Culture Dominating Nature in The Wedding Dance by Amador Daguio The Wedding Dance by Amador Daguio is almost always interpreted as a love story between two married couple – Awiyao and Lumnay. Most readers thought the story focuses on how a man can be so selfish to hurt a woman like Lumnay, on how Lumnay sacrificed her happiness for the one she loved, on how painful the story of Awiyao and Lumnay ended, on how true love does not always have a happy ending. However, the story can also be interpreted more deeply as one reads between the lines – not just analyzing the text literally. The story suggests the conflict between nature and culture. Simply defining those terms - nature describes how a human normally acts, while culture deals with …show more content…

TThough he was physically manly, however, he still thinks (because of what the society told him) that having a child is the real basis for manhood. It also justifies his reasons for proving his masculinity. The use of the adjective seven harvests to describe how long Awiyao and Lumnay were trying to create a child was an indication of how vulnerable Awiyao was. Seven harvests could mean three-and-a-half years. This means that Awiyao was so fragile that he already gave up after three-and-a-half years. The society immediately succeeded in its attempt of domination. The gangsas that were in the background during the conversation of Awiyao and Lumnay simply tell the influence of the society in every action of Awiyao and Lumnay. It gives the readers the idea that they are bound by their culture. They are surrounded by laws. Each thing they do and say should be within the limits of their tribes. “But the gleaming brightness of the bonfire commanded her to stop.” The bonfire symbolizes the unwritten law of their tribe. It has that kind of radiance and power that even people with great will and desire will be discouraged as it has the ability to engulf people who will come along its way. The presence of the bean sprouts during Lumnay’s lamentations could be interpreted in different ways. However, it chiefly means that she finally accepted the fact that she cannot break the culture. Though the love of Lumnay and