Title Details

---

The study sought to determine the portrait of the Filipino woman using twelve of Paz Latorena's short stories which were compiled and edited by Eva V. Kalaw. The study is qualitative using the descriptive-analysis design. Via purrposive sampling,the twelve short stories were chosen from a compilation of thirty five stories. In these stories, woman were either the only protaonists or one of the main characters. Approaches to characterization, the feminist Approach to Literature, the concept of Literary images, and the concept of the Filipino woman in the stories. The finding of the study revealed that they are three kinds of Filipino woman and they are the saint, the Shrewd, and the Shadow. The woman's common virtues included courage, selflessness, chastity, wisdom endurance, initiative, assertiveness, industry, and devotio to loves ones. The protagonists manifested no vice. But their common struggles included open verbal communication with loved ones and overwhelming emotions like anger, sadness, and disappiontment. Their most common passion is to love and be loved. Morever the woman protagonists went through virtues amidst struggles. The writer, Paz Latorena, salutes the dignified Filipino woman in that she charactirizas her as a woman of strenth-strong in morality amd passionate in her relationship with those she loves. Despite her physical and emotional struggles, she strives to conquer difficult situation and people. Characterization was achieved more often through the narrator's direct description than via the protagonists' self-characterization, and their thoughts and actions. What other characters say and think about the protagonists also characterized the letter, but in very rare instances. The study concluded that the Filipino woman ib Paz-Lattorena's short stories fits the over-all portrait of the virtuous- the epitome of courage, selflesssness, devotion, chastity. perseverance, assertiveness, initiative, and wisdom.

---