Dogeaters
Encyclopedia
Dogeaters is a novel written by Jessica Hagedorn
and published in 1990. Hagedorn also adapted her novel into a play by the same name. Dogeaters, set in the late 1950s in Manila
(the capital of the Philippines
), addresses several social, political and cultural issues present in the Philippines during the 1950s.
The title is a common derogatory term referring to Filipino natives who supposedly eat dogs instead of pork or chicken. The term reflects attitudes within Filipino culture
and attempts to become more westernized.
rules the country. However, leftists are challenging his authority and his actions, resulting in great turmoil and violence. The book begins with lengthy introductions and character descriptions. Rio Gonzaga plays the role of narrator for her family; other important characters are introduced through a third person narrator, such as the wealthy Severo Alacran, and his wife Isabel. The contrast between the upper-class lives of the Gonzagas and Alacrans and the poorer characters portrays the disparity amongst the different classes in Filipino society. Another narrator is Joey Sands, a local DJ at a gay club and a male prostitute. The book also explores the relationship between aspiring actor Romeo Rosales and Trinidad Gamboa. Despite the beliefs of many Filipinos, the lives of actresses such as Lolita Luna are not glamorous, but are instead a spiraling trap of drugs and sexual exploitation.
The novel intertwines these characters and stories through a series of events, including the "Young Miss Philippines" annual pageant, the Manila International Film Festival, and the assassination of human rights activist Senator Domingo Avila. Daisy Avila, the Senator's daughter, wins the beauty pageant, but instead of rejoicing in her victory, she becomes depressed and withdraws into her family home. She later publicly denounces the pageant, enters into a tumultuous relationship with foreign banker Malcolm Webb and then gets involved with political leftist Santos Tirador.
Meanwhile, the collapse of a cultural center during construction for the film festival kills many Filipino workers. The First Lady orders cement to be poured over the bodies and the continuation of construction. Rainer, a German director visiting for the film festival, convinces Joey to stay with him for the week that he is there. On the last day, Joey steals money and drugs from Rainer and witnesses Senator Domingo Avila's assassination. Joey ends up escaping to a rebel camp in the mountains. There, he meets Aurora Avila, who hopes her sister, who has been raped and tortured by General Ledesma and his military men as a result of her relationship with Santos, and mother have escaped the country. It is revealed that Romeo has been framed for Senator Avila's assassination.
Rio then narrates the rest of the story, explaining the life stories of her family members.
to the United States
with her mother and only revisits her childhood home as an adult.
Pucha: Rio's cousin. She enjoys being the center of attention and craves a glamorous life. Although she marries Boomboom Alacran, a wealthy man with good connections, the marriage doesn't last.
Severo Alacran: a self-made man who owns corporations such as TruCola Soft Drinks and SPORTEX. He controls interests in Mabuhay Movie Studios. He has many mistresses including Lolita Luna and sleeps with many of his servants.
Isabel Alacran: Severo Alacran's wife and a former beauty queen.
Rosario "Baby" Alacran: Severo and Isabel's daughter. Unlike her mother, she is plump, shy, and awkward. At 17, she gets pregnant and elopes with Pepe Carreon.
Daisy Avila: a beauty pageant queen. After winning the title of Miss Philippines, she publicly denounces the pageant and becomes involved with political leftist Santos Tirador. Consequently, Daisy is arrested, raped and tortured by General Ledesma and his military men. She later becomes a refugee in the mountains.
Joey Sands: a gay prostitute who works as a DJ at CocoRico. After he witnesses the assassination of Senator Avila, he hides out at Uncle's shack and eventually has help from Boy-Boy to escape the law.
Uncle: adopted Joey after his prostitute mother abandoned him. Uncle teaches Joey the art of stealing and abuses him sexually. Later, he betrays Joey by attempting to sell him out to the authorities.
Orlando (Romeo) Rosales: a self-absorbed man who believes his beauty will grant him fame. In an attempt of pursuing an acting career, he decides one day to end his amorous relationship with Trinidad. On that day, he is mistaken for someone in a group of subversives based in the Cordilleras. Orlando is fatally shot and thus becomes part of the aftermath of the Senator’s assassination.
