Joey is raised as a petty criminal by his uncle and works at CocoRico, a club owned byAndres Alacran. Her husband is never home. Another narrator is an all-seeing third person, who introduces other Filipino families. I set aside a study of Hagedorn's exhaustive array of minor characters and focus on the representational sig Structure of answer: There are many characters contributing to the development of the plot of Dogeaters, which is set in the Philippines. Sergeant Planas: works for Pepe Carreon and is Uncle's contact in the government. More books than SparkNotes. She engages in a relationship with Santos Tirador, a known leftists conspirator. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Joey is a survivor, however. Joey has no idea who his father is, other than that he was a Black American soldier. His great-grandfather came from Spain, he informs his wife. He must hide from Uncle, whose shack he has destroyed and whose dog he has brutally butchered. Joey shows the seamy side of the drug and flesh trade that has made Manila a world leader in sex work. The form of Dogeaters has parallels with modern epic novels influenced by film techniques, novels such as Andr Malraux's epic of the Chinese Revolution, La Condition humaine (1933; Man's Fate,. He is questioned by General Ledesma at Camp Dilidili and then mysteriously disappears. Dogeaters essays are academic essays for citation. Intrigued by this rumor, his mistress, Lolita, questions him about it, but he warns her not to ask such dangerous questions. She denies there are any problems. Joeys narrative may not be trustworthy. She was an incredible beauty but lacked talent, so she improved her social standing by marrying the wealthy Severo. Senator Domingo Avila (doh-MEEN-goh a-VEE-lah) is the opposition party leader and father of Daisy Consuelo Avila. She finds the fact that she can weep without shame over the soap operas and Tagalog songs a delicious tradition rather than something that appeals to the lowest common denominator, as Rios father states critically behind his mother-in-laws back. Is Popo a realistic character? She pessimistically chuckles, imagining what her mother would say if she knew she spent her days in such sad and vulgar pursuits. Rio enjoys eating the traditional Filipino food that her grandmother and the servants eat with their hands in the tiny incense-filled room. His character is a symbol of the money, power, and corruption that exists in postcolonial Philippine society. Trinidad Gamboa: a sales associate at SPORTEX who enjoys being associated with the prestigious and wealthy. Dr. Ernesto Katigbak: A doctor and Emilias husband. Chaperoned by either Puchas ya ya (nanny), Lorenza, or one of the girls older brothers, the cousins attend American movies and debate the virtues of American actresses and actors. She becomes another spectator in a country of spectators, using the unreality of movies to remove her from the pain of her life. Cora Camacho, the Barbara Walters of the Philippines, interviews Senator Alacran for her television show, and a journalist named Steve interviews the first lady. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. The President and The First Lady: a corrupt dictator and his wife. The marriage founders, and Malcolm returns to England. Pepe Carreon: A lieutenant in the army, and General Ledesmas protg; marries Baby Alacran. eNotes.com They include Rio Gonzaga, Pucha Gonzaga and Freddie. characters in dogeaters. Buy a cheap copy of Dogeaters book by Jessica Hagedorn. You can help us out by revising, improving and updating Lola Narcisa is a quiet woman who rarely speaks. The general uses Lolita for sex, but Lolita uses him to support her and her young son, who lives with his grandparents. Steve: A foreign journalist that interviews Madame on a television program. Whitman Logan: Rios American maternal grandfather, married to Lola Narcisa. Cristobal Gonzaga: Freddies oldest brother; lives in Spain with Freddies mother; wealthy head of an import/export firm. Hagedorn bitingly satirizes the extravagant, controversial, and corrupt dictatorship of Marcos in her characters the president and the first lady. She appears on TV and relinquishes her title. in Dogeaters. This kind of wealth is extreme in any country but especially so in such an impoverished place as Manila which means Severo is a lonely man. Father Jean Mallat: Nineteenth-century Jesuit priest, explorer, and author; snippets from his writings about the Philippines are included for realistic effects. Why is the poet worried about the appearance of the night in the poem to the evening star? She is not conflicted and knows what she wants out of life, although Rio believes her goals are shallow. She never married Boomboom, she tells Rio. When his brother Agustin gambles away his inheritance, Freddie convinces his boss, Severo Alacran, to hire Agustin, mostly because having a deadbeat brother living nearby will reflect negatively on him. In a chapter titled Epiphany, Daisy experiences a political epiphany. Spanish influence can be found in the theme of power. She and Severo are exemplary