Dogeaters Themes
The main themes in Dogeaters include the evils of colonialism, political oppression, and the nature of truth.
- The evils of colonialism: Dogeaters explores the effects of centuries of colonization, including the influence of the Catholic Church, on the Philippines and its people.
- Political oppression: The government in the novel is a corrupt dictatorship that silences, tortures, and assassinates its citizens and is opposed by a revolutionary movement.
- The nature of truth: Warped versions of the truth appear in the form of the first lady’s lies, gossip, American movies, and the characters’ own unreliable narratives.
Themes: All Themes
Themes: The Evils of Colonialism
The Philippines is an Asian country that historically has been conquered by nearby Islamic nations, colonized by Spain, and controlled by the United States. It has been desired and fought over because of trade, religion, and its strategic location militarily. Dogeatersportrays a country trying to overcome the oppression of its colonial past. It exposes the negative effects that colonialism has had on the nation and its people. In the Philippines,...
(Read more)Themes: Political Oppression
Colonialism is an evil that manifests itself on several other levels. Political oppression is one of those levels and is an additional theme in the novel. When a country does not have a clearly defined national identity because of centuries of colonization, it can leave itself wide open to corruption. Although the president and the first lady in the novel are patterned after the real-life Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, the author explains that the...
(Read more)Themes: The Nature of Truth
When a government is corrupt, truth is compromised, and reality becomes unclear. Reality is turned upside down on many levels in Dogeaters.It begins at the top with the corrupt politicians and trickles down to the people, who do not know what truth is anymore. The first lady is interviewed on national television and “cheerfully lies” to the world. She is the ultimate actress, the queen of beauty queens. “Corrupt regime—a dictatorship? Heavens no,”...
(Read more)Themes: Exploitation
When a country has been subjugated by centuries of colonialism and has a corrupt government that compromises truth, the people are exploited. The exploitation of the characters in Dogeatersis also a metaphor for the overall exploitation of the country. Exploitation exists in many areas. There is cultural exploitation, represented by the remnants of Philippine culture that are relegated to the back bedrooms and servant quarters. The movies are a...
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