Literary Analysis (Outline Making)

Determine the setting and the types of conflict. Understand and explain how the cultural setting and the
conflicts represent the roundness of the main character.

I. Introduction and Thesis Statement

In Cecillia Brainard’s Flip Gothic, Mindy is a Filipina raised in the United States. As she grows
older, she develops a liberal and gothic personality that is noticed by her relatives. Her persona leads her
to be sent to the Philippines to live with her grandmother. In her stay there, she slowly starts to resolve
her inner personal struggles. The author uses cultural setting and conflict to express the roundness of
the main character, Arminda.

II. Cultural Setting

A. In Ubec, Mindy gets to celebrate Festivals and Christmas holidays in the Philippines.
1. Noche Buena, Sinulog Festival, etc.
B. She also gets to attend midnight Masses, something that her family in the States does not
normally do.
1. “We joined them for midnight Mass…”
2. “…you do not always go to Mass on Sundays.” (Grandmother to Nelia and Jun)

III. Types of Conflict

A. Character vs Society
1. Mindy is disliked by her cousins because of her behavior.
2. “…I don’t know what else to call this (Mindy) willful, mouthy, and arrogant child.”
B. Character vs Self
1. Mindy undergoes an identity crisis and expresses it through her unusual gothic and
liberal behavior.
a. “It is clear this child is terribly insecure, that she does not like herself. Coloring
her hair, this outrageous get-up— she is simply hiding behind all these.” -Grandmother’s
first letter to Nelia
b. She shaves her head, does not go to school, dyes the Sto. Niño’s hair, etc.
c. “Her (Mindy) language is foul, her behavior appalling.”

IV. Cultural Setting, Conflict, and Character Development

A. Relationship between the cultural setting and the conflict
1. “You two (mother and father) have become too American for your own good. This has
contributed to the problem.” -1st letter
2. “I cannot help wondering if your lifestyle there has forced her to grow up too
quickly.” -3rd letter of Mama
B. The more she is immersed with her culture, the more she changes.
1. “More mellow behavior”, “She was charming to her cousins”

VI. Conclusion
A. Restatement of the Thesis Statement.
B. Mention how culture and one’s origin greatly affects one’s personality and habits.
C. Message and Realisation
1. “It is important to know where one comes from, in order to know where one is
headed.” -5th letter Mama to Nelia
 A Formalist Literary Analysis on Flip Gothic by Cecillia Brainard
by Anne Yasay (11-GAS)

In Cecillia Brainard’s Flip Gothic, Arminda is a Filipina raised in the United States. As
she grows older, she develops a liberal and gothic personality that is noticed by her relatives. Her
persona leads her to be sent to the Philippines to live with her grandmother. During her stay
there, she slowly starts to resolve her inner personal struggles. The author uses cultural setting
and conflict to express the roundness of the main character, Arminda.

The story unfolds through the exchange of letters between Nelia: Arminda's mother, and
Mama: her grandmother. It starts when Arminda goes to Ubec, Philippines, to stay with her
grandmother. In Ubec, she participates in Filipino culture. She gets to celebrate Festivals and
Christmas holidays in the Philippines. Such as Noche Buena, Sinulog, and more. She also attends
midnight Masses, something her family in the States does not normally do. There is a visible
distinction between the culture in the United States and the Philippines. This difference is seen
especially in a religious aspect. In the first letter from Arminda's grandmother to Nelia, the
family's lack of going to Church and having an altar at home is mentioned. This may represent
their lack of connection with God and each other overall. 

Arminda also undergoes conflicts influenced mainly by her struggle for cultural identity.
These conflicts are between the society she is in and herself. Her aforementioned gothic
personality clashes with the conservative culture of her Filipino relatives. In her grandmother's
letters, she is referred to as "willful, mouthy, and arrogant", which leads her to be disliked by her
cousins and other relatives. In line with this, Arminda also undergoes an identity crisis and
expresses it through her unusual and liberal behavior. She shaves her head, chooses not to go to
school, speaks repulsively, and more. “It is clear this child is terribly insecure, that she does not
like herself. Coloring her hair, this outrageous get-up— she is simply hiding behind all these.”
(Mama to Nelia 1) The Western culture she grew up with, along with the influence given to her
by her peers, forced her to disregard her Filipino culture. Also, her parents do not know how to
handle her personality as they are adjusting to the American culture as well. She questions her
cultural identity; she expresses this confusion through being rebellious.
 The cultural setting of the story plays a significant role in resolving the conflicts the main
character faces. The primary reason for Arminda's behavior is the American lifestyle she grew up
with. Her grandmother mentions this in her first and third letters respectively: “You two (Jun and
Nelia) have become too American for your own good. This has contributed to the problem,” and
“I cannot help wondering if your lifestyle there has forced her to grow up too quickly.” When
she stays in Ubec, these conflicts are recognized and slowly settled. Throughout the story, it is
evident how Arminda's character develops the more she gets immersed in her Filipino culture.
She behaves more mellowly and becomes charming to her cousins, contrary to when she first
came to Ubec. Ultimately, she grows a deeper understanding of family and the nature of being a
Filipina. 

In conclusion, the relationship between the cultural setting and the conflicts demonstrate
how round of a character Arminda is. The conflicts she has with others and herself revolve
around the cultural setting of the story. Both cultures— American and Filipino impact Arminda
and her behavior. Her stay in Ubec encourages her to acknowledge her Filipino roots and
develop culturally. Her growth from the first to the last part of the story is greatly evident. “It is
important to know where one comes from, in order to know where one is headed.” (Mama to
Nelia 5) The mentioned literary elements in the story successfully display how culture and origin
greatly affect a person's behavior, especially at a young age.