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THE REFLECTION AND INFLUENCE OF POPULAR CULTURE AS THE RESULT OF WESTERNIZATION IN THE PHILIPPINES IN JESSICA HAGEDORN’S DOGEATERS

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters

KARTIKA KUSUMANINGSIH

Student Number: 024214108

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2009 THE REFLECTION AND INFLUENCE OF POPULAR CULTURE AS THE RESULT OF WESTERNIZATION IN THE PHILIPPINES IN JESSICA HAGEDORN’S DOGEATERS

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters

KARTIKA KUSUMANINGSIH

Student Number: 024214108

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2009

i A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis

THE REFLECTION AND INFLUENCE OF POPULAR CULTURE AS THE RESULT OF WESTERNIZATION IN THE PHILIPPINES IN JESSICA HAGEDORN’S DOGEATERS

KARTIKA KUSUMANINGSIH

Student Number: 024214108

Approved by

Modesta Luluk Artika Windrasti, S.S. September 14, 2009. Advisor

Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum. September 14, 2009. Co-Advisor

ii A Sarjana Sastra Undergraduate Thesis

THE REFLECTION AND INFLUENCE OF POPULAR CULTURE AS THE RESULT OF WESTERNIZATION IN THE PHILIPPINES IN JESSICA HAGEDORN’S DOGEATERS

KARTIKA KUSUMANINGSIH

Student Number: 024214108

Defended before the Board of Examiners on September 25, 2009 and Declared Acceptable

BOARD OF EXAMINERS

Name Signature

Chairman : Dr. Fr. B. Alip, M.Pd., M.A.

Secretary : Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum.

Member I : Elisa Dwi Wardani, S.S., M.Hum.

Member II : Modesta Luluk Artika Windrasti, S.S.

Member III : Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum.

Yogyakarta, September 30, 2009 Faculty of Letters Sanata Dharma University Dean

Dr. I. Praptomo Baryadi, M.Hum.

iii There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness. (Dalai Lama)

iv This Undergraduate Thesis is Dedicated to

My Beloved Parents and Siblings My Kochanie, Seba My P.R.U.E Family And my GIORDANO Family

v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I would express my greatest gratitude to Allah SWT for countless mercy. Thank you for protecting and never leaving me even in my doubtful and dreadful moments. I would not have finished this thesis without Your blessing. A wealth of gratitude is dedicated to my advisor Modesta Luluk Artika Windrasti, S.S. and Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum. as my co-Advisor who have spent time and thought on this thesis. Thank you for your valuable suggestions and correcting my thesis until it finished. My gratitude also goes to my lecturers for the knowledge and guidance during my years in college. My greatest thanks go to my beloved dad Susmono and mom Sukatmi for endless love, backup, and for always trusting me in making my own decisions. For my siblings Agung, Susi, Koko, and of course Ratih, thank you so much for helping me with stuffs I could not manage. For my lovely ‘shipmate’, Sebastian R. Grocz,I am so grateful for your never ending support in my bad times and for being such an amazing teammate. Let us bring our dreams into reality and create a legend we will be proud of. My gratitude also goes to all my ‘good joe’ in Sanata Dharma University who have made my life more colorful. A special thank goes to my GIORDANO family and P.R.U.E (Alfa, Ardy, Debby, Dian, Faida, Ferdy, Fitra, Hendy, Jeff, Nico, Rudy, Shreek, and Suryo) for sharing life experience and fabulous friendship. At last but most essential, my biggest appreciation goes to Vital van de Horst, Adrian, Debora, Patricia, Tika Kecil, Wahyu Ginting, Ana Preman, and Caesar for your great contribution and magical cards. Furthermore, I thank to my Vida’s boarding house and ex boarding house girls at Jl. Beo 45B for our joyful sisterhood. May God always bless all these amazing people.

Kartika Kusumaningsih

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE ...... i APPROVAL PAGE ...... ii ACCEPTANCE PAGE ...... iii MOTTO PAGE ...... iv DEDICATION PAGE ...... v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...... vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... vii ABSTRACT ...... ix ABSTRAK ...... x

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ...... 1 A. Background of the Study ...... 1 B. Problem Formulation ...... 5 C. Objectives of the Study ...... 6 D. Definition of Terms ...... 6

CHAPTER II: THEORITICAL REVIEW ...... 8 A. Review of Related Studies ...... 8 B. Review of Related Theories ...... 12 1. Theory of Setting ...... 12 2. Theory of Character and Characterization ...... 13 3. Theory of Popular Culture ...... 14 4. Theory of Westernization ...... 17 5. Theory of Hegemony ...... 19 C. Review on Philippines’ Cultural-Historical Background ...... 20 1. Before the Arrival of American ...... 20 2. The Philippines under the Stars and Stripes ...... 23 D. Theoretical Framework ...... 25

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ...... 27 A. Object of the Study ...... 27 B. Approach of the Study ...... 28 C. Method of the Study ...... 29

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ...... 31 A. The Reflection of Popular Culture as the Impact of Westernization 31 1. The Setting in the Novel ...... 32 2. The Characters in the Novel ...... 42 B. The Influence of Popular Culture toward Filipinos’ Behavior Pattern ...... 53

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ...... 63

vii BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 66

APPENDICES ...... 69 Appendix 1: The Summary of Dogeaters ...... 69 Appendix 2: Terms in the Novel Quoted in the Thesis ...... 72

viii ABSTRACT

KARTIKA KUSUMANINGSIH (2009). The Reflection and Influence of Popular Culture as the Result of Westernization in the Philippines in Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.

Culture is understandings, patterns of behavior, practices, and values that are acquired, preserved, and transmitted by a group of people and that can be embodied in art works. Culture can be diffused from one to another and transmitted from one generation to generation. The diffusion and transmission of two cultures may form a new culture. In the Philippines, the invasion of Spaniards in 1521 and arrival of Americans in 1898 gave significant changes to the local culture and formed a new one.Afterwards, it grew into popular culture as the influence of Westernization. Popular culture will always be an interesting issue to discuss since it stimulates people to be part of it for the sake of existence. This circumstance encourages the writer to analyze the reflection and influence of popular culture as the result of Westernization in the Philippines in Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters. Here, obviously Jessica Hagedorn tries to show the Westernization which deeply influenced the way of the Filipinos in viewing life. There are two problems related to the topic of this research to guide the analysis. They are: (1) In what way is popular culture as the impact of Westernization reflected on Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters? (2) How does popular culture as the impact of Westernization influence the behavior pattern of the Filipinos in Dogeaters? In order to answer the problems, this study is using sociocultural-historical approach which relates the work to the society and history where it was produced. In the process of collecting information, the writer used library research method. Therefore sources from books were taken as well as from the internet to support the analysis. The primary source of the study is Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters. Some other books as well as several websites which contain the information about popular culture and the Philippines history are also discussed as the secondary sources. From the analysis, the writer finds out two significant results. First, it is found that Dogeaters reflects popular culture as the impact of Westernization by showing the settings and characters in the novel in reference with the Philippines’ history. Second, the influence of popular culture as the impact of Westernization in Dogeaters is seen from the characters’ behaviors toward popular and their original culture. The growing of popular culture gives influences the way the society praising and imitating the Western culture or products, feeling ashamed and disrespectful to their original culture or local products, and having consumerism habit.

