CITY COLLEGE OF

ENGM201b: Literary Criticism

CALAMBA (Die Inday) LITERARY CRITICISM
DEPARTMENT OF ARTS, SCIENCES, AND TEACHER EDUCATION

SCRUTINIZING DIE INDAY through the lens of

Marxist Criticism

Falla, Mariabelle A.

City college of Calamba

Calamba City of the Philippines

mariabellefalla_18@gmai.com

Date received: November 21, 2019

Abstract

The story of Die Inday is all about the two maids that feel exhausted of their daily household
chores. They wanted to have good life or feel like a master not as a slave. So that they act like their
employer when their master is not around and they make sure that their master will never know what
they do. These two maids are being insulted by their master whenever she gives them a task the reason
why they planned to kill her and after that they will own the property of their Madam. One day while
they are imitating their madam Suling accidentally killed Claire because she was thinking that Claire
was there Madam.

The aim of this is to analyse deeply the story in order to give the information well to the reader by
applying the four literary approaches that will help to analyse each text effectively. The literary
approaches being used are the Marxism, archetypal, Symbolism, and sociological criticism and Queer
theory.

Keywords: literary criticism, interpretation, structures, meanings, evidences, and approaches.

 CITY COLLEGE OF
ENGM201b: Literary Criticism
CALAMBA (Die Inday)
DEPARTMENT OF ARTS, SCIENCES, AND TEACHER EDUCATION
Introduction
Marxist Criticism concerns with the
analysis of the clash of opposing social classes
in society, namely, the ruling class and the
working class as it shaped the events that
transpired in the story. In Die Inday story
shows the discrimination literary works are
products of the economic and ideological
determinants specific era. Critics examine the
relationship of a literary product to the actual
economic and social reality of its time and
place. Literary works are products of the
economic and ideological determinants
specific era. Critics examine the relationship
of a literary product to the actual economic
and social reality of its time and place. Inter
related to this stand the sociological
criticism is can be seen in this story as the
result of Marxism that set a standard of living
how we looks and how we portray ourselves
in the society. As we can see in the play the
main character are gays and they portraying
the life of being third sex. They are being
judge based on their characteristics and
status in life. The society set a labelled of them
as a part of the society as part of what we
called LGBT community. In this situation
Queer theory is being used, it refers to the
combined area of gay and lesbian studies and
LITERARY CRITICISM
criticism, including studies of variations in
biological sex, gender identity and sexual
desires. As we observe Claire in the story is
being fantasize to have lover or able to feel a
care and love by someone that he desire. In
addition the language that being used in the
play is gay language that let the audience or
reader know their culture as a part of the
community. Also Archetypal criticism is
shown, when Suling and Claire repeating to
imitate their Madam when she was not
around. They keep imagining that they have a
power or superiority if their madam is not
around. The second one is they always
looking for the return of Madam behind the
curtain or window for them not to get caught
on what they did when she is not around.
Also, when they are doing their household
chores in everyday life as a servant of their
master from wiping the windows cleaning the
shoes and arranging the stuffs inside the room
of Madam. Last is from the beginning they are
servant and until the end of the story they
remain as a mad of their master. The last
criticism for that can be seen in this literature
is Symbolism it refers putting a meaning into
something. The red dress of madam in the
story symbolize to the power or being a ruler
 CITY COLLEGE OF
ENGM201b: Literary Criticism
CALAMBA (Die Inday)
DEPARTMENT OF ARTS, SCIENCES, AND TEACHER EDUCATION
as we observe the red dress is the thing that
she wear when she commanding to the two.
The last criticism for that can be seen in this
literature is Symbolism it refers putting a
meaning into something. The red dress of
madam in the story symbolize to the power or
being a ruler as we observe the red dress is
the thing that she wear when she
commanding to the two.
Elements of the short story
Characters
The characters of the story are;
Suling and Claire - they are the main
character of the story. They are the maids
who work for madame. Claire was the
youngest and being murdered in the last part
of the play while Suling is the eldest who
killed Claire because of her frustration and
ambition in life.
Madame – the owner of the house the one
who insulting Suling and Claire in the story
and the wife of Sir who is being imprisoned in
the story.
Mario – is the suitor of Claire and the water
boy of the house.
Sir – is the husband of madame who being
imprisoned for the sins that he never did.
LITERARY CRITICISM
Settings are where and when the story
happens. The setting of this story is inside the
bedroom of Madame where in Suling and
Claire portraying or pretending as Madame.
Aside from the bedroom the other is the
kitchen where Suling do all her household
chores as a maid.
Conflict
Conflicts can be classified as external and
internal. These happen when something go
against the way in what the characters
expected to happen. In this story faced a
different kind of conflict that arise from the
society and man.
Character vs. Character
In this conflict it is usually occur when the
protagonist and his antagonist have a
competition or threats to each other.
When Suling and Claire are having an
argument about their plans. Also to Madam
and in the two maids wherein she insulting
the both of them about their status in life.
Character vs. Society
In this conflict it is usually occur when the the
characters is go against by the society. They
 CITY COLLEGE OF
ENGM201b: Literary Criticism
CALAMBA (Die Inday)
DEPARTMENT OF ARTS, SCIENCES, AND TEACHER EDUCATION
are judge by the people surrounds them.
When they are not treated equally by the
society because of their status in life and
gender as well. They are being discriminate
by people because of who and what they are.
Point of view
The point of view of the author is limited third
person point of view because the even the
narrator know the feeling thoughts and
actions but it was just in a surface. He don’t
even know the things or questions that popo
up in their mind. The only one thing that the
narrator know is the feelings and thoughts of
the two main characters but aside from that
he don’t know the other characters.
Theme
The theme of Die Inday is all about revenge
because the two made are making plans how
to get rid or kill their master. The reason why
