3rd Quarter | Week 7 | Discussion

Answer the following questions. (For these questions, no need to answer in 5 sentences). 

1. Where did the story happen?

The story physically took place in Liza’s home where she and her Tita Loleng are cooking sinigang for a family dinner. As the cooking progresses, the story interchanges with a series of sequential flashbacks that narrated Lem’s funeral in a living room in Bulacan.

2. Who are the characters in the story?

                The characters of the story are Liza, her sister Meg, her Tita Loleng, her father, her mother, her half-brother Lem, and her father’s mistress Sylvia.

3. What do you think led to the emotional separation of Liza from her father?

                The picture of having a big happy family was shattered when Liza learned of her father’s adultery. As someone who experienced the same thing, I’m sure that the disillusionment of her father’s character caused Liza’s indifference. Liza felt betrayed. She felt that everything that led up to that point wasn’t real, and her trust was gone. Despite all this, she still can’t fully bring herself to hate the man she once so-lovingly called a father.

4. What was the most interesting part of the story?

                I quite like the series of juxtaposition that occurred between Liza’s cooking and her flashbacks. Despite the constant back-and-forth storytelling, the transition between each timeline was smooth, so it was easy for me as a reader to understand. I especially loved the part where Liza’s emotion hit climax as she was crushing the ingredients together. The cooking process became an idiom in itself to describe Liza’s entire experience and perspective of the situation.

5. What was the story about?

                “Sinigang” tells a story of how Liza is dealing with her emotions, after learning of her father’s infidelity. The story shows how extramarital affairs can cause rifts and strains in the relationship of the child and parent in a way that none of them can ever perceive. It also clearly portrayed that despite the influx of negative emotions, a child could never fully bring themselves to hate their parents. Things would never go back to the way it was once trust is broken. This story stayed true to its intended message and left things in a stalemate.  

6. Who narrated the story?

                The story was told from Liza’s point of view, making her the narrator of the story.