ix ABSTRAK

Kebudayaan merupakan pemahaman bersama, pola hidup, tingkah laku, dan nilai-nilai yang diperoleh, dipelihara, dan disebarkan oleh sebuah kelompok orang dan dapat berbentuk dalam karya seni. Kebudayaan dapat berbaur dari satu budaya ke budaya lainnya dan diwariskan secara turun-temurun. Pembauran dan penyebaran antar dua budaya dapat membentuk suatu budaya baru. Di Filipina, invasi bangsa Spanyol tahun 1521 dan kedatangan bangsa Amerika pada tahun 1898 memberikan perubahan yang besar terhadap budaya lokal dan membentuk sebuah budaya baru. Setelah itu, budaya baru tersebut berkembang menjadi budaya populer atas pengaruh Westernisasi. Budaya populer akan selalu menjadi persoalan yang menarik untuk dibahas karena dapat membangkitkan semangat untuk ikut mengambil bagian untuk kepentingan eksistensi. Keadaan seperti ini yang mendorong penulis untuk mendiskusikan pencerminan dan pengaruh budaya populer akibat dari Westernisasi di Filipina dalam novel Dogeaters. Melalui karya sastra ini, Jessica Hagedorn dengan sangat jelas mencoba menunjukkan Westernisasi yang sangat mempengaruhi cara orang Filipina memandang hidup. Sebagai pedoman analisa, terdapat dua pokok permasalahan yang terkait dengan topik skripsi ini. Antara lain: (1) Dengan cara apakah budaya populer sebagai akibat dari Westernisasi dicerminkan dalam novel Dogeaters karya Jessica Hagedorn? (2) Bagaimanakah pengaruh budaya populer akibat dari Weternisasi terhadap pola prilaku orang Filipina dalam novel Dogeaters? Untuk menjawab permasalahan tersebut, skripsi ini menggunakan pendekatan sosial budaya dan sejarah, yang mana menghubungkan novel ini dengan masyarakat and sejarah dimana karya sastra tersebut telah dibuat. Dalam proses pengumpulan data, penulis menggunakan metode studi pustaka. Oleh karena itu, sumber-sumber diambil dari buku dan internet untuk membantu analisa. Sumber utama studi ini adalah novel Dogeaers karangan Jessica Hagedorn. Buku-buku lain dan beberapa website yang di dalamnya terdapat informasi tentang budaya populer dan sejarah mengenai Filipina juga digunakan dalam studi ini sebagai sumber pendukung. Dalam analisa ini, penulis menemukan dua hasil yang penting. Pertama, ditemukan bahwa novel Dogeaters mencerminkan budaya populer yang muncul akibat Westernisasi dengan menunjukkan setting dan penokohan dalam novel yang mengacu pada sejarah Filipina. Kedua, pengaruh budaya populer sebagai akibat Westernisasi dalam Dogeaters dapat dilihat dari pola prilaku tokoh-tokoh terhadap budaya populer dan budaya lokal mereka. Perkembangan budaya populer berpengaruh pada sikap masyarakat yang memuji dan meniru budaya atau produk dari Barat, merasa malu dan tidak menghargai budaya atau produk-produk lokal, dan bersikap konsumtif.

x CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

“We live in transitional society, and the idea of culture, too often, has been identified with one or other of the forces which the transitions contains” (Esthope and McGowen, 1992: 224).

The opening quotation above is taken from Raymond Williams’ Culture and Society (1958) in Esthope and McGowen’s A Critical and Cultural Theory

Readers. It affirms that everything is changing, including society and all the things contained in it. In a society where its members have the same history and collective action, people are communicating and interacting with each other. Time after time, they form a custom—by which a culture is being shaped and becoming an identity of a society. Culture is not fixed and finished, but it is rather living and changing. Different society forms different culture and it differs one another in variance which makes them more particular and unique. Raymond Williams defines ‘culture’ as “the product of the old leisured classes who seek now to defend it against new and destructive forces” (Esthope and McGowen, 1992: 224).

Nevertheless, more specific definition of culture is found in Visual Arts: Glossary.

It is described as “understandings, patterns of behavior, practices, and values that are acquired, preserved, and transmitted by a group of people and that can be embodied in art works” (http://arts.unitec.ac.nz/engageinarts/visarts/glossary.php).

Meanwhile, Merriam-Webster dictionary classifies culture as:

b: the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; also : the characteristic features of everyday

1 2

existence (as diversions or a way of life} shared by people in a place or time c: the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization d: the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic (http://www.merriam-webster.com /dictionary/ culture).

Culture travels across geographical borders and it can be diffused from one to another and transmitted from generation to generation. The diffusion between two cultures may cause a cultural change or it builds a new culture because the new comer culture mixes and blends with local one. Cultural contact, expansion, pressure, colonialism, and globalization are the main factors which strongly change or reshape an original culture into a new one. It is since in those conditions, groups of people come, stay, and make interactions with local people, while at the same time bring, show, and share their culture to the public. The local inhabitants are sooner or later reacting to this new comer’s culture. There are two kinds of possibility: rejection or acceptance. Their act of rejection can be in the form of a confrontation or by being an opposition and trying to loose from it. We can view rejection to the new culture in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, for instance. This novella depicts the Europeans effort to conquer the inland of Africa which is full of ‘barbarians’. Meanwhile, in Samual Seward’s “Literary analysis:

Heart of Darkness”, Marlow addresses them as ‘prehistoric’ people since he cannot comprehend their alien procedures. This story brings colonialism issues on the way the Europeans consider themselves as a higher society with civilized culture and view African as uncivilized. This novella tells Marlow’s trip to hinterland of Congo for trading and meeting Kurtz. During his trip, Marlow sees 3

torture and slavery over the native Africans by the Europeans. One of the

Europeans is Kurtz who rules the native Africans through violence and intimidation. His follower, a Russian guy, explains that Kurtz had used his guns and personal charisma to take over tribes of Africans and had used them to make war on other tribes for their ivory.

“The prehistoric man was cursing us, praying to us, welcoming us- who could tell?” (Conrad, 44), Marlow describes the Africans as prehistoric and has no ability to understand exactly what they were attempting to do when the boat was floating down the river. This separates the Africans from the Europeans, Marlow not having the ability to understand their activities, separates the Africans by describing them as prehistoric because he cannot comprehend their alien procedures (http://www.helium.com/ items/1330880-the-use-of-racism-in-heart-of-darkness).

An example of cultural attack or pressure can be seen in “The White

Man’s Burden” by Rudyard Kipling. As stated in Eliza Fabillar’s poetry analysis, this poem was originally published in the popular magazine McClure’s with subtitle “The White Man’s Burden: 1899, The United States and the Philippine

Islands”(http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6609/). This was Kipling's response to the American takeover of the Philippines in 1899. In this poem, he tells about a command to the ‘White Man’ to colonizes and rules the natives of other nations for their own benefit which are the imperialism and cultural domination of the

United States. By the cultural development of people from other ethnic and background, the ‘White Man’ can make the people adopting their Western culture, as seen in the first stanza:

Take up the White Man's burden-- Send forth the best ye breed-- Go bind your sons to exile To serve your captives' need; To wait in heavy harness, 4

On fluttered folk and wild-- Your new-caught, sullen peoples, Half devil and half child. (http://www.wsu.edu:8001/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2 /kipling.html).

Another poet, Luis Cabalquinto, writes “The Dog-Eater” which was first published in American Poetry Review. He was inspired by Jessica Hagedorn’s novel. This poem illustrates an American boy sees the dog-eater walking on a sidewalk of New York. The dog-eater is described as a village dark man who eats dog everyday. Although he is in New York, he is still being himself and aware of his identity (http://www.meritagepress.com/ bspeaks_feb.htm).

When people decide to accept a diffusion of cultures, it is because they want to follow it ‘voluntarily’ or they have to accept it because they are being under pressure. In this case, the culture is coming from a so—called more advanced or developed society. Popular culture in this modern era can be identified as a mass culture which stimulates people to be part of it for the sake of existence. According to Raymond Williams popular culture is “inferior (less commendable quality or value) kinds of work that deliberately sets out to win favour upon people” (Strinati, 1995:2). Popular culture is interesting to troop after and appealing to study about. The writer found a great exploration on this theme in the Philippines’ society in Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters. That is the reason why the writer wants to discuss popular culture in the Philippines since the arrival of the Colonialists, Americans and Spaniards. However, specifically the writer will discuss the reflection and influence of popular culture as the result of

Westernization in the Philippines in Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters. 5

The Philippines is so steeped in love for pop culture, fantasy life. It’s probably one way to get through the day in a hard life. They work hard and they dream hard and they love hard and they die hard. There’s this fixation with movie stars, pop stars, worship, and a sense of melodrama. It’s very effusive. Other cultures may find it a bit much, but I just love it. I love the bigness, the flamboyance (http://www.donshewey.com/theater_ articles/jessica_hagedorn.htm).