they want to kill her is she was always
degrading of being human of Suling and
Claire. They are also tired of being slave and
they wanted to have a good life as what their
master have, so that they making plans to kill
her and get all the luxurious that she have.
Plot Diagram
LITERARY CRITICISM
Exposition is where the characters being
introduced and the possible problem that may
occur in the story. the exposition of this story
is where Suling and Claire imitate their
Madame. In this scenario there is no big
problem arise and the characters are being
introduced.
Inciting Incidents is where the possible
occur in the story. The inciting incidents of
this story is when the alarm clock rang and at
the same time Madame arrived or came back
in the house because madame will start to
nagging them and giving them a lot of task
that make them exhausted and insulted in the
same time.
Rising Action is where the situation and
tension is getting higher where in the
characters starts to resolve the problems. The
rising action of the story is when Madame saw
the hanging telephone that being lef by Claire
when someone call in their house. Their
madame ask them who calls before she arrive
and the two maids are feeling nervous and at
the same time can’t uttered a right word for
better explanation. Aside from that is when
Calire wants Madame to drink the tea with
poision but it was failed because Madame is
hurry to meet his husband that being released
in the jail.
 CITY COLLEGE OF
ENGM201b: Literary Criticism
CALAMBA (Die Inday)
DEPARTMENT OF ARTS, SCIENCES, AND TEACHER EDUCATION
Climax is the turning point of the story,
where the emotion is being explodes. The
climax of the sory is when Suling and Claire
continue their plays where in Suling portray
as Madame and Claire was the maid. As their
role play passes by Suling imagined that
Claire was the true Madame because she
brought by the scene. In this point Claire was
asking Suling to take off her hand because it is
hard for her to breath but Suling was
determined to kill madame without knowing
it was Claire. In this scenario is the turning
point of emotion because Claire was so scared
and Suling is felt accomplishment in his
wrong did.
Falling Action is the time where the emotion
or tension is getting down. The falling action
is when Suling realized that she killed her
own sister and thinking that she also
muredered her madame. She was scared
knowing that the police officer may arrested
her for the crime that she committed.
Resolution where the problem is being
resolve. When Claire show herself as a ghost
to her sister and let Suling to realized that all
their oplan was wrong and accepting that they
are distened to be maid and end up like a
maid.
LITERARY CRITICISM
Result and Dicussion
The five literary theories are used to analyse
Die Inday
Marxist Criticism - it is being used in the
story because it refers to the status in life or
hierarchy if each individual. Showing the
difference of higher class to the lower class of
people can see the difference of the two
classes. The way Madame gives her
commands to its maid and the choices of her
word. They portray the role of the maid in the
society and at the same time of the employer
in their lives.
Archetypal Criticism - it refers to the
happenings that always happen to them. Like
the two made always do. They keep imitating
their master and after that they will do their
task. For example they begin to be the slave
the first part until the end they are just slave.
In their position history repeated itself.
Sociological Criticism - As we can see in the
play the main character are gays and they
portraying the life of being third sex. They are
being judge based on their characteristics and
status in life. The society set a labelled of them
as a part of the society as part of what we
called LGBT community.
 CITY COLLEGE OF
ENGM201b: Literary Criticism
CALAMBA (Die Inday)
DEPARTMENT OF ARTS, SCIENCES, AND TEACHER EDUCATION
Symbolism - the red dress that wearing
madame is talks about the power that she
have that two maids want to get that power.
Second is the flower that made into a circle it
symbolizes the death of Claire it serves as her
Halo or the flower of dead people. Last is the
horsewhip it symbolizespower and
punishments that the superior can give to her
employer.
Last is Queer theory is being used, it refers to
the combined area of gay and lesbian studies
and criticism, including studies of variations
in biological sex, gender identity and sexual
desires. As we observe Claire in the story is
being fantasize to have lover or able to feel a
care and love by someone that he desire. In
addition the language that being used in the
play is gay language that let the audience or
reader know their culture as a part of the
community.
Conclusion
The story of Die Inday is all about the life of
maids how difficult there work is, and
sometimes they commit mistake because
ofthe hardship and insult that they can from
their superior. The analysis of this story is
used five approaches to interpret the story
want to imply to the readers. First is Marxism
because of portraying the hierarchy of each
LITERARY CRITICISM
individual in the story between the maid and
the employer. Second is Sociological
Criticism as we can see in the play the main
characters are gays and they portraying the
life of being third sex. They are being judge
based on their characteristics and status in
life. The society set a labelled of them as a part
of the society as part of what we called LGBT
community.
Third is symbolism which the flower red
dress and latigo symbolize power, death and
punishment and fourt archetypal because
until the end the two main remain in their
position history repeated itself. Last is Queer
theory is being used, it refers to the combined
area of gay and lesbian studies and criticism,
including studies of variations in biological
sex, gender identity and sexual desires. As we
observe Claire in the story is being fantasize
to have lover or able to feel a care and love by
someone that he desire. In addition the
language that being used in the play is gay
language that let the audience or reader know
their culture as a part of the community.
It is entitled die Inday because in the end
Claire was died because of their revenge and
by imitating their superior. This story has the
great impact to the readers because it’s open
our eyes that whatever words comes out in
 CITY COLLEGE OF
ENGM201b: Literary Criticism
CALAMBA (Die Inday) LITERARY CRITICISM
DEPARTMENT OF ARTS, SCIENCES, AND TEACHER EDUCATION

our mouth can affect the whole life of each tell us don’t be too much ambitious on what
individual. The way that we treat them we we wanted in life because sometime it lead us
should be careful because we are one of the in the wrong path or direction.
factor what should they become. Die Inday

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