Si Rama, ayan na! sa sibago ang punta: Laying Bare Abdon M. Balde Jr. sibago to reveal its myths in light of Roland Barthes mythologies

This study intends to perform a reading of Abdon M. Balde Jr. eighth novel, Sibago-an adaptation of the Ramayana using Roland Barthes Mythologies as the theoretical framework. The researchers will examine the ways in which Balde Jr. demythologizes the Ramayana in his novelistic adaptation of the epic-Sibago, and in the end, Balde Jr.s will be demythologized for the myths and ideologies found in his work. This project will be undertaken in order to discover the new myths and ideologies propagated in Sibago and at the same time discover its implication behind the changes he made in his adaptation regarding the epic and to the new context it is translated into- the Philippine contemporary setting. Moreover, this study is also interested in how the author has modified the archetypal characters of the hero, the heros assistant, the damsel in distress, and the villain in his novel. In the process, the researchers will first summarize in detail the events that take place in the novel while injecting scenes similar to the epic and analyzing how Balde Jr. shows his originality in these similar scenes by looking into the ways in which the novel is unique from the epic and its implications to the Philippine context. After looking into the plot of the novel, the researcher will pay attention to the characters of the novel by juxtaposing them to their counterparts in the epic. For Barthes, myths are made transparent in the things we encounter everyday, that is why it is important not to look on the surface level of things, rather he propose to look at its deeper implications. Applying his methodology, the researcher will analyze the novel to reveal the myths or ideologies of Balde Jr. in his work and explain what these myths purport to the present state of the Philippines. The researcher will also explain the ways in which Balde Jr. reinvents the archetypal characters in the novel. From here, the researchers final goal is to work towards a conclusion explaining the significant role the novel-as an adaptation of the epic-plays in the context of Filipino daily life by determining and explaining the myths of ideologies purported in the novel