In Don Shewey’s interview with Hagedorn for the New York Times as quoted above, Hagedorn tells how deep popular culture penetrates into the

Filipinos life. Dogeaters portrays the characters’ fantasy or euphoric dream of living in glamorous life in America. She mentions the whole about Filipinos who are crazy to consume expensive American brands, like Jiffy Peanut Butter,

Libby's, and Buick cars. They like to be updated with radio melodramas, news,

Western culture movies, and its music. They are also proud of using American services, as US divorce, Green card, American doctor, and American hospital. All is about getting the Hollywood dreams. Here, obviously Jessica Hagedorn tries to show the bombardment of the media which deeply influences the way of the

Filipinos viewing life.

“RIO-I wish you never left us but if God wills I will perhapps be joineing you soon over there, primma. I need a US divorse, sabes ya- its still not okay here it’s a mortal sin….” (Hagedorn, 1991: 7).

B. Problem Formulation

Through the writing of this research, the writer would like to answer the two questions listed as follows:

1. In what way is popular culture as the impact of Westernization reflected on

Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters? 6

behavior pattern of the Filipinos in Dogeaters?

C. Objectives of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to answer the problems that have been formulated above. The initial objective of this study is to find out the way

Dogeaters reflects popular culture as the impact of Westernization in the

Philippines. This step is taken by analyzing the content of the novel which portrays popular culture. The final objective is to discover how popular culture as the impact of Westernization influences the behavior pattern of the Filipinos in

Dogeaters. This is done by relating what are found in the first problem with the

Filipinos’ life pattern. Therefore, the reflection and influence of popular culture as the result of Westernization occurring in the novel could be revealed.

D. Definition of Terms

1. Popular Culture

Definition of culture according to “Visual Arts: Glossary” is described as understandings, patterns of behavior, practices, and values that are acquired, preserved, and transmitted by a group of people and that can be embodied in art works. It delivers the meaning of popular culture into contemporary understandings, patterns of behavior, practices, and values as defined by the objects, images, artifacts, literature, music, and so on of ‘ordinary’ people 7

(http://arts.unitec.ac.nz/engageinarts/visarts/glossary.php). Meanwhile, Merriam-

Webster dictionary defines popular as:

2: suitable to the majority, as a: adapted to or indicative of the understanding and taste of the majority. 3: frequently encountered or widely accepted . 4: commonly liked or approved (http://www.merriam- webster.com /dictionary/ culture).

A simple definition of the term ‘popular culture’ may refer either to individual artifacts (often treated as texts) such as popular song or a television programme, or to a group’s lifestyle (Edgar and Sedgwick, 1999: 285). According to Raymond Williams (1976: 199), popular culture is inferior (less commendable quality or value) kinds of work that deliberately sets out to win favour upon people (Strinati, 1995:2).

2. Westernization

Wikipedia English - The Free Encyclopedia defines Westernization as a process whereby non-western societies come under the influence of ‘Western culture’ in such matters as industry, technology, law, politics, economy, lifestyle, diet, language, alphabet, religion or values. It is usually a two-sided process, in which the Western influences and interests themselves for making the non-

Western to change towards a more westernized society (http://dictionary.babylon. com/Westernization). CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL REVIEW

A. Review of Related Studies

Dogeaters is Jessicca Hagedorn’s best-selling novel which was nominated for a National Book Award and an American Book Award when it was first published in 1990. This novel is inspired by the colonization of Spain, Japan, and

America in the Philippines, a state which makes this novel rich in contents and issues. Literary critics discuss Dogeaters in many aspects, such as: politics, power, romance, gender, religion, culture, ethnicity, and many more. Moreover in

1998, La Jolla Playhouse, a professional theater of University of California based in San Diego, produced a stage performance whose scenario is adapted from the novel (http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Jessica_Hagedorn).

In Elyse Sommer’s review, she focuses on the emphasis of the way this novel is named Dogeaters. She said that by naming the novel Dogeaters, the pejorative for the Filipinos coined by Americans to make fun of the natives who often serve up dogs the way one serves chicken meat and pork. She criticizes

Jessica Hagedorn for her fictional appraisal of the land of her birth, examines every strata of its society and puts everything on the table, including bits and pieces like the dog eating days that many Filipinos prefer to hide or forget. The result was a tangled tale of the long-lingering aftertaste of colonization that left people torn between the old and new world, connected by the hype of the media and the glamour of the movies (http://imeldificevita.multiply.com/reviews).

8 9

In an essay entitled “Dictators, Movie Stars, and Martyrs”, Myra Mendible examines Jessica Hagedorn's Dogeaters as an ironic critique of spectacle that exposes and usurps its political usefulness. Here she states the impacts of colonial era toward dictator’s bureaucracy and in driving the characters to dream and worship the American cultures.

While their dictators flourish on the world stage, Hagedorn’s characters dream themselves as actors in foreign movies, often confusing cinematic events with personal memories; they produce themselves in the image of another’s desire, reenact a familiar stock of clichéd roles and social rituals. For example, First Lady who is so extravagant that she would become an object of world parody. Yet throughout Ferdinand’s twenty-year dictatorship, Imelda played the starring role in a national spectacle that served as ‘guardian of sleep’ for the regime. While Ferdinand tightened his grip on power, the spectacle of Imelda captivated Filipino audiences, intrigued the international press, and enthralled U.S. leaders and dignitaries. Imelda’s spectacular image inspired by Hollywood movies and promoted by the press, seduced an impoverished majority—a populace enamored of American movie images depicting lavish prosperity and splendor (http://www.genders.org/g36/g36_mendible.html).

Meanwhile, in Julie Shackford-Bradley’s “Politics, Pleasure, and

Intertextuality in Contemporary Southeast Asian Women’s Writing” which is published in Deborah L. Madsen’s Beyond the Borders: American Literature and

Post-Colonial Theory, focuses on intertextuality in the three novels that refills the influence of postcolonial political structures in the Philippines, Burma, and

Indonesia. The three novels are Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters (1990), Wendy

Law-Yone's Irrawaddy Tango (1993), and Ayu Utami’s Saman (1998). In

Dogeaters, Shackford-Bradley analyzes the legacies of the Cold War and the onset of globalization for characters living under harsh military rule and the sociocultural, as well as economic traumas brought by the US military and dictatorships of Marcos. “The economic traumas caused by the Philippines Rehabilitation Act 10

which gave less advantage to citizens of the Philippines. Nevertheless, it gave outstanding beneficiaries to the America and American businessmen whose investments in the Philippines in the form of factories, shops and buildings, mines and other industrial plants or commercial enterprises, were seriously damaged by the American war in Vietnam and the Maynilà ‘summit’ of 1966. For this matter, the Filipinos were asked to pay an exorbitant price” (Agoncillo, 1969:294-295).

Shackford-Bradley studies the ways in which authors of those three novels weave together compelling tales out of fragments and disparate narratives. At the same time, she uses allusion to reveal the hidden structures of postcolonial histories.

She also examines the authors’ response to these histories through the inclusion of a discourse of international human rights which is woven into their narratives for the purpose of exposing unseen injustices and their long-term effects on the individual and on the general populace. Besides, she also discusses about the female experience of sexual torture for the purposes of not only undermining the individual’s ability to express the most expansive potential of the human being, but also by associating pain with sexuality (Madsen, 2003: 222-237).

Different from other essays on Dogeaters, in E. San Juan, Jr.’ “Who’s

Afraid of Jessica Hagedorn?” notes on Filipina Writer in America, he explores the themes of U.S. imperial hegemony. Moreover, he as well investigates the construction of a historically specific, gendered, national identity by a leading

Filipina-American writer. He points not only to racial discrimination of citizens of

Asian ancestry in the U.S., but mainly to the relentless neocolonial domination on the Philippines whose effects still defy inventory by orthodox postcolonial 11

casuistry (http://philcsc.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/whos-afraid-of-jessica- hagedorn -notes-on-a-filipina-writer-in-america/).

