characters in dogeaters characters in dogeaters

Joey Sands, another first-person narrator, is named for the Las Vegas casino. The word alacran, the last name of the most powerful clan in the book, means scorpion in Spanish, and the name Boomboom Alacran resembles BongBong, the nickname of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son of the deposed president. 4 Mar. His character serves as a symbol of Philippine resistance. Dr. Ernesto Katigbak: A doctor and Emilias husband. In the melee, the police shoot, and Romeo is hit. Her first husband was Ramon Assad. On that day, he is mistaken for someone in a group of subversives based in the Cordilleras. Read more Previous page Print length 136 pages Steven G. Kellman. He engages in numerous affairs with his female servants and even Lolita Luna, the celebrity actress, much to his wife, Isabel's, dismay. Lola Narcisa is Rios maternal grandmother. Asked by bookragstutor. Hagedorn takes pleasure in cataloging names of foods, particularly street foods, and the characters seem always to be hungry. The novel Dogeaters is set in the Philippines and first published in 1990. Deloress one sanctuary, ironically, is her bedroom. She keeps her ancestry hidden, just like she hides her dark-skinned Filipina mother, Lola Narcisa, while Lola lives with the family during her husbands hospitalization. His relationship with Lolita Luna is perverted and sadomasochistic, but his sexual appetites prevent him from leaving the relationship even though he admits it is messy. He represents that part of the government that is authorized to exert power and thereby terrorize any opposition to the state. . Word Count: 1342. They have violent fights. She lives in Manila in thePhilippines but later moves to the United States. Her cousin Pucha accuses her of purposefully mixing things up. Isabel Alacran: Former beauty queen; Severos wife. Baby is the pathetic daughter of Isabel and Severo Alacran. Dogeaters essays are academic essays for citation. She sweats profusely and must use mens deodorant. The Question and Answer section for Dogeaters is a great Her mother thought she had leprosy and refused to go near her. I set aside a study of Hagedorn's exhaustive array of minor characters and focus on the representational sig She reminds him that his great-grandmother came from Cebu, Philippines. Write a 650-1000 word paper using standard essay structure (including an introduction with a thesis, body paragraphs, and conclusion) that answers the prompt below. Perhaps it is only Rios wishful thinking movie version of reality that has liberated Delores from the trap of being a woman in the 1950s Philippines. This suspicion is confirmed the deeper she searches until at last she renounces her title and denounces the contest. Although she marries Boomboom Alacran, a wealthy man with good connections, the marriage doesn't last. Maria Luisa Batungbakal Avila: Domingo Avilas wife; outspoken and controversial professor of Philippine history. In real life, she is owned and controlled by General Ledesma. For example, the First Lady's "cultural center"[2] has similarities to the Cultural Center of the Philippines commissioned by Marcos. They include Rio Gonzaga, Pucha Gonzaga and Freddie. How does the power network reported on p. 58 reflect the basis of Philippine political culture? Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. To be considered exceptionally beautiful in a country overrun with beautiful women is a personal triumph. She refuses to appear in public as required by the beauty contest sponsors. Last Updated on March 1, 2022, by eNotes Editorial. Like the Gonzaga and Alacran women, the men share the same characteristics and are symbolic of the patriarchal Philippine society that objectifies women. Non-Filipino readers may feel lost because of the hundreds of unglossed Tagalog words and phrases. Pucha acknowledges that Boomboom is a bit gordito (chubby), but he is rich, and that makes him cute enough for [her].. Senator Domingo Avila: He is the leader of the party opposing The President. eNotes.com, Inc. When her friend Panchito calls it creepy, she explains that it is designed to soothe her, like a womb.. He beats her and accuses her of being unfaithful. Rio has a Rita Hayworth mother, and Rio and Pucha are first shown watching a Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman film in a Manila theater. Oscar Avila: Domingos brother; Claritas father; he does not get along with his brother Domingo. Delores is obsessed with keeping up appearances. Blanca Alacran: Pacificos wife; she is deceased; mother of Girlie and Boomboom. Rosario "Baby" Alacran: Severo and Isabel's daughter. Even though he sells himself to rich foreigners, he enjoys being wined and dined and waking up in fancy hotels. If people knew the truth, they would not want to be her. In this respect, the situation with Dogeaters, is slightly different. The couple socializes together to keep up appearances. Joey is the byproduct of American colonialism. Already a member? Jessica Hagedorn was born and raised in the Philippines and came to the United States in her early teens. Rio is the narrator of the first part. After the marriage breaks down, she becomes part of a resistance movement. On screen, she controls an adoring public. She is a commodity that can be bought and sold at the whim of those in charge. General Ledesma: a powerful figure who cheats on his wife with the famous movie star Lolita Luna. They introduce the central characters of the play. Consequently, Daisy is arrested, raped and tortured by General Ledesma and his military men. He becomes a scapegoat for Avilas murder. Older-acting than her ten years, she pals around with her cousin Pucha, who is fourteen when the story begins. eNotes.com She marriesBoomboom Alacran but the marriage falls apart. Freddie Gonzaga and Delores Gonzaga: These are Rio's father and mother. Pucha Gonzaga: Rios flirtatious cousin; narrates one chapter at the end of the novel. Benigno Aquino was assassinated as he returned to the Philippines for political elections. Pucha is happy to ignore the Philippines colonial past and embrace the future as long as she can afford to go to Chiquiting Morenos. 