Boy Boy: an orphan also taken in by Uncle. During the assassination scandal, Boy Boy helps Joey escape from Uncle and the police.
Sergeant Planas: works for Pepe Carreon and is Uncle's contact in the government. Uncle attempts to betray Joey through the Sergeant.
The President and The First Lady: a corrupt dictator and his wife. Their names are never explicitly mentioned, though there are several allusions to Ferdinand Edralin Marcos and his wife, Imelda Romualdez Marcos. For example, the First Lady's "cultural center" has similarities to the Cultural Center of the Philippines
commissioned by Marcos. In an interview in last part of the book, the First Lady discusses her shoes, likely a direct reference to Imelda Marcos's extensive shoe collection.
General Ledesma: a powerful figure who cheats on his wife with the famous movie star Lolita Luna.
Lolita Luna: a famous movie star known for her sexuality and magnificent body. She uses her fame to manipulate powerful men like General Ledesma. She wishes to leave the Philippines for the United States.
Pepe Carreon: works with General Ledesma. He later elopes with Baby Alacran.
Rainer: a famous German director. He has a short relationship with Joey Sands.
Senator Domingo Avila: a politician and human rights activist labeled a leftist by the government. His assassination becomes a great mystery since it is unclear who shot him.
Trinidad Gamboa: a sales associate at SPORTEX who enjoys being associated with the prestigious and wealthy. She dates Romeo.
Cora Camacho: the star of a popular televesion show; she interviews important figures such as Severo Alacran and Daisy Avila.
One theme is the clash between dictatorship and anarchy. The President and the First Lady have a foreboding presence throughout the novel that contrasts with the human rights activist Senator Domingo Avila; the Senator protests "crimes against the people" and is thus labeled a "leftist" by the government. Avila's assassination and the resultant coverup that implicates the innocent Romeo demonstrates the government's oppressive nature. These events are juxtaposed with an interview with the First Lady who rationalizes the evidence of their corruption and denies that the Filipino government is a dictatorship.
Marriage
Another theme is the achievement of social mobility of Filipino women through marriage. Isabel Alacran, for example, marries Severo because of his power and wealth. Likewise, Isabel is a social asset to her husband and her main job in life is to always appear flawless and polished. Pucha also exhibits this mindset for women.
Beauty
Another theme is the importance placed on beauty. Rio's mother, Dolores, follows a strict beauty regimen and uses various products and services in order to remain youthful. Joey also epitomizes this theme as he uses his exotic looks to infatuate customers and procure gifts from them.
Religion
Religion seems to be an underlying theme as a few key characters are described as extremely religious. For example, General Ledesma’s wife, Leonor, exhibits a monastic lifestyle, with much fasting and prayer, and strives for sainthood. Religion runs so deep in the Gonzaga family that even when Rio's atheist grandfather is dying, the family priest is called. Although Rio does not directly address the role of religion in her life during the novel, in the end she states that her "belief in God
remains tentative" and that she "long ago stopped going to church."
American Influence
A prevalent theme in the novel is the effect of American influence. Through American movies and music young characters such as Rio and Pucha begin to desire American glamour and its brash style. Filipinos embrace American influence and admire the culture.
Role of Women
Within Dogeaters, women are either preoccupied with beauty, as society expects of them, or their education.
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is a strong undertone of the novel.
Dogeaters won an American Book Award
in 1990 and was nominated for the National Book Award
in 1991.
The novel refers to a number of major films:
The novel also refers to a number of iconic American figures:
In 1997, Jessica Hagedorn transformed her book into a play. The play was developed in Utah and first premiered in La Jolla, California on September 8, 1998.
Jessica Hagedorn
Jessica Tarahata Hagedorn is a Filipino-American playwright, writer, poet, storyteller, musician, and multimedia performance artist.-Biography:...
and published in 1990. Hagedorn also adapted her novel into a play by the same name. Dogeaters, set in the late 1950s in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
(the capital of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
), addresses several social, political and cultural issues present in the Philippines during the 1950s.
The title is a common derogatory term referring to Filipino natives who supposedly eat dogs instead of pork or chicken. The term reflects attitudes within Filipino culture
Culture of the Philippines
Philippine culture is related to Micronesian, Bornean, Mexican and Spanish cultures. The people today are mostly of Malayo-Polynesian origin, although there are people with Spanish, Mexican, Austro-Melanesian and Chinese blood. Geographically, the Philippines is considered part of Southeast Asia...
and attempts to become more westernized.