Dogeaters depicts the multilayered contradictions of the Philippines’ society, an uneven terrain alluded to one of the characters as “a nation of cynics…betrayed and then united only by our hunger for glamour and our

Hollywood dreams”, as stated bellow by San Juan, Jr.:

Hagedorn expresses the Gramscian version of nationalism as the national- popular: she articulates the sense of her own country as the sense of her own place, of herself as occupying a given position whose social meaning derives from belonging to a historically-defined tradition. She rejects the nationalism of the nation-state which is supported by the identification with a specific ideology…. Precisely because the Philippines [is] an American colony–and this is not an invention–Dogeaters is not only a realistic portrayal of the cultural, social, and moral fragmentation derived from centuries of dependence on first the Spanish and later the Americans, but also–in Gramscian terms–the expression of a sociality which is historical and ethic-political and which is the condition for the artistic rendering of a genuine and fundamental humanity (http://philcsc.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/whos-afraid-of-jessica-hagedorn -notes-on-a-filipina-writer-in-america/).

Compared with previous essays, this thesis is discussing Dogeaters from different point of view. Historically, the Philippines was colonized by Spain and

America for such a long time as Indonesia by Dutch. During that time, the colonizers brought major effects to the local custom. They westernized the

Filipinos with their religion, culture, habits, and ideas. This Westernization formed popular culture among the Filipinos. Therefore, this thesis focuses on the reflection and influence of popular culture in the novel as a result of the invasion of Western countries. 12

B. Review of Related Theories

To have the analysis meet the objectives of this study, the writer uses the theory of setting, character and characterization, westernization, popular culture, and the theory of hegemony.

1. Theory of Setting

Setting takes an important part in Dogeaters. The way Jessica Hagedorn uses particular terms to signify the meaning of the place and certain time to imply an important event. A Handbook of Literary Terms defines setting as “the elements that give the reader an abstract impression of the environment in which the characters move” (Yelland, et al., 1986: 184). According to A Handbook to

Literature, setting is also said as “the physical, and sometimes spiritual, background against which the action of a narrative takes place” (Holman and

Harmon, 1986: 465). For narrative or dramatic work, the setting usually is “the general locale, historical time, and social circumstances in which its action occurs” (Abrams, 1993: 192). In a broader meaning, quoted by Koesnosoebroto,

Lostracco and Wilkerson stated that “setting refers to the conditions or total environment, physical, emotional, economic, political, social, and psychological in which the characters live” (Koesnosoebroto, 1981: 80).

There are four elements making up a setting according to Holman and

Harmon’s A Handbook to Literature, namely: a. The actual geographical location, its topography, scenery, and such physical

arrangements as the location of the windows and doors in a room. b. The occupations and daily manner of living of the characters. 13

c. The time or period in which the action takes place, for example, epoch in

history or seasons of the year. d. The general environment of the characters, for example, religious, mental,

moral, social, and emotional conditions through which the people in the

narrative move.

Based on this book, when setting dominates, or when a piece of fiction is written largely to present the manners and customs of a locality or certain place, the writing is often called as local color writing or regionalism (Holman and Harmon,

1986: 465).

2. Theory of Character and Characterization

In A Glossary of Literary Terms, characters is identified as “the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say—the dialogue—and by what they do—the action”

(Abrams, 1993: 23).

E. M. Forster divided character into two types according to its complexity of quality. The first type is flat character which is “built around a single idea or quality and is presented without much individualizing detail”. And second is round character which is “complex in temperament and motivation and is represented with subtle particularity” (Abrams, 1993: 24). “Many writers present their main characters with fullness of detail, ‘in the round’, while the minor figures appear flat and somewhat lifeless” (Yelland, et al., 1953: 31). 14

Characters are imaginary persons because characters are presented in dramatic or narrative works. “The creation of these imaginary persons so that they exist for the reader as lifelike is called characterization” (Holman and Harmon,

1986: 81). There are three basic methods of characterization in fiction: a. The explicit presentation by the author of the character through direct

exposition. b. The presentation of the character in action. c. The representation within a character (ibid).

In addition, “a character may be either static or dynamic. A static character is one who changes a little if at all. Things happen to such a character without things happening within” (ibid, 83). Therefore, a static character may face even small changes which in fact do not change the character’s quality. “A dynamic character, on the other hand, is one who is modified by actions and experiences”

(ibid). Such character changes his or her traits during the development of the story.

3. Theory of Popular Culture

In An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture by Dominic Strinati

(1995), the contrasting implications with the history of the idea of popular culture are clearly noted by Raymond Williams. Referring to a ‘shift in perspective’ between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, he notes that ‘popular’ means

“being seen from the point of view of the people rather than from those seeking favor or power over them”. He describes ‘popular culture’ as “a culture that 15

carries two older senses: inferior kinds of work and deliberately setting out to win favor as well as the more modern sense of well liked by many people” (William,

1976: 199 in Strinati, 1995, 2-3) . The social significance of popular culture in the modern era can be charted by the way it has been identified with mass culture. It is seen from the coming of the mass media and the increasing commercialization of culture and leisure rise the issue of popular culture. The growth of the idea of mass culture, very evident from 1920s and 1930s onwards, is one of the historical sources of the themes and perspectives on popular culture (Strinati, 1995: 2).

The threat posed to high culture by mass culture and take over it as follow: Plays are now produced mainly to sell the movie rights, with many being directly financed by the film companies. The merger has standardized the theatre expunging both the classical and the experimental…and…the movies…too have become standardized…they are better entertainment and worse art (MacDonald, 1957: 64-65).

From the quotation above, Hoggart MacDonald in An Introduction to

He views the American mass culture leads the ‘jukebox boys’ away from the lived authenticity of their working-class backgrounds and into the empty fantasy world of Americanized pleasure. Mass culture is thought to arise from the mass production and consumption of culture. Since capitalist society most closely associated with these processes, it is relatively easy to identify America as the home of mass culture. In the following quotation, MacDonald affirms that in popular culture people are organized as masses and related to one another. It gives occasion to lose their human identity and quality. 16

This idea of the audience (public) is quite common to theories of popular culture. If “people are organized…as masses, they lose their human identity and quality…they are related to one another neither as individuals nor as members of communities”. Instead, every individual exists as “a solitary atom, uniform with and undifferentiated from thousands and millions of other atoms who go to make up ‘the lonely crowd' as David Reisman well calls American society.” By contrast, “folks is a community, i.e., a group of individuals linked to each other by common interests, work, traditions, values, and sentiments” (MacDonald, 1957: 69).

The development of the idea of popular culture is linked to the argument about meaning and interpretation which predate but become strikingly evident in the debates over mass culture. In particular, three related themes can be found in the work referred to above which, while not being exhaustive, have been central to theories of popular culture ever since. a. The first theme concerns on what or who determines popular culture

industrialization upon popular culture

Does the emergence of culture in commodity forms mean that criteria of profitability and marketability take precedence over quality, artistry, integrity and intellectual challenge? Or does the increasingly universal market of popular culture ensure that it is truly popular because it makes available commodities 17

people actually want? What wins out when popular culture is manufactured industrially and sold according to the criteria of marketability and profitability – commerce or quality? c. The third theme concerns on the ideological role of popular culture

2004: 3).

4. Theory of Westernization

The theory of popular culture has also been concerning with the process of

Westernization. It is a process whereby societies come under or adopt the Western culture in such matters as industry, technology, law, politics, economics, lifestyle, diet, language, alphabet, religion, or values. Westernization has been a pervasive and accelerating influence across the world in the last few centuries. It can also be related to the process of acculturation and/or enculturation. Acculturation refers to the changes that occur within a society or culture when two different groups come into a direct continuous contact. After the contact, changes in cultural patterns within either one of or both cultures are evident. In a widely accepted definition,

Westernization can also refer to the effects of Western expansion and colonialism 18

on native societies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westernization). For example, natives who have adopted European or American languages and characteristic of

Western customs are called the acculturated or westernized. Westernization may be forced or voluntary, depending on the situation of the contact. It is often regarded as a part of the ongoing process of globalization. This theory proposes that Western thought has led to globalization, and that globalization propagates western culture, leading to a cycle of Westernization.

