XENA ANGELA D.

BALOLOY Master in Language and Literature

Sari Saysay’s Rarom, Rayo – Titser, Titser: A Feminist Reading

Patriarchy sees women as inferior to men wherein they have to fulfill their duties as wives and

mothers. Nowadays, a patriarchal woman has to do her responsibility both in her family and career in which

she is expected to clean their house, cook food, take care of her child/children, and please her husband in

bed aside from her work (if she has). These characteristics of a patriarchal woman are evident in Emily, the

main character of one of the plays in Sari Saysay’s Rarom Rayo which is entitled as Titser, Titser.

This short paper will show and explain how the characters performed their traditional gender roles

and how certain details in the story relate to some concepts in Feminism theory. It will also illustrate the

oppression of women and how Emily suffered from being a traditional woman in a patriarchal community.

In the story, it is evident that Emily can be categorized as a good girl wherein she is submissive, self-

sacrificing, have maternal instinct, and nurturing. She is a representation of an oppressed woman who is

living in a patriarchal society. Although Emily is a main character who inspires other people since she is a

role model to her students, she still suffers from a situation which reinforces patriarchal ideologies.

It is shown how Emily is challenged balancing her roles and organizing her time to accomplish her

duties as a teacher, a wife, and a mother. Also, it is evident how Jonel, her husband, relies on her in terms

of taking care of their baby and doing household chores when in fact, he does not have a stable job. Jonel

promotes the ideas of patriarchy and sexist ideology by thinking that women should also do chores although

they have other responsibilities too in their work.

Jonel: Pwede ba, sa susunod, kung manganganak ka, huwag’yong malapit nang mag graduation. Kung
mabuti kang ina, dapat iniisip mo ‘yang anak mo. Kung mabuti kang asawa, dapat naisip mong may
trabaho akong dapat puntahan kaya dapat alas dose y media, nakauwi ka na.
Emily: Jonel naman, alas dos na ako natulog. Gumising ako ng alas kwatro para mag-asikaso dito sa
bahay. Kaso kahit gaano kaaga ako gumising, laging kulang ang oras. Kaya sana, kung may malasakit ka,
sana naman, kahit sa maliit na bagay, tulungan mo naman ako ditto sa bahay.
Jonel: Eh, di mas agahan mo pa sana ang gising.

Social constructionism is also evident in the story wherein gender categories are constructed by the

society so Jonel is considered masculine while Emily is considered feminine. It is also shown how

patriarchal gender roles are destructive for women to be expected of not being good in mathematics and

engineering. This destructiveness is seen in the lines of Jonel such as ‘kung talagang matalino ka, bakit

teacher ka lang?’, ‘bakit hindi ka nag engineer? O doctor? O negosyante?’, and ‘yong valedictorian n’yo,

talaga palang matalino, magdodoktor daw. Tapos ‘yong pinsan mo, matalino rin’yon, engineering ang

kukunin sa Maynila. Ikaw, Emily, total di ka naman kasing-galing nila, mag-teacher ka nalang!” On the

other hand, Jonel failed to be the main provider for the family because of his unstable job. Because of not

achieving this expectation, he expresses his manliness by being into liquor and displaying the emotion of

being angry which blocks his feelings of fear and pain and these are evident in the following dialogues:
XENA ANGELA D. BALOLOY Master in Language and Literature
October 8, 2020 LIT230: Literary Theory and Criticism

Michelle: Eh, ‘yong asawa mo kasi hinahayaan mo lang tumambay-tambay diyan sa kanto. Hindi mo man
lang katulungin dito sa bahay.
Emily: Kakaalis lang, eh, may tatrabahunin daw.
Michelle: Hoy, bruha. Nakita ko do’n sa tindahan, shuma-shot! Anong trabaho ang sinasabi mo.
Jonel: Hanggang dito, pinupuntahan ka ng estudyante mo? Ano ba itong bahay natin, eskwelahan?
(Makikita ang mga papel at record book sa ibabaw ng mesa.) Eto, etong mga ‘to! Kelan ka ba magiging
buong ina at asawa sa bahay na ‘to? (Ihahagis ang mga papel sa mesa. Pasigaw.) Sige! Unahin mo ‘yang
mga estudyante mo kesa sa anak mo! Punyeta!
Jonel sees women as objects to be used without consideration of their feelings and thinks that he

owns Emily since she is his wife and the mother of their child, and that he can control, dominate, and be

powerful against her. This is why he challenged her that if she goes to her students, he will leave her.

Jonel: Sige ‘pag umalis ka, di mo na ako makikita pagbalik mo. Punyeta talaga! (Kukunin ang mga damit,
isisilid sa mga bag.) Kung kaya mong ipagpalit ang pamilyang ito d’yan sa pagiging teacher mo, sige!
Emily: Jonel, teacher ako. Teacher ako sa school, dito sa bahay, teacher ako sa umaga, sa gabi. Bawat
minuto ng buhay ko, ‘yon ako! Alam ko, may pamilya ako dito. May asawa’t anak ako dito. Pero marami
pa akong anak, Jonel… Kung iiwan mo ako, dahil sa mga anak ko, di kita pipigilan.
Additionally, although they are not members of an organization for women, the relationship of

Emily and Michelle promotes the idea of sisterhood because of their bonding based on their common

experiences and this can be seen in their conversation.

Emily: Para ka naming hindi teacher. Alam mo namang hanggang sa mga bahay natin, dala-dala natin
ang trabaho galling school.
Michelle: Baguhan ka ‘te? Di ka pa nasanay?
Emily: ‘Pag late, deduction agad. Pero kahit dalhin mo ang trabaho hanggang dito sa bahay, T.Y.
Michelle: Eh, bayani ka raw eh. Modern heroes daw tayo.

The patriarchal gender role is evident in Emily of being a nurturing wife and mother and angel in

the house by making the house comfortable for her husband and child. Indeed, as a woman, Emily is

expected to make the home a safe haven so her husband can relax after his daily struggles in his workplace

and take care and provide guidance for their child.

Emily: ‘Yong asawa mo, pag-uwi galling sa trabaho, magpapahinga na lang. Maghihintay maluto ang
pagkain. Matutulog. Eh tayo, alas onse, alas dose matutulog kasi kelangan pang mag-compute ng grades.
Tapos iiyak ‘yong anak mo, ipagtitimpla ng gatas habang gumagawa ka ng test questions. Gigising ka nang
maaga kasi magluluto ka, ‘yong masarap ha, kasi magagalit ‘yong asawa mo ‘pag laging pritong itlog
lang…
All in all, Emily is having a hard time performing her patriarchal gender role as a woman by doing

her duties and responsibilities as a wife and as a mother aside from her work. She is characterized as good

girl since she is submissive to her husband and a nurturing mother. Also, Jonel promotes the ideas of

patriarchy (thinking that Emily should be able to do house chores because it is expected from a woman)

and sexism (thinking that he is superior to Emily). Considering Emily as feminine and Jonel as masculine

is an idea of social constructionism. It is also seen in the text on how destructive are the patriarchal gender

roles to Emily and Jonel and the sisterhood relationship between Emily and Michelle.