The Woman in the Mirror: Imaging the Filipino Woman in Short Stories in English by Filipino Woman Authors

This paper attempted to draw the image of the Filipino woman as depicted by female protagonists in selected short stories in English (1925-1986) written by Filipino woman authors. Specifically, the paper aimed to answer the following questions: (1) How are female protagonists depicted in the selected short stories written by Filipino woman authors? What are their virtues, vices, passions, and struggles?; and (2) What roles do these female protagonists play in the Philippine society? A virtue displayed by the most female characters is having a sense of responsibility. Most of the woman characters are passionate in preserving their relationship with their loved ones or keeping the peace among the family members. The Filipino woman, in the short stories, has projected varied images which could be categorized as martyr, social victim, homemaker, mother, and fighter. The Filipino woman is a product of her time and milieu – heterogeneous in looks, psyche, and roles in the society.