Wanted A Chaperone: Effects of Gossiping on the Filipino Family Structure

Abstract

Although dramatic in its approach towards everyday life, a play can interpret some of the problems that are inherent in society. Plays that are more so a commentary on everyday life offer insights that are in line with how society functions. The play, Wanted: A Chaperone, portrays the effects of misunderstanding between the social interactions of the opposite sexes. Specifically, as to how the culture of gossiping could turn a simple misunderstanding to a full blown scandal between members within the family structure. Thus, the study investigates the practice of gossiping within the play by inspecting how it affected the plot through scrutinizing its characters and their dialogues. In addition, the study uses the discourse analysis method of the qualitative approach. The data gathered is further analyzed with the use of George Herbert Mead’s Symbolic Interactionism Theory and Mary Wollstonecraft’s Feminist Theories as a means to analyze the practice of gossiping within the play. As analyzed thoroughly, the plot does involve a great deal of gossiping within the characters of the play. To the point where it greatly affected the family structure within the community causing the conflict to erupt between each member.