Catholics, however, and donate huge sums of money to the church. He is a hustler who turns the tables on his exploiters. Lorenza: Rios maid and sometimes chaperone. When Daisy is captured, tortured, and raped by General Ledesmas men, she takes on the punishment of the resistance movement that she now represents. He believes in dual citizenships, dual passports, as many allegiances to as many countries as possible. Although Freddie is Filipino, born and bred, he describes himself as being a visitor in his own country. They include Rio Gonzaga, Pucha Gonzaga and Freddie Gonzaga (Rio's father) who live in Manila but move to the United States after General Ledesma seizes power. Daisy Avila: Senator Avilas twenty-year old daughter, a beauty queen who wins the Junior Miss Philippines contest; becomes part of the resistance movement. eNotes.com, Inc. She describes the shock of seeing her homeland from such a mature perspective. Neil: An American serviceman who has a brief affair with Joey Sands. She is often under the influence of drugs when the general visits her, and she uses these drugs, which she calls vitamins, as a way of coping with his violent and demeaning sexual demands. The second date is today's Almost every relationship in Dogeaters is at some point characterized by an imbalance of power between characters. He is in charge of camp Dilidili, where political prisoners are tortured. Baby is not sure she really wants to marry Pepe, but she will, mostly to spite her parents. Pucha Gonzaga: She is a cousin to Rio and also narrates a chapter in the novel. These add authentic flavor, however, and the confusion that results reinforces the novels sense of overcrowding, ruin, and even assault. She is a stunning, selfish beauty with a caustic tongue. Like Delores Gonzaga, she represents the oppressed 1950s Filipina, trapped by her gender and her marriage. Rio describes her father and uncles as smug, mysterious men when they are together. She angrily tells Baby that she detests army men. Besides, Pepe is one of the ugliest men in Manila. 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. Eddie, Ricky, and Claudio Gonzaga: Rios grown-up Spanish cousins; sons of Esteban and Tita Menchu. His assassination becomes a great mystery since it is unclear who shot him. Jessica Hagedorn 's Dogeaters is a tale of corruption and violence. She says he is a good son. Boy Boy: an orphan also taken in by Uncle. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. Briefly, characters include Imelda herself, who is delightfully impersonated by Ching Valdes-Aran in some of Hagedorn's most tartly satirical and strongest scenes; the country's merciless. She ends up marrying Boomboom Alacran for his wealth and prestige, but he ends up being a terrible husband. Howard Goldenberg: The American consul; he is Jewish and from California. He was once asked to run for the presidency himself. It may only be Rios movie version of reality that has punished the symbol of oppressive patriarchy. Also like Delores, she is an asset to her husband at social functions, a manicured, oiled, massaged, exercised, pampered woman who invented another self, denying her past and focusing on the present. Now, she can only stand erect and dry-eyed at her daughters wedding, the rage on her face plain for all to see. In Puchas version of events, Isabel dies of cancer in 1967. Who is the main character in Dogeaters by Jessica Hagedorn? Joey Sands is one of the three main narrators. Babys character is symbolic of the deformities of the postcolonial Philippines, and her parents represent the leaders of the country who are unsure of what to do about these deformities. It is all tsismis, the general tells her. Religion is depicted as a stultifying and demeaning force, and Hagedorns final word in her novel, a blasphemous parody of the Lords Prayer, is her attempt to wrench free from imposed religious sanctions and from imposed foreign influence. online is the same, and will be the first date in the citation. His wife,Leonor, is devout and spends her days in prayer. This content is from Wikipedia. Minor Characters [ edit] Andres Alacran: the homosexual owner of CocoRico, a prestige bar that attracts many foreigners and famous people. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. Some characters are actu-al movie stars, others work in seedy nightclubs and traveling freak shows, others win first prizes in dance contests, and one even becomes a beauty-queen. Set in the Philippines, Dogeaters has several narrators; one being Rio Gonzaga, the representative of her family. She is at home in Rome and Madrid and learns to roll her rs. Her goal in life, like Delores Gonzaga, is to remain beautiful and thin. Dogeaters study guide contains a biography of Jessica Hagedorn, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. A Close Reading of Kundiman in Jessica Hagedorns Dogeaters: Character Portrayal through Religious Symbolism of the Stigmata, Unable to Break Free of Him: Sexuality and Postcolonialism in Dogeaters. She prefers to eat alone in her room or with the servants. She nibbles. The main characters in Dogeaters include Rio Gonzaga, Joey Sands, General Nicasio Ledesma, and Senator Domingo Avila. She is a vacuous but conniving woman obsessed with beauty and keeping up appearances. Set in Manila, the lives of a couple prestigious Filipino families as well as some relatively anonymous lower class citizens are randomly intertwined through a seeming conspiracy of political consequences. In Dogeaters, why was the Avila family considered "Communist"? Her cousin Pucha accuses her of purposefully mixing things up. