2. Merlinda Bobis
► Born on November 25, 1959 in Legazpi City, Albay.
► A Contemporary Philippine-Australian writer and
academic.
► Completed her bachelor of arts in Aquinas University
Legazpi City
► Got her post-graduate degree in University of Santo
Tomas and University of Wollongong in Australia.
► Current Sentor Lectuirer at the University of Wollongong.
3. Awards
Prix Italia (international award) for Rita’s Lullaby (radio play), 1998
Australian Writers’ Guild Award (AWGIE) for Rita’s Lullaby, 1998
Pamana Philippine Presidential Award for achievement in the arts (for Filipino
expatriates), 1998
Shortlist: The Age Poetry Book of the Year Award for Summer Was A Fast Train
Without Terminals (collection of poems), 1998
Winner, Out of the Ashes Trans-Tasman Short Story Competition for White
Turtle (short story), 1998
4. Commended: National Short Story Competition, Society of Women Writers for
The Sadness Collector (short story), 1998
Joint winner, ABC Radio National’s 'Books & Writing Short Story Competition’ for
The Tongue (also known as The Parable of Illawarra Street), 1997
Ian Reed Foundation Prize for Radio Drama for Rita’s Lullaby, 1995
Carlos Palanca Memorial Award in Literature (Philippine national award),
Honourable Mention for Ms. Serena Serenata (one-act play), 1995
Gawad Cultural Centre of the Philippines (National award for Poetry in Pilipino)
for Mula Dulo Hanggang Kanto (‘From End to Corner’, collection of poems),
1990
5. CHARACTERS
Marjory- protagonist in the story
- Seller of fresh fruits
- wife of Jim
Jim- husband of Marjory
Brian- the book seller
Owen- helper of Brian
Melvin- a Restaurateur from across the road
Roy- the one who sold woolen carpets, blankets and books
Sue- seller of Fruit-eze
- seller of stolen goods
Eileen- seller of homemade cakes, biscuits and jams.
6. Setting of the story
Small shopping center near the sea.
Six thirty in the morning.
7. Plot Summary
Everyday, marjory sold fruit under a
small shopping centre near the sea with
his husband Jummy. And also with their
co-vendor, Brian and Owen
One day, a new vendor came to their small
shopping centre, her name is Sue. She is
selling a fruit-eze. A powdered vitamin
supplements. Marjory screwed her face.
When the work started, Sue asked Marjory if she can eye her stuff when
she's gone. Marjory accepted it. She picked up some flavoring. And
someone came up and Marjory accidentally dropped the bottle and the
flavoring explode at the floor. A man has an Alsatian puppy. The dog smell
the flavoring on the floor
One day, two burly constables trooped approach
to Marjory and Sue. One man pointed at Marjory.
Her heart beat started to raced. The man said that
she's the one whose been selling stolen foods
The senior constable said that she is little
different to the descw. Marjory said that she's
just sell fruits. Suddenly, she pointed Sue and
said she is the seller of that goods. Sue had run
off down the alley. Sue's shaggy wig had flipped
over her head. The police gave chase, but Sue,
now brown and scruffy,leapt through a hole in
the throng of shoppers
8. Summary
When Sue gets on the same place where Marjory selling her fresh fruits
and Marjory feels insulted because of that. Afterwards Sue insults the ware
of Marjory and one day Sue leave her store to Marjory then the man go to
Sue’s store and thinks that Marjory is the seller of Fruit-eze and stolen
goods. Afterwards Sue try to flee.
9. Conflict
When the Man thinks that Marjory is the seller of Fruit-eze and stolen
goods.
10. Theme
The truth can set us free. Like a woman in the story, her life seems
misarable and always struggling in the dark because of her secret. She
never felt the freedom to get along with other races in a foreign land due
to her insecurities. People like her never prove enough confidence to show
up to the world that being a Filipina is something you have to be proud of!
It is not something to be ashame of because of the foreign impression that
we, Filipina are cheap and easy to get. Let’s not degrade ourselves instead
we must prove them wrong and that is a challenge to all of us.
11. Symbolisms
The Fruits in the story are, to begin with, the fruits the protagonist is
selling.
And she herself is a kind of fruit, a commodity, sold to the highest bidder.
12. Plot Type
Classic plot- It begins when marjory started to fix her stall and it follows by
the middle when sue came in the stall and started to sell her fruit-eze. The
last, it end when marjory find out that Sue is the seller stolen goods
13. Point of View
Omniscient because Merlinda Bobis knows the feelings of all the
characters and their thoughts also in the short story “Fruit stall”.
The author tells the story in third person (using pronouns she, he, etc).
14. References
James, R. (November 14, 2007). The Fruit Stall. Retrieved from
http://illustratedshorts.com/the-fruit-stall/
