Merlinda Bobis is a Filipino-Australian writer known for her short story "The Fruit Stall". The story follows Marjory, who sells fresh fruits at a small shopping center near the sea. When a new vendor named Sue begins selling stolen goods next to Marjory, it causes conflict. One day the police mistake Marjory for the thief, but she points to Sue as the real seller of stolen foods. Sue flees and escapes through the crowd with her disguise removed.

1. The Fruit Stall

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/

15. Made by:
Peniel Joel Apas Iesha Riezl Reyes