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. Also mentioned is Club Coco Rico where Joey Sands works as a waiter and where Boomboom Alacran is shot by police officers who mistake him for an armed robber. Hagedorn, juxtaposing racial and national influences, feels most sympathy for the dispossessed: orphans, guerrillas, exiles, the alienated, and the suffering. The general plays a soap opera in the background while his men rape Daisy. Word Count: 605. The results: DJs in . The reader is left to wonder how much of the story is real and how much is invented. Dogeaters Jessica Hagedorn Characters Major Characters Rio Gonzaga: the first narrative voice in the novel, which sets the tone for the entire book. Why am I so unhappy? she asks herself. Sergeant Isidro Planas: A corrupt policeman who helps Uncle from time to time. Steven G. Kellman. Doa Pucha Alacran she will be able to afford a Chiquiting Moreno hairdo whenever she feels like it. 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Trinidad Trini Gamboa: Romeos girlfriend; she is several years older than Romeo; she is a ticket seller at the Odeon movie theatre who later works in the Alacran superstore SPORTEX. Characters. You cant describe a real Pinoy without listing whats most important to himfood, music, dancing, and lovemost probably in that order.. She is a precocious young Filipina girl, a mestiza whose ancestors include American, Spanish, Chinese, and native Filipino people. With 15 actors portraying more than 30 characters, simultaneous scenes, a multilayered set and a tone that repeatedly shifts between high camp and melodrama, "Dogeaters" boasts more variety than . The plots are always sad and almost always, someone dies. Zenaida: Joeys deceased mother; a whore.. Pucha wants to elevate her position even further by marrying into the wealthy Alacran family. Dogeaters is a novel written by Jessica Hagedorn, published in 1990.The novel depicts the rich culture and society of the Philippines during the tumultuous period of Martial Law by contrasting and intertwining the lives of various characters from two different times. The King of Coconuts, Severo Alacran is the richest man in the Philippines. Analysis of Dogeaters Jessica Hagedorn 1990 pastiche novel is written against the backdrop of postcolonial Philippines, during the years of building the nation and military decree under the regime of Marcos, who ruled Philippines from 1965 to 1986. I love the feel of the sun toasting my skin, she explains. Log in here. When her father, the senator, is assassinated during the contest for Miss Philippines, she loses faith in the integrity of the contest. Joey is effectively orphaned in early childhood when his mother, a beautiful sex worker named Zenaida, drowns herself. His character is a flat one, more symbolic than human. eNotes.com, Inc. Over her bed hangs a crucifix and a painting of the Madonna, who, Rio explains, is depicted as a native woman wearing the traditional patadyong. The infant Jesus has the brown skin of Lola Narcisa. In her cool, dark room, she can pretend that she is not aging; she can pretend that she is happy. Uncle teaches Joey the art of stealing and abuses him sexually. Madame is the first lady of the Philippines, modeled after Imelda Marcos. She's Rio's cousin and the life of the party. The Question and Answer section for Dogeaters is a great Joey does not want to wind up an old junkie like Uncle and boasts that he deserves something better, yet he is a young drug addict who does not seem to want to kick the habit. He collects expensive art and rotting statues of unknown saints. He plays polo and breeds horses. You like to mix things up on purpose, she accuses Rio. The windows are boarded up and painted over, and the air conditioner runs constantly. Free Shipping on all orders over $15. In the melee, the police shoot, and Romeo is hit. Rio Gonzaga: One of three main narrators; a young mestiza woman of Filipino, American, and Spanish ancestry; born in Manila but moves to the US. