The Wedding Dance

By: Amador T. Daguio

Major Characters
 Lumnay - Awiyao’s former wife who is still in love with him, despite the fact he married another.
 Awiyao - The lead male in the story who loves Lumnay, but left her because she didn’t produce
children for him.
 Madulimay - Awiyao’s new, younger wife, with whom he hopes to have children.

Synopsis
"The Wedding Dance" by Amador Daguio, is a short story about a husband and wife, Awiyao and
Lumnay, who had been married for seven years. In spite of being in love with his wife, Awiyao feels the
need to marry again in order to have a son. At his second marriage celebration, Awiyao goes to check on
Lumnay, knowing she was upset. Awiyao thought the answer to Lumnay's sorrow would be to have her
join the other women during the wedding dance. Lumnay was in fact at his wedding, but left. She could
not stand the idea of her husband marrying another woman because she could not give him children.

EXPOSITION
The story begins at night in a mountain village in the Philippines, where Awiyao has just been
remarried.

CONFLICT
Awiyao has left his wife Lumnay because she couldn’t give him a child. He has now married
Madulimay in the hope of having a son. Lumnay is upset because she loves Awiyao and doesn’t want
this separation.
The conflict here is Man vs. Society .The lead characters have to follow their tribe’s custom , and
it is resolved when they had a heart-to heart talk that they should separate and continue with their
separate lives. And if Awiyao's second marriage will not work he will come back to Lumnay's arms again.
They should follow their tribe's custom and on the part of Awiyao he shows that he really wanted to
have a child to follow his name but there is a bit hesitance on Lumnay's part.

RISING ACTION
Outside, the villagers are dancing in celebration of the wedding. Awiyao leaves to try and
comfort Lumnay. He offers her many items of the life that they built together. Lumnay refuses them and
clings to Awiyao, wishing he would stay.

CLIMAX
Awiyao finally leaves to re-join the wedding and Lumnay runs into the hills.

FALLING ACTION
Lumnay sits on the side of the mountain overlooking the blazing fire and dancing women,
thinking about how her life has changed. She has a sense of desperation, isolation, and worthlessness.

RESOLUTION
The reader is left not knowing what will become of Lumnay.

Point of View
The Point of View used in this short story is the Third Person Omniscient – The author tells the story in
third person (using pronouns they, she, he, it, etc). We know only what the character knows and what
the author allows him/her to tell us. We can see the thoughts and feelings of characters if the author
chooses to reveal them to us.

Theme:
If you truly love a person, you must let them be happy.
Have you ever heard the saying “if you love someone, let them go”? The story of Lumnay and Awiyao
wrestles with this difficult issue. Despite how upsetting it is to Lumnay, she must let Awiyao go, not only
because of their culture, but also because it is clear that he will not be happy without a child.

Six Symbolic Elements

1. Gangsas
The gangsas are culturally important. The sound of the gangsas represents the man in the
wedding ceremony. Like the gangsas, they are strong and provide a beat to the dance, or a "beat
to life".
2. Dancing
Culturally, the dancing is a celebration of happiness. It is also a show of sexuality by the women.
Because Lumnay has not produced a child, she feels ashamed to dance and show herself to the
other men, as she believes no one will look at her.
3. The Fire
The fire or flames signify the burning intensity of both love and hate that Lumnay feels in the
situation. When Awiyao stirs the embers in Lumnay’s dark hut, he stirs up both of these feelings
in her. Later, as Lumnay watches the bonfire from afar, her physical distance from the fire
reflects her emotional separation from the man she loves.
4. The Beads
The beads in the story symbolize the promise that Awiyao made to Lumnay. They are also very
precious and are worth 20 fields. The fact that Awiyao gives them to Lumnay shows that he
cherishes her, and that he still believes she has worth. Although Lumnay rejects the hut and field
Awiayo offers her, she accepts the beads, suggesting her desire to remain connected to Awiyao.
5. The Floor
A number of times the narrator draws the reader’s attention to the rattan floor as Lumnay pulls
it apart. This is symbolic of their marriage unraveling.
6. The Night
The nighttime setting symbolically adds to the darkness and isolation that Lumnay feels as she
runs away from the village. As she works her way up the dark mountain alone, she is unable to
envision a path to the future. The reader, too, is left in darkness with the unresolved ending.