Different degrees of domination, destruction, resistance, survival, adaptation, and modification of the native culture may follow interethnic contact.

In a situation where the native culture experiences destruction as a result of a more powerful outsider, a ‘shock phase’ often occurs as a result of the encounter.

This shock phase is especially the characteristic during interactions involving expansionist or colonialist eras. During the shock phase, civil repression using military force may lead to a cultural collapse, or ethnocide, which is a culture’s physical extinction. According to Conrad Phillip Kottak, the Westerners “will attempt to remake the native culture within their own image, ignoring the fact that the models of culture that they have created are inappropriate for settings outside of western civilization” (Kottak, 2005).

In many cases, a more detailed analysis of the origins of local resistance shows that peculiar local conditions informed it more than an outright condemnation of American culture. Under the title Seducing the French, Richard

F. Kuisel investigated economic missions, foreign investment, and U.S. consumer products in postwar France. He emphasizes that French opposition to U.S. culture 19

“was (and is) about both America and France”, because it intensified French fears of losing their cultural identity. Kuisel concedes that the French underwent a process of Americanization. But at the same time, they succeeded in defending their ‘Frenchness’. French consumers found some American products appealing but they also continued to cherish and idealize French national identity, notably the idea of a superior French high culture (http://www.americanforeignrelations. com/A-D/Cultural-Imperialism-Critics-of-cultural-imperialism-theory.html).

5. Theory of Hegemony

The term ‘hegemony’ is derived from Greek hegemon, meaning leader, guide or ruler. In general usage it refers to the rule or influence of one country over others, and to a principle, about which a group of elements are organized.

Hegemony has been developed by the Italian theorist Antonio Gramsci, explaining the control of the dominant class in contemporary capitalism. He argues that the dominant class cannot maintain control simply through the use of violence or force (Edgar and Sedgwick, 1999: 164). Gramsci’s analysis of the mass media and popular culture focuses upon his understanding of hegemony. He defines hegemony as a cultural and ideological means whereby the dominant groups in society, including fundamentally but not exclusively the ruling class, maintain their dominance by securing the ‘spontaneous consent’ of subordinate groups, including the working class. In Dominic Strinati’s An Introduction to

The hegemony of political class meant for Gramsci that that class had succeeded in persuading the other classes of society to accept its own 20

moral, political and cultural values. If the ruling class is successful, then this will be involved the minimum use of force, as was the case with the successful liberal regimes of nineteenth century (Joll, 1977: 99).

A more recent interpretation, which usefully outlines variations in the meaning of the concept, says:

Gramsci uses the concept of hegemony to describe the various modes of social control available to the dominant social group. He distinguishes between coercive control which is manifest through direct force or the threat of force, and consensual control which arises when individuals ‘willingly’ or ‘voluntarily’ assimilate the world-view or hegemony of the dominant group; an assimilation which allows that group to be hegemonic (Ransome, 1992: 150).

C. Review on the Philippines’ Cultural-Historical Background

1. Before the Arrival of America

The Republic of the Philippines is an archipelago with more than 7.000 islands, whose total land area is about 120.000 square kilometers: smaller than

Japan, but bigger than the British Isles. Of these, about eight hundred are large and fertile enough to be inhabited. The two large islands are Luzon and Mindanao

(Arcilla S. J. 1973: 8).

The Philippine Islands first were hosted to human inhabitants about

250.000 years ago. On the main island of Luzon, some scholars have found stone implements and other evidence of these primitive people who resembled the Java

Man. The scholars believe that they wandered in from the south and west over land bridges that then joined the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra with Borneo and the Philippines. A great ‘in-gathering’ of many and varied peoples at a much later period composed the ancestors of present-day Filipinos. The first of these were pygmy Negritos arriving overland some 25.000 to 30.000 years ago. The largest 21

migration of people to the Islands occurred 300 to 200 B.C. with the influx of the

Malays who brought their Iron Age tools pottery making and weaving. Even, the

Filipinos became most intimately part of the Malay world that centers around its own tropical Mediterranean following the rise of the Sri Vijayan empire in

Sumatra in the eighth century. When the center of power was transferred to Java in 1292 with the supremacy of Majapahit rule, this emphasis upon an empire bound together around the seas continued. The Philippines were not formally conquered by these empires, although individual princes made forays into the

Islands and some settled there with their followers. The pattern of settlement encouraged the great linguistic fragmentation that continues to this day. The fifty- five separate ethnic groups now identifiably speak some seventy mother tongues.

In the sixteenth century or in 1521 the Spanish arrived at the Islands and later in

1561 the actual Spanish conquest of the Islands was started by long penetration of

Christianity. They were introducing Catholic Church and semiprivate school,

Spanish dress, language, while Spanish family surnames were assumed later. Then occurred intermarried couples between Filipinos of mixed Malay and other blood, the mestizos (Ravenholt, 1962: 28-35).

The opening of the port of Manila to world trade in 1837 ended the economic stagnation resulting from the Spain’s earlier monopolistic policies and brought sudden prosperity to owners of the large landed estates and the merchants.

It brought more privilege to the Filipino families to be able to educate their sons abroad for the first time. Particularly in Europe, they were stirred by the new ideals of liberalism. When the young men returned from their foreign schooling 22

they helped leading a generation impatient for changes and propagandizing their fellow Filipinos with concepts of individual freedom and democratic rights (ibid,

47-48).

The Philippines is largely a traditional society where the authority of the paternal generation is strong, as is true throughout the Malayan world. The young regularly are reminded that the parents are responsible for their existence.

Grandparents also are respectfully consulted, as are uncles and aunts. Meanwhile, the Philippine culture is reflected in its art, such as: a. Music

The music is stemming from a very old South-East Asian tradition. It’s without any distinction of classes; men, women, rich and poor, all participate in feasts and rituals, and everyone is familiar with the sound of the gongs, bamboo zithers and two-stringed lutes. The music is not cerebral and highbrow.

Instruments made from plants and the products of tropical environment produce sounds that are reminiscent of this environment and are used to accompany rural activities, harvest thanksgivings, communication with spirits, wine-drinking, and the laying out of new rice fields. Latin music that first reached the Islands as a part of religious ceremonies was introduced by Christian missionaries blended with the origin instruments (UNESCO, 1973: 25). b. Manuscript

The manuscripts of early Filipinos reflected the simple activities of their lives and consisted principally of maxims, proverbs and songs or kundimans (Malcolm,

1951: 425). 23

c. Theatre and Literature

In theatre, there are two types of folk opera, the Moro-moro plays and

Zarzuelas. Now they still attract capacity audiences in the rural communities, however, these folk operas have suffered through the growth of the movie industry. The Philippines offers the third largest foreign market for American films. In literature it was in the great epic poems that were memorized by elders of the community and passed along verbally in Tagalog from one generation to the next (Ravenholt, 1962: 153-154).

The Philippines is a naturally rich Archipelago. Economically, the

Filipinos remained primarily subsistence farmers and fishermen. In Agriculture, however, the priest has also made significant contributions. Coconut plantations were established as commercial enterprises with the priest sometimes serving as a technical specialist in agriculture. The U.S. is the major market where coconut oil long has been important for soap and other industries (ibid, 41-42).