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. Written by people who wish to remainanonymous. Lolita Luna: A Bomba (soft porn) movie star, General Ledesmas mistress. Structure of answer: 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. His army career is marked by rapid advancement to the position of aide to General Ledesma. 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. She becomes another spectator in a country of spectators, using the unreality of movies to remove her from the pain of her life. Delores has a sexless relationship with her husband, and they fight often. Uncle Panchito: Delores Gonzagas gay dressmaker. This is a complex novel with many characters contributing to the development of the plot. Freddie is a successful businessman. His character longs to become part of the movie that is the Philippines, but he cannot achieve this on a personal level. Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2020. Hagedorn bitingly satirizes the extravagant, controversial, and corrupt dictatorship of Marcos in her characters the president and the first lady. Pucha Gonzaga: Rio's cousin. "Dogeaters - The Characters" Masterpieces of American Fiction Her position in the family is demonstrated by her enduring childhood nickname, "Baby." Rio describes her father and uncles as smug, mysterious men when they are together. How do the ideas of escape and disillusionment come out in some of the stories in Miguel Street? 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. She has married an American, Whitman Logan, a leftover from recent wars who is ill and in the hospital when the novel begins. Reputed to have fled to the mountains with her guerrilla lover, she is captured by General Ledesma and tortured and raped by all of Ledesmas men except Pepe Carreon. Sergeant Planas: works for Pepe Carreon and is Uncle's contact in the government. 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. Rio is both an eyewitness and a dreamer, however. She is Miss Philippines, a wildly successful beauty queen. He embarks on a journey into the mountains to escape from those seeking to silence him from testifying to that extent. 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. At 17, she gets pregnant and elopes with Pepe Carreon. Daisy Consuelo Avila: Daisy, the daughter ofSenator Domingo Avila, wins a beauty pageant. He is gay. During the assassination scandal, Boy Boy helps Joey escape from Uncle and the police. Daisy goes from being an icon of national beauty to a symbol of national resistance, however, when she runs away with the revolutionary Santos Tirador. Florence Gonzaga: Puchas mother and Rios Tita (aunt). She was an incredible beauty but lacked talent, so she improved her social standing by marrying the wealthy Severo. She elopes with Pepe Carreon when she's only 17, determined to escape her unhappy family drama. He controls interests in Mabuhay Movie Studios. The plots are always sad and almost always, someone dies. Having read Jessica Hagedorn's controversial novel, Dogeaters, I found myself struggling with the the novel's complex structure of the narrative, which uses the risky interchanges of first and third person point of views as well as interwoven newspaper clippings that pieces together an intense journey leading up to the main event of plotting an assassination. Isabel has had her tubes tied after having one child, her homely daughter Rosario (Baby), whom she dislikes and almost admits it. When Baby announces her plans to marry Pepe Carreon, a soldier and protg of General Ledesma, Isabel is horrified and will not allow it. He watches the spectacle from the dark corner, the symbol of a government that allows others to rape the country while it remains aloof in an effort to hide its own guilt. What is the setting of the novel Dogeaters? His character is a symbol of the money, power, and corruption that exists in postcolonial Philippine society. The characters and the novel are thoroughly Filipino, and obviously the readers appreciation of the book would be heightened by knowledge of stormy Manila politics and history and familiarity with Spanish and Tagalog, the languages spoken in the book. Please use your I will render the walls another coat of paint, after the first coat dries. It is a spectacle, a parody, a fantasy, a farce, a roman. Where in the novel Dogeatersdo we see either American or Spanish influence? He cannot trust anyone around him, but he uses this as license to use people however he sees fit. Baby carries on a surreptitious phone relationship with Pepe Carreon, a soldier. Their relationship is mutually exploitative. At the other extreme is the despairing poverty of colonial oppression, illustrated by Joeys diet of powdered coffee while he hides out from the authorities. The first lady reveals a completely fabricated story about Romeo on national television. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child. Baby elopes with Pepe on her way to school one day. Jessica Hagedorn is a Filipino . Senator Domingo Avila: a politician and human rights activist labeled a leftist by the government. Joey naively believes he is in control of his life until one day fate intervenes and shows him he is not. Trinidad Gamboa: a sales associate at SPORTEX who enjoys being associated with the prestigious and wealthy. The beauty pageant where Marcos met his future wife, Imelda, is satirized in the story of Daisy Avila. Hagedorn, juxtaposing racial and national influences, feels most sympathy for the dispossessed: orphans, guerrillas, exiles, the alienated, and the suffering. Uncle: adopted Joey after his prostitute mother abandoned him. She ignores her chaperones warnings and continues to flirt and carry on unabashedly with the boys in the Caf Espaa. publication in traditional print. Joyce Goldenberg: Wife of the American consul; she is mentally unstable; she is Jewish and from California. Boomboom Alacran: Severos spoiled nephew; brother to Girlie. How could you do this to me? she asks Baby. Identify a place in the novel where you see an American or Spanish influence? Ed. When Daisy is captured, tortured, and raped by General Ledesmas men, she takes on the punishment of the resistance movement that she now represents. Pepe Carreon (PEH-peh kah-rreh-OHN) is an ambitious man with a bad complexion who elopes with Baby Alacran, daughter of the wealthy Severo and Isabel Alacran. He invents his own movie-like fantasies in which he exploits the sexual aberrations of his wealthy male clients. She is a vacuous but conniving woman obsessed with beauty and keeping up appearances. Beauty pageants are a farce, she announces, a giant step backward for all women. She quotes her father and mother. Romeo (Orlando) Rosales (rho-MEH-oh roh-SAHL-ehs) is a waiter at the exclusive Monte Vista Golf and Country Club. Why is the poet worried about the appearance of the night in the poem to the evening star? They run away to a secret location and send a note to her parents setting out terms. They announce that Baby is pregnant. The reason for this is that most of the female-characters, mentioned in this . She has a second lover, a mysterious Englishman who never appears in the novel. Spanish influence can be found in the theme of power. He later elopes with Baby Alacran. Severo even tells the president what to do. The last quarter of the book is proliferated with chapters from sympathetic characters, which begs the . Pucha would never be caught eating Filipino food with her hands. While she would rather watch movies and read books than have her hair and nails done, she also is mesmerized by her mothers perfumes, creams and ointments, tubes of lipstick, jewelry boxes, combs and brushes, and talcum powders. At one point he says, Maybe Im lying and then brags that he is a born liar and even lies in his sleep. You cant describe a real Pinoy without listing whats most important to himfood, music, dancing, and lovemost probably in that order.. She engages in a relationship with Santos Tirador, a known leftists conspirator. He has a reputation for enjoying the torture. Chito: One of Uncles protgs; petty criminal and male sex worker; grew up with Joey Sands. His explanation that he is just biding his time does not ring true. Latest answer posted June 02, 2010 at 10:47:14 PM. Baby shamefully hangs her head when she is constantly reminded that she is not blessed with her mothers presence and feline allure. Baby is shy, soft, plump, and short, and she has acne. Socorro Pertierra Gonzaga: Rios paternal grandmother and a widow; she is a Filipina but lives in Spain; her deceased husband Don Carlos Jose Maria Gonzaga was also Filipino but, like his wife, considered himself Spanish. Her mother takes her from Manila to the U.S. when she's still a child, so she disappears from a large portion of the narrative. They quickly get a divorce. Unlike others in her upper-middle-class family, Rio is respectful of the servants and does not treat them as if they were invisible. Pucha Gonzaga: She is a cousin to Rio and also narrates a chapter in the novel. An American Novel Of The Philippines "Dogeaters" (1990), the first novel of Jessica Hagedorn, was nominated for the National Book Award. At Babys birth, her mother gazed down at her new baby curious but indifferent, and her fathers look was preoccupied, mysterious.. His wife, Leonor, has devoted herself to a sacrificial life of praying on the cold cement floor of her tiny bedroom, fasting on water, and on good days doing charity work for the Sisters of Mercy orphanage. The second date is today's 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. The reader is left to wonder how much of the story is real and how much is invented. She later becomes a refugee in the mountains. Eugenio/Eugenia: A genuine hermaphrodite who was once Andre Alacrans lover; dies mysteriously. Pucha has married Boomboom right after high school, a terrible marriage that does not even last a year. She visits once a year and considers herself to be very high society (this is the title of the chapter in which she appears). Pepe Carreon: works with General Ledesma. Moving to San Francisco in 1963, Hagedorn received her education at the American Conservatory Theater training program. 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. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. While Rio belongs to the upper class, she has compassion for the lower class. She is the daughter of an American father and a Filipina mother, a beautiful woman who is nevertheless ashamed of her mixed race ancestry. Uncle teaches Joey the art of stealing and abuses him sexually. Let us know your assignment type and we'll make sure to get you exactly the kind of answer you need. There she's raped and tortured until she finally escapes. Boomboom is insanely jealous and locks Pucha in the bedroom while he plays golf, drinks, and gambles all day. This content is from Wikipedia. After that, his mother, Zenaida, drowned herself, and Joey grew up owned and controlled by Uncle. In her narration, she recalls her early life up until she was fifteen years old. 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.