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. A small-time pimp and drug pusher, Uncle, pays for the mothers funeral expenses and takes Joey into his shack in the slum district of Tondo. Everything reminds Pucha of sex, Rio reports. Later, he betrays Joey by attempting to sell him out to the authorities. Remember you can consult Posts and Writing Requirements for info about essay structure and MLA rules etc. It challenges the concept of melancholia as. Belen Garcia Gonzaga: Rauls first wife; they have three girls and she leaves him. Cora Camacho: the star of a popular television show; she interviews important figures such as Severo Alacran and Daisy Avila. Dogeaters is a kaleidoscopic story about transplanted and displaced cultures: Filipino, supplanted by Spanish, replaced by American. He has no choice but to entrust his life to the protection of his fellow hustler and childhood friend Boy-Boy, who arranges for him to be secretly transported to the guerrillas jungle hideout, where he joins Daisy Avila and morphs from passivity into part of the opposition. Clarita Avila: Daisys cousin and a controversial artist; she and Daisy are close in age and are like sisters; Daisys father, Domingo, has paid for art lessons for Clarita and treats her like his own daughter; she becomes a revolutionary with Daisy at the end of the novel. She is tired of being a movie star, although she cannot explain why. She is yet another woman trapped by gender oppression and violence. Already a member? Miguel Mikey Gonzaga: Puchas older brother. Joey naively believes he is in control of his life until one day fate intervenes and shows him he is not. Baby, in fact, is so awkward that she is lucky that anyone wants to marry her, but Isabel is more concerned with how her daughter marrying a soldier will makeher look. Sympathy, Protagonists, and Dogeaters. Their arguments are shouting matches with flying objects, breaking glass, and shattering plates. He has always wanted sons and has several illegitimate ones that worship him, love him, plot against him. His only legitimate child is a girl named Rosario whom everyone calls Baby. Boomboom Alacran is his nephew. She is more in love with Pepes telephone voice than Pepe himself because he speaks to her with romantic words and phrases he has heard in American movies. She recalls, from an unspecified time in the future, events of her childhood from the ages of ten to fifteen. Pucha gives her version of events in a final letter to Rio in the only chapter that she narrates. The impact of the four-hundred-year rule of the Philippines by Spain and the forty-year colonization by the United States is symbolized by Hagedorns references to Spanish Catholicism and American films. Older-acting than her ten years, she pals around with her cousin Pucha, who is fourteen when the story begins. Tito Alvarez: A popular actor; childhood friend of Romeo Rosales. The contrast is sharp. He flies his own helicopters and owns everything anyone would ever need. General Nicasio Ledesma: The cruel and powerful chief of the Philippine military; married to Leonor but having an affair with Lolita Luna; rumored to be either a half-brother or cousin to Senator Avila. Word Count: 1342. Latest answer posted June 02, 2010 at 10:47:14 PM. She is apolitical and does not play golf. He is the wealthy power broker who ensures that a corrupt president and first lady will stay in power and pass laws favorable to his business interests. will review the submission and either publish your submission or providefeedback. Joey Sands: A teenage Afro-Filipino hustler and DJ; young male sex worker, one of the three main narrators. General Ledesma: a powerful figure who cheats on his wife with the famous movie star Lolita Luna. Chito: One of Uncles protgs; petty criminal and male sex worker; grew up with Joey Sands. She is tired of doing both. He has a reputation for enjoying the torture. The reason for this is that most of the female-characters, mentioned in this . He is talking about Baby but describing the country. Pacifico Alacran: Severos brother; he is the blind father of Girlie and Boomboom. When her Freddie Gonzaga. Freddie is Rios father. What is the setting of the novel Dogeaters? Characters dream of escape to the West: the actress Lolita Luna begs for it, Joey Sands tries to sell his body to get it, and Rio Gonzaga breezily accomplishes it. Daisy Consuelo Avila: Daisy, the daughter ofSenator Domingo Avila, wins a beauty pageant. Rio is not interested in boys and loses patience with her cousin Puchas constant flirting. Freddie is a successful businessman. The police can now disguise the truth and assure the people that law and order has been restored. He must hide from the government, who is pursuing him for having witnessed the assassination. He is as concerned with keeping up appearances as his wife. date the date you are citing the material. What is the truth? Its how I feel.. The general does not seem to mind, perhaps because he keeps a mistress, film actress Lolita Luna, who is always out of money and usually high on drugs. The tsismis (gossip) account is that Romeo is a Communist. She bathes three times a day, sometimes four. He is short and smells like expensive citrus. He is a self-made man with a beauty-queen wife. Latest answer posted June 03, 2010 at 12:00:25 PM. The last date is today's For example, minor characters such as Hagedorn's Imelda Marcos and Severo Alacran are representative of the politically empow ered, socially privileged, and wealthy. At the end of the novel, she still has not resolved her identity. Rio describes her as a small brown-skinned woman with faded gray eyes. Lola Narcisa is a Filipina from Davao, the southern part of the Philippines.