2. The Philippines under the Stars and Stripes

The United States of America’s efforts to foster in the Islands institutions of government and attitudes toward life derived from the American experience and faith in democratic ways. The Philippines was acquired in 1898 at the Treaty of Paris that closed the Spanish-American War. Formal advent of the U.S. onto the Philippines scene dates from the morning of May 1, 1898, when Commodore

George Dewney’s fewer but more heavily armed naval vessels destroyed the

Spanish squadron in Manila Bay. Indeed, the Filipinos insisted the U.S. to help 24

them in ousting the Spain, and later left them to establish an independent government. The U.S. fought a campaign that was encouraged to a degree by

Filipinos who felt that they were not ready to stand on their own. The administration of President William McKinley responded with a compromised solution; they would keep the Philippines under the American flag but with the purpose of protecting them and preparing the people for democratic self- government. Later, introduction of a public school system employing English for instruction proved the most consequential of all American innovations. Prior to this time, education during the Spanish ruler had been the privilege of the few who could afford to send their children to schools managed by the religion orders.

The Filipinos were pleased when they saw graduates given opportunity under the new administration. Since then, schooling for children became the foremost ambition of most Filipino families. The raising of the Philippines’ flag to replace the Stars and Stripes was held on July 4, 1946. However, the Philippines suffered bad economic problems afterward which eventually brought back U.S. in the

Islands for economic and social development mission (ibid, 51-94).

In 1950s, the economic policies started focusing on agricultural commercialization and industrialization in Manila where elites could more easily secure access to credit and other important commercial tools. This policy made

Manila grew and changed very fast in economic, social, and cultural field

(Kessler: 1989: 17-18).

Starting in 1964, it was a long season of demonstrations and rallies against the military agreements with the United States that is the equality rights of the 25

Americans in the Philippines. The Filipinos protested to some Americans whom the nationalists described variously as ‘carpetbagger,’ ‘imperialist dogs,’ and such

(Agoncillo, 1969: 292).

On August 21, 1983, when the Philippines opposition leader Sen. Benigno

S. Aquino, Jr. steeped out of the China Airlines plane on the way back from exile, he was shot in the head by his military escort. The assassination marked as a turning point in the dictatorship of Ferdinand E. Marcos, which ended in his fleeing the country and entering exile in Hawaii (Kessler: 1989: 1).

D. Theoretical Framework

The first problem in this paper is to find out in what way popular culture as the impact of Westernization is reflected on Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters. It will be analyzed by the help of the theories of setting, character and characterization,

Westernization, and popular culture. Theory of setting will help to discover the novel’s background, as the place, time, and social circumstances. The theory of character and characterization helps to explore the personalities, positions and the role of the characters in the novel. Meanwhile, the theory of Westernization is helping to find the forms of Westernization in the characters which occur in the novel.

The second problem is to discover the influence of popular culture as the impact of Westernization on behavior pattern of the Filipinos in Dogeaters which will be analyzed using the theories of Westernization, popular culture, and hegemony. The theory of hegemony helps to discover the domination of a main 26

group upon subordinate groups to maintain their control on them. In addition, the review on the Philippines’ sociocultural-historical background is used as a reference which strengthens the writer’s analysis. By using these theories and reviews, the writer will be able to answer all of the problems. CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study

This literary study discusses Dogeaters, a best-selling novel written by

Jessica Tarahata Hagedorn. This English-written novel consists of 251 pages which was first published by Pantheon Books in March 1990, however this analysis uses the second publication by Penguin Books in 1991. By naming her novel Dogeaters, Jessica shows how Americans used to make fun of the native

Filipinos who often ate dogs the same way they consume other kinds of meat, and the novel also describes many issues which appeared in the Philippines during the

1950s (Hagedorn, 1991: i).

Jessica Hagedorn was born in 1949 and raised in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, with her background a Scots-Irish-French-Filipino mother and a Filipino-Spanish father with one Chinese ancestor. Haedorn moved to San

Francisco in 1963 and received her education at the American Conservatory

Theater training program. To further pursue playwriting and music, she moved to

New York in 1978. Her origin and educational backgrounds are the factors which make her own a distinct and unique style in writing novel, song, and poetry

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Hagedorn).

In 1985, 1986, and 1988, she received Macdowell Colony Fellowships, which helped her able to write the novel Dogeaters, which illuminates many

27 28

different aspects of the Filipinos experience, focusing on the influence of America through radio, television, and movies. After its publication in 1990, her novel earned a 1990 National Book Award nomination and an American Book Award.

In 1998, La Jolla Playhouse produced a stage adaptation

(http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Jessica_Hagedorn). In 2004 Dogeaters was presented on a stage at Los Angeles’ Playwrights’ Arena (http://www.playbill. com/news/article/104479.html).

This novel is rich with many kinds of issues and perspectives. However, this thesis will analyze only on the reflection and influence of popular culture in the novel as the result of the invasion of Western countries. It could be seen from the people in privileged power and the Filipinos’ attitudes toward popular culture by observing the setting and characters in the novel.

B. Approach of the Study

Due to the topic of this thesis, the writer uses the sociocultural-historical approach which relates to the society and history where the work is produced, to answer the problems. According to Reading and Writing about Literature (1971), critics insist the only way to locate the real work is in reference to the civilization that produced it. They define civilization as the attitudes and actions of a specific group of people and point out that literature takes these attitudes and actions as its subject matter. They feel, therefore, that it is necessary that the critic investigate the social milieu in which a work was created and which it necessarily reflects. No one, of course, can deny their assertions because first literature is not created in a 29

vacuum, and, second, literature embodies ideas significant to the culture that produced it. It is impossible to understand fully the popular culture in Dogeaters without referring to the history of Spain and America’s invasion in the Philippines

(Rohrberger and Woods, Jr., 1971: 9).

A fair-minded critic must admit that there is often much value to be gained from some attention to sociocultural-historical factors, but again, the student must be cautioned to avoid certain dangers. Too rigorous an application of a narrow ethical system might lead the student to judge as good only literature that expresses ideas he believes to be true. Further, the student should avoid judging a piece of literature as though it were merely a historical document, illuminating the past only, without relevance to contemporary life (ibid, 10-11).

The quotation above shows us the significant of examining both historical fact and social environment in which a work was created. As in this work, the writer cannot fully understand the issues in Dogeaters without knowing its relevancy to the society in particular time and place. Two factors are presented in

Reading and Writing about Literature (1971). First, accuracy in the presentation of historical facts is of value to the historian, but not necessarily to the author.

Second, a work of literature might have historical significance, but not necessarily literary significance (Ibid, 11).

C. Method of the Study

In the process of collecting information related to the object of the study, the writer uses library research method. The library research method is used to collect as many as possible pieces of information related to Dogeaters. The primary data was taken from Dogeaters novel by Jessica Hagedorn and other 30

books. The writer also browsed from internet sites that provide abundant information related to the theme.

In finding the answers to the problems, there were several steps taken. The first one was reading the novel extensively for deeper understanding. Afterward, the writer collected additional data from other books or materials and internet sites to supports the analysis. The data includes theories, approaches, criticism and information about the novel needed and about the Philippines’ society. After all of the data had been collected, the next step was to examine and divide problems formulated in problem formulation. The data to answer problem number one were separated from the data to answer problem number two.

The next process was to analyze the data by applying some theories gained in the previous step and to arrange them into a report. After the report was compiled, it was necessary to re-read carefully what had been written. Finally, the last step was to draw the conclusion. This step was done by relating all the data into general statements in order to answer the problems. CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

Dogeaters is a novel which is divided into two parts. The story is generally depicting characters with their new similar collective behaviors which appear after the Western expansion and colonialism happen in the Philippines. They come under or adopt the Western culture in many aspects, such as industry, economy, lifestyle, diet, language, or values. These new collective behaviors soon become part of the inhabitant culture and become popular among them. The first part of the novel is entitled Coconut Palace which contains twenty four chapters. The second part is entitled The Song of Bullets which is divided into 19 chapters. In the first part, most of the characters are being introduced with their own diversity.

Additionally, the stories are being narrated by two people, Rio Gonzaga and Joey

Sands in substitution. The second part is dominated with struggle and desperate feelings. Since the forms of popular culture as the result or Westernization in the

Philippines appear almost in all chapters, therefore, this thesis is not focused mainly on certain chapters.

