are dancing in celebration of the wedding. Awiyao
leaves to try and comfort Lumnay. He offers her many items of the life that they built
together. Lumnay refuses them and clings to Awiyao, wishing he would stay.
Climax - Awiyao finally leaves to re-join the wedding and Lumnay runs into the hills.
Falling Action - Lumnay sits on the side of the mountain overlooking the blazing fire and
dancing women, thinking about how her life has changed. She has a sense of desperation,
isolation, and worthlessness.
Resolution - The reader is left not knowing what will become of Lumnay.

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SETTING:
The setting is a mountain village of the Philippines where Awiyao has been remarried.

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.

CONFLICT:
 Awiyao has left his wife Lumnay, whom he loved very much. However, she couldn't
give him a child. He has now married Madulimay in hopes to have a son, who will
continue his legacy.

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Theme :
If you truly love a person, you must let them be happy

Have you ever heard the saying "if you love someone, let them go"? The
story of Lumnay and Awiyao wrestles with this difficult issue. Despite
how upsetting it is to Lumnay, she must let Awiyao go, not only because
of their culture, but also because it is clear that he will not be happy
without a child.

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 Quiz time!
Fill in the blank.

1. _________a work of prose fiction shorter than short novel; more restricted in characters & situations.
2. __________a related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward the point of greatest interest.
3. __________is the conclusion of the story where the conflict is fully resolved.
4. __________he was a poet, novelist and teacher during the pre-war.
5. __________he was an Ilokano writer and he is known for his short story “How My Brother Leon Brought
Home A Wife”.

Enumeration.

• Give at least three elements of the short story.

• Give the two examples of the short story.

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 THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS!!!

PREPARED BY:
HONEY LOVE TORRES
MA. CLAUDIA
DELDACAN
REYNALDO VENTURA
SIARON AMPLAO

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