Plot summary
Dogeaters follows the stories of several characters in the Philippines, including members of the Alacran, Avila and Gonzaga families. A dictatorDictator
A dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power but without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...
rules the country. However, leftists are challenging his authority and his actions, resulting in great turmoil and violence. The book begins with lengthy introductions and character descriptions. Rio Gonzaga plays the role of narrator for her family; other important characters are introduced through a third person narrator, such as the wealthy Severo Alacran, and his wife Isabel. The contrast between the upper-class lives of the Gonzagas and Alacrans and the poorer characters portrays the disparity amongst the different classes in Filipino society. Another narrator is Joey Sands, a local DJ at a gay club and a male prostitute. The book also explores the relationship between aspiring actor Romeo Rosales and Trinidad Gamboa. Despite the beliefs of many Filipinos, the lives of actresses such as Lolita Luna are not glamorous, but are instead a spiraling trap of drugs and sexual exploitation.
The novel intertwines these characters and stories through a series of events, including the "Young Miss Philippines" annual pageant, the Manila International Film Festival, and the assassination of human rights activist Senator Domingo Avila. Daisy Avila, the Senator's daughter, wins the beauty pageant, but instead of rejoicing in her victory, she becomes depressed and withdraws into her family home. She later publicly denounces the pageant, enters into a tumultuous relationship with foreign banker Malcolm Webb and then gets involved with political leftist Santos Tirador.
Meanwhile, the collapse of a cultural center during construction for the film festival kills many Filipino workers. The First Lady orders cement to be poured over the bodies and the continuation of construction. Rainer, a German director visiting for the film festival, convinces Joey to stay with him for the week that he is there. On the last day, Joey steals money and drugs from Rainer and witnesses Senator Domingo Avila's assassination. Joey ends up escaping to a rebel camp in the mountains. There, he meets Aurora Avila, who hopes her sister, who has been raped and tortured by General Ledesma and his military men as a result of her relationship with Santos, and mother have escaped the country. It is revealed that Romeo has been framed for Senator Avila's assassination.
Rio then narrates the rest of the story, explaining the life stories of her family members.
Major Characters
Rio Gonzaga: the first narrative voice in the novel, which sets the tone for the entire book. In the beginning, she reveals her thoughts and fantasies as a ten-year-old girl. While Rio belongs to the upper class, she has compassion for the lower class. Consequently, she enjoys the company of her grandmother and all the servants. Later, Rio leaves from ManilaManila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with her mother and only revisits her childhood home as an adult.
Pucha: Rio's cousin. She enjoys being the center of attention and craves a glamorous life. Although she marries Boomboom Alacran, a wealthy man with good connections, the marriage doesn't last.
Severo Alacran: a self-made man who owns corporations such as TruCola Soft Drinks and SPORTEX. He controls interests in Mabuhay Movie Studios. He has many mistresses including Lolita Luna and sleeps with many of his servants.
Isabel Alacran: Severo Alacran's wife and a former beauty queen.
Rosario "Baby" Alacran: Severo and Isabel's daughter. Unlike her mother, she is plump, shy, and awkward. At 17, she gets pregnant and elopes with Pepe Carreon.
Daisy Avila: a beauty pageant queen. After winning the title of Miss Philippines, she publicly denounces the pageant and becomes involved with political leftist Santos Tirador. Consequently, Daisy is arrested, raped and tortured by General Ledesma and his military men. She later becomes a refugee in the mountains.
Joey Sands: a gay prostitute who works as a DJ at CocoRico. After he witnesses the assassination of Senator Avila, he hides out at Uncle's shack and eventually has help from Boy-Boy to escape the law.
Uncle: adopted Joey after his prostitute mother abandoned him. Uncle teaches Joey the art of stealing and abuses him sexually. Later, he betrays Joey by attempting to sell him out to the authorities.
Orlando (Romeo) Rosales: a self-absorbed man who believes his beauty will grant him fame. In an attempt of pursuing an acting career, he decides one day to end his amorous relationship with Trinidad. On that day, he is mistaken for someone in a group of subversives based in the Cordilleras. Orlando is fatally shot and thus becomes part of the aftermath of the Senator’s assassination.
Minor Characters
Andres Alacran: the homosexual owner of CocoRico, a prestige bar that attracts many foreigners and famous people.Boy Boy: an orphan also taken in by Uncle. During the assassination scandal, Boy Boy helps Joey escape from Uncle and the police.
Sergeant Planas: works for Pepe Carreon and is Uncle's contact in the government. Uncle attempts to betray Joey through the Sergeant.
The President and The First Lady: a corrupt dictator and his wife. Their names are never explicitly mentioned, though there are several allusions to Ferdinand Edralin Marcos and his wife, Imelda Romualdez Marcos. For example, the First Lady's "cultural center" has similarities to the Cultural Center of the Philippines
Cultural Center of the Philippines
The Cultural Center of the Philippines is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines. The CCP was established through Executive Order No. 30 s. 1966 by President Ferdinand Marcos...
commissioned by Marcos. In an interview in last part of the book, the First Lady discusses her shoes, likely a direct reference to Imelda Marcos's extensive shoe collection.
General Ledesma: a powerful figure who cheats on his wife with the famous movie star Lolita Luna.
Lolita Luna: a famous movie star known for her sexuality and magnificent body. She uses her fame to manipulate powerful men like General Ledesma. She wishes to leave the Philippines for the United States.
Pepe Carreon: works with General Ledesma. He later elopes with Baby Alacran.
Rainer: a famous German director. He has a short relationship with Joey Sands.
Senator Domingo Avila: a politician and human rights activist labeled a leftist by the government. His assassination becomes a great mystery since it is unclear who shot him.
Trinidad Gamboa: a sales associate at SPORTEX who enjoys being associated with the prestigious and wealthy. She dates Romeo.
Cora Camacho: the star of a popular televesion show; she interviews important figures such as Severo Alacran and Daisy Avila.
Major themes
Dictatorship vs. AnarchyOne theme is the clash between dictatorship and anarchy. The President and the First Lady have a foreboding presence throughout the novel that contrasts with the human rights activist Senator Domingo Avila; the Senator protests "crimes against the people" and is thus labeled a "leftist" by the government. Avila's assassination and the resultant coverup that implicates the innocent Romeo demonstrates the government's oppressive nature. These events are juxtaposed with an interview with the First Lady who rationalizes the evidence of their corruption and denies that the Filipino government is a dictatorship.
Marriage
Another theme is the achievement of social mobility of Filipino women through marriage. Isabel Alacran, for example, marries Severo because of his power and wealth. Likewise, Isabel is a social asset to her husband and her main job in life is to always appear flawless and polished. Pucha also exhibits this mindset for women.
Beauty
Another theme is the importance placed on beauty. Rio's mother, Dolores, follows a strict beauty regimen and uses various products and services in order to remain youthful. Joey also epitomizes this theme as he uses his exotic looks to infatuate customers and procure gifts from them.
Religion
Religion seems to be an underlying theme as a few key characters are described as extremely religious. For example, General Ledesma’s wife, Leonor, exhibits a monastic lifestyle, with much fasting and prayer, and strives for sainthood. Religion runs so deep in the Gonzaga family that even when Rio's atheist grandfather is dying, the family priest is called. Although Rio does not directly address the role of religion in her life during the novel, in the end she states that her "belief in God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
remains tentative" and that she "long ago stopped going to church."
American Influence
A prevalent theme in the novel is the effect of American influence. Through American movies and music young characters such as Rio and Pucha begin to desire American glamour and its brash style. Filipinos embrace American influence and admire the culture.
Role of Women
Within Dogeaters, women are either preoccupied with beauty, as society expects of them, or their education.
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is a strong undertone of the novel.
Reception
When the novel Dogeaters was first published in 1990, the New York Times said that it was written with "wit and originality" Another critic argued that the novel is based on Filipino nationalism. Rachel Lee states that Dogeaters "illustrate[s] the transnational legacy of the United States imperialist practices." The San Diego Union stated, "Hagedorn transcends social strata, gender, culture, and politics in this exuberant, witty, and telling portrait of Philippine society."Dogeaters won an American Book Award
American Book Award
The American Book Award was established in 1978 by the Before Columbus Foundation. It seeks to recognize outstanding literary achievement by contemporary American authors, without restriction to race, sex, ethnic background, or genre...
in 1990 and was nominated for the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
in 1991.
Allusions
The author uses excerpts from other books, poems and speeches within the novel itself or to signify the start of a new section of the novel.- Wuthering HeightsWuthering HeightsWuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë published in 1847. It was her only novel and written between December 1845 and July 1846. It remained unpublished until July 1847 and was not printed until December after the success of her sister Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre...
by Emily BrontëEmily BrontëEmily Jane Brontë 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother...
. - The Philippines by Jean Mallat.
- Poetry by Jose RizalJosé RizalJosé Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda , was a Filipino polymath, patriot and the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is regarded as the foremost Filipino patriot and is listed as one of the national heroes of the Philippines by...
. - President William McKinleyWilliam McKinleyWilliam McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
s "Address to a Delegation of Methodist Churchmen" which provides the stereotypical view Americans have had of Filipinos.
The novel refers to a number of major films:
- All That Heaven AllowsAll That Heaven AllowsAll That Heaven Allows is a romance feature film starring Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson in a tale about a well-to-do widow and a younger landscape designer falling in love. The screenplay was written by Peg Fenwick based upon a story by Edna L. Lee and Harry Lee...
- A Place in the SunA Place in the SunA Place in the Sun is a 1951 American drama film based on the novel An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser and the play, also titled An American Tragedy, which was adapted by Patrick Kearney from the novel. It tells the story of a working-class young man who is entangled with two women; one who...
- Bundle of Joy
- "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley
- Florante at LauraFlorante at LauraFlorante at Laura by Francisco Baltazar is considered as one of the masterpieces of Philippine literature. Balagtas wrote the epic during his imprisonment. The work itself is dedicated to María Asuncion Rivera, his sweetheart, whom he nicknamed "M. A...
by Francisco BalagtasFrancisco BalagtasFrancisco Baltazar y dela Cruz , known much more widely through his nom-de-plume Francisco Balagtas, was a prominent Filipino poet, and is widely considered as the Tagalog equivalent of William Shakespeare for his impact on Filipino literature... - Rebel Without a CauseRebel Without a CauseRebel Without a Cause is a 1955 American drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social commentary and an alternative to previous films depicting delinquents in urban slum environments...
- The Agony of Love
- The Ten CommandmentsThe Ten Commandments (1956 film)The Ten Commandments is a 1956 American epic film that dramatized the biblical story of the Exodus, in which the Hebrew-born Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince, becomes the deliverer of the Hebrew slaves. The film, released by Paramount Pictures in VistaVision on October 5, 1956, was directed by...
The novel also refers to a number of iconic American figures:
| Actor | Page Number |
|---|---|
| Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia... |
page 88 |
| Barbra Streisand Barbra Streisand Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,... |
page 76 |
| Anita Ekberg Anita Ekberg Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg is a Swedish model, actress and cult sex symbol. She is best known for her role as Sylvia in the 1960 Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita which features the legendary scene of her cavorting in Trevi Fountain alongside Marcello Mastroianni.-Biography:Ekberg was born in... |
page 87 |
| Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars... |
pages 79 and 87 |
| Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian. Although modest about her acting ability, Hepburn remains one of the world's most famous actresses of all time, remembered as a film and fashion icon of the twentieth century... |
page 237 |
| Elizabeth Taylor Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age... |
pages 15 and 17 |
| Elvis Presley Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".... |
page 222 |
| Sal Mineo Sal Mineo Salvatore "Sal" Mineo, Jr. , was an American film and theatre actor, best known for his performance as John "Plato" Crawford opposite James Dean in the film Rebel Without a Cause... |
page 51 |
Publication history
- 1990, USA, Pantheon Books (ISBN 0394574982), March 1990, hardcover (First edition)
- 1991, USA, Penguin Books (ISBN 014014904X), June 1991, paperback
In 1997, Jessica Hagedorn transformed her book into a play. The play was developed in Utah and first premiered in La Jolla, California on September 8, 1998.