A. The Reflection of Popular Culture as the Impact of Westernization

In Dogeaters, popular culture as the impact of Westernization is reflected on two elements, its setting and characters. Setting is needed to signify: (1) the time in which its action occurs; (2) the place or geographical location; (3) the general environment of the characters or social circumstances; and (4) the

31 32

occupations and daily manners of living of the characters. The writer will combine the point number four and characters element to view the popular culture that is reflected in each individual.

1. The Setting in the Novel a. Setting of Time

In Dogeaters, the story jumps from one narrator, place, and situation to another. Since there are two narrators in this novel, an upper class young girl Rio

Gonzaga and a poor half-black male prostitute Joey Sands, create two different settings of time in each narration. In Rio’s story occurs two different ideas in viewing what time the story may happen. The first view is based on Rio’s narration which tells that the story begins in 1956 when Pucha and Rio watch All

Heaven Allows in the Avenue Theatre.

1956. The air-conditioned darkness of the Avenue Theatre smells of flowery pomade, sugary chocolates, cigarette smoke, and sweat. All Heaven Allows is playing in Cinemascope and Technicolor (Hagedorn, 1991: 3)

The second view which is contradicting with Rio’s view appears later almost in the end of the novel. This view is based on Pucha’s letter to Rio when Rio is living in America. It states that Rio mixes up the story on purpose. According to her the story starts on 1959 not 1956.

“1956, 1956! Rio, you’ve got it all wrong. Think about it: 1956 makes no sense. It must have started around 1959, at the very least!” (ibid, 248).

In the Philippines’ history in 1950s, the economic policies started focusing on agricultural commercialization and industrialization in Manila where elites 33

could more easily secure access to credit and other important commercial tools.

This policy made Manila grew and changed very fast in economic, social, and cultural field. Precisely, it was the time when the Filipinos struggled for their emancipation from American colonial period. In Dogeaters, this condition brought huge competition in showing off their existence in their society.

In Joey’s narration there is no explicit time stated in the novel. But, based on Hagedorn’s description in this novel, we can find that some of the characters show the allusion to the reality in the Philippines. There are the President and the

First Lady characters that their names are never explicitly mentioned and they refer to the era of President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda Marcos. In the novel, these characters have Senator Domingo Avila as their political opponent.

Meanwhile, historically, he refers to Senator Benigno Aquino. Joey becomes the witness of Senator Domingo Avila’s assassination when he was having a breakfast in the Intercontinental Hotel with his German gay lover. When he is about to escape and steals drug and money from the German guy, he rushes away to the outside of the quiet lobby. Just a second after that, he instantly recognizes Senator

Domingo Avila jumps out of an important-looking car and runs to the lobby. It follows by noise and quick spurts of explosion and Joey becomes the witness of

Avila’s assassination (ibid, 147-151). In reality, the popular assassination of

Benigno Aquino happened in 1983.

Hagedorn signifies the socio-cultural economical influences brought on by the US military and the dictatorships of Marcos. This story uses the reference to the postcolonial era in the Philippines. There are similarities in the way Filipinos 34

and the characters in the novel experience the legacies of the Cold War, living under harsh military rule of Marcos, and during People’s Revolution in 1986. In that moment, the Filipinos undergo the decades of governmental chaos and corruption; dictatorship and the First Lady or Imelda Marcos’ extravagance.

b. Setting of Place

The story takes place in Manila which is geographically located in the

Philippines. In Coconut Palace chapter (ibid, 1), the name of Coconut Palace refers to the actual palace in Manila that Imelda Marcos ordered to be built in honor of Pope John Paul II in his visit to the Philippines. The other evidences that the story happen in Manila is that the First Lady orders to build a cultural center at

Roxas Boulevard (ibid, 130). In the authenticity, this cultural center can be interpreted as the Cultural Center of the Philippines, which was custom-made by

Ferdinand Marcos. The other architectural works which are located in Manila are the Avenue Theater (ibid, 3), Forbes Park (ibid, 131), and Intercontinental Hotel

(ibid, 147). The Avenue Theater leads us to another allusion to the same theater name located along Rizal Avenue in Manila. In reality, Forbes Park is also known as Forbes, a private mansion and gated community in Makati City, Manila. It established in the 1940s and named after William Cameron Forbes, an American

Governor General of the Philippines. Forbes Park is home to Western sport club as Manila Golf, Country Club, and Manila Polo Club. There are also a Forbes

Park gated community in San Luis Valley of Colorado and in Chelsea,

Massachusetts (www.forbeslofts.com). 35

c. The General Environment or Social Circumstances

In 1903, an elderly supporter named James F. Rusling recalled that in

1899, McKinley had said to a religious delegation:

"(The truth is I didn't want the Philippines, and when they came to us as a gift from the gods, I did not know what to do with them... I sought counsel from all sides - Democrats as well as Republicans - but got little help). I thought first we would take only Manila; then Luzon; then other islands, perhaps, also. I walked the floor of the White House night after night until midnight; and I am not ashamed to tell you, gentlemen, that I went down on my knees and prayed Almighty God for light and guidance more than one night... And one night it came to me this way—I don't know how it was, but it came: one, that we could not give them back to Spain—that would be cowardly and dishonorable; two, that we could not turn them over to France or Germany –our commercial rivals in the Orient—that would be bad business and discreditable; three, that we could not leave them to themselves—they were unfit for self-government –and they would soon have anarchy and misrule over there worse than Spain's was; and four, that there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God's grace do the very best we could by them, as our fellow men for whom Christ also died. And then I went to bed and went to sleep and slept soundly” (Hagedorn, 1991: 71).

The quotation from the 25th President of the United States above is the starting point of the upcoming Westernization in the Philippines society. After long colonialism by Spain, the Philippines comes to a situation where the native culture experiences destruction as a result of a more powerful colonizer, a ‘shock phase’ often is a result from the encounter. The shock phase happens during this colonial era. Along this shock phase, civil repression using military force may lead to a cultural collapse, or ethnocide, which is a culture’s physical extinction.

According to Conrad Phillip, at this moment the Westerner, in this case is

American, will attempt to remake the native culture within their own image, ignoring the fact that the models of culture that they have created are 36

inappropriate for settings outside Western civilization (Conrad, 2005). For example, in 1940s the Western culture was introduced through Forbes Park, a private subdivision and gated community in Makati City, Metro Manila,

Philippines. It is a well-known for housing some of the country’s wealthiest families and prominent expatriates, including the ambassador of the United States.

Along with other honored guests of the government, the German director is flown in, first class, on Philippine Air Lines. He is housed in some big shot’s three-story mansion in Forbes Park, right next door to the Alacran estate (Hagedorn, 1991: 131).

America takes responsibility for the coming out of popular culture in the

Philippines. They introduce their culture to the people which they continuously carry out and become popular among the Filipinos. They introduce their fondness of luxurious products and consumptive moral into society, for example: green

Buick, a luxurious General Motor’s brand from North America in the color of money; Mercedes-Benzes where rich people and foreigners sitting with their doors locked and trying hard to ignore the outstretched hand at their windows; and

Ferrari a fancy Italian sport car.

The cashmere scarf is gracefully draped around Jane Wyman’s head to keep her warm. In her full-length, mahogany sable coat, she drives her dependable dark green Buick, the color of money (ibid, 6).

And,

Then there were times when Uncle pretended he was crippled and blind. I would lead him up to the air-conditioned Toyotas and Mercedes-Benzes where rich people and foreigners sat with their doors locked, trying hard to ignore my outstretched hand at their windows. But Uncle had no patience and little time for begging. “That’s for lazy people,” he would say (ibid, 43). 37

The other evidence that Westerners successfully implement their fondness to luxurious products and Western convenience is stated in the following quotation. It exposes that Cora Comacho is not only dream to drive a fancy

Western brand car, but also she thinks that it would be perfect if she drives it like in an American commercial where a young man speeds in his fancy car on the road which is endless and smooth. It is much better than driving in the

Philippines’ roads where people can find jeepneys, pedicabs, barefoot boys riding slow, and plodding carabao in almost everywhere.

When Cora Comacho interviews Severo, she hopes he will linger after the taping ends, maybe offer her a ride home in his limousine. She hopes her ‘Tigress’ perfume isn’t too overpowering. Maybe he drove himself to the studio today, in one of those fancy sports cars. A Maserati of Ferrari, something Italian and phallic. A young man’s car. They could be alone, speeding on the highway, like in those American commercials where the road is endless and smooth, empty of other cars, trucks, buses, jeepneys, pedicabs, barefoot boys riding slow, plodding carabao (ibid, 22).

Except by products bombarding, Americans also introduce their own ideas and values to the Philippines. The term ‘This is a Free Country’ is being used in

Dogeaters by the Philippines’ President. Free Country is United States’ political and ideological concept created by US ‘Freedom House’ which refers to freedom of politic, social, and economy. It also refers to the existence of democratic institutions that guarantee freedom in practice, such as representative government, political parties, trade unions, political opposition, branches of government, judicial independence, and independence of media. It also encompasses institutions that avoid political repression, torture, censure, and other forms of denying freedom. 38

The fact that Daisy’s father is still alive is exploited by our wily President. “You see? This is a free country—just ask Domingo Avila,” the President reminds his critics (ibid, 102). . The idea of slender figure was definitely born in America, a place where top models and artists come from. Of course, most women all around the world dream to have a slim body shape and they have to work hard for it. They do diet program, exercises, eat only diet foods and drinks, and even smoking like Nena does. She smokes too many cigarettes in order to loss her weight. Another thing with Isabel Alacran, she drinks only sugar-free TruCola Diets and ice-cream for her diet menu. That is what they and several women learn from American culture.

Nena smokes too many cigarettes, is painfully thin, and is considered one of the best-dressed women in Manila, second to Isabel Alacran. She survives on a diet of ice-cream and TruColas, which she has for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (ibid, 89).

Apart from the diet culture, the phenomenon of role model is being created by the Western culture. The idea of being popular is a big deal, especially for an artist. They will do many things to keep them under the spotlight as long as they can, including being different, brave, and eye catching. The sensational Anita

Ekberg is one of the examples; she is a Swedish model, actress, and cult sex symbol. In Dogeaters, a beautiful actress Lolita Luna does exactly the same way.

She becomes brave rolling in a sex drama A Candle Is Burning (ibid, 169) to maintain her popularity and gain more income.

Anita Ekberg is poised with her mouth open, her head with its mane of blond hair tossed back in an arrogant gesture. She is a lioness; she is obviously not ashamed of her enormous breasts, which threaten to pop out of the plunging, heart-shaped cleavage of her strapless evening gown. She’s been photographed by the paparazzi at the premiere of a scandalous new movie, La Dolce Vita. Rita Hayworth is at the same party (ibid, 87). 39

Americans influence the Philippines in many parts, they make habits of using abbreviation become so popular. The term VIP which stands for Very

Important Person becomes popular in general using. In this novel, Jessica uses it several times in humorous ways like VIP for Very Important Prisoners and

NPA—Nice People Around.

He takes her on a brief tour as he leads her down the maze of corridors towards the General’s special interrogation room, what some survivors jokingly refer to as General Ledesma’s ‘VIP Lounge’—for very important prisoners (ibid, 211).

The expansion of Spain and America towards the Philippines brings a cultural change to native societies. The process of Westernization among the

Philippines affects the societies to come under or adopt the Western customs in such matters as industry, technology, law, politics, economy, lifestyle, diet, language, alphabet, religion or values. Westernization may be forced or voluntary depending on the situation of the contact. Dogeaters tells the story about the

Western culture being adopted in any class of the society, who praise and make it a popular culture in their society. Besides being voluntarily adopted, this popular culture may emerge ‘by force’. ‘By force’ in this situation means the appearance of popular culture is being made from those in power position as a type of social control. The power class had succeeded in persuading the other classes of society to accept its own moral, political and cultural values (Joll, 1977: 99). Severo

Alacran or Don Luis is the character who takes the power among the Philippines in Dogeaters. He is a very wealthy business man. He is a mogul; owning The

Metro Manila Daily, Celebrity Pinoy Weekly, Radiomanila, Mabuhay Studio,

TruCola Soft Drinks, constructed SPORTEX, and many more. He’s a wheeler- 40

dealer, ruthless, ambitious, and royal to people. He has business with everyone including with the President, Japanese, and American trough his Intercoco— coconut shell charcoal export company.

Because he tells the President what to do… Because he owns a 10.000 acre hacienda named Las Palmas. Because he employs a private army of mercenaries… Because his house is not a home but a museum… Because he owns The Metro Manila Daily, Celebrity Pinoy Weekly, Radiomanila, TruCola Soft Drinks, plus controlling interests in Mabuhay Movie Studios, Apollo Records, and the Monte Vista Golf and Country Club. Because he conceived and constructed SPORTEX, a futuristic department store in the suburb of Makati… (Hagedorn, 1991: 18).

The power class of the country makes people get familiar with the exclusivity of things that are connected with Western culture. For example they build Avenue Theater which performs English movies only. By this they get along with exclusive place with air-conditioner which they find guaranteeing convenience and status, special balcony, and nice pictures of theater showing only

English movies with English titles as: All That Heaven Allows, A Place in the Sun, and Bundle of Joy. No Filipinos movies with Tagalog dialog and title in it. This condition makes the Philippines’ producers in this novel produces English-titled movies massively. For examples are Lolita Luna’s movie A Candle is Burning

(ibid, 48), The Agony of Love (ibid, 49), dance drama Loverboy (ibid, 106), and the sex drama A Candle Is Burning (ibid, 169).

Hunddled with our chaperone Lorenza, my cousin Pucha Gonzaga and I sit enthralled in the upper section of the balcony in Manila’s “Foremost! First-run! English Movie Only!” theater (ibid, 3).

In the real life, the Avenue Theater is an architectural work by Arch. Juan

Nakpil. Located along Rizal Avenue in Manila, the theater has a 1,000 seat capacity, with its lobby bearing a marble finish flooring. It used to have a hotel 41

and a venue for office spaces. In 2006, it was demolished to make way for a parking lot, as realty costs were too expensive for it to be maintained. It has the same name with the Avenue Theater which is located at 417 E 17th Avenue in

Downtown Denver, Colorado, USA. The theater has been a local favorite, producing fine Comedies, Musicals & plays as well as Improvisational comedy for 24 years. It is home to the World Humor Organization (WHO) and Chicken

Lips Entertainment. Robert Wells originally founded the Avenue Theater in 1985

(www.avenuetheater.com).

The growth of popular culture among the society in Dogeaters can not be said only rises up from the people ‘below’ or it sinks down from elites, like government, America, or businessman like Severo Alacran. It is rather a form of interaction between the two. The reason is that in this novel; Spain, America, and the elites take parts for making the society becomes hungry or having huge appreciation on popular culture. For examples: American culture for cigarette diet, using American products, Severo Alacran’s TruCola and SPORTEX, and English titled movie. The elites try to advertise their products and values to the society in order to persuade people to follow or do what the elites want and manipulate them to think that these products are what they want. They cultivate the feeling that it is not right if women’s bodies are not in a slim shape, it is not cool if people in the

Philippines do not drink TruCola and wear SPORTEX, and it is awkward if people watch Tagalog movies not the English-titled one. And in this novel, those elites have done their job very well and maintain their dominance by succeeding in making people follow their trends. 42

The story in Dogeaters portrays the cultural legacies of American among the Filipinos society. The result is the portrayal of the Filipinos in embracing a variety of popular culture, like: movies, music, commercials, and Western products. Popular culture becomes the Filipinos’ fantasy of life which is for removing themselves from poverty and gaining a glamorous life in the America.

Their attitudes toward the Filipinos culture and society reflect their attempt moving to more Westernized society.

2. The Characters in the Novel a. Pucha Gonzaga

Pucha is 14 years old, daughter of Agustin and Florence Gonzaga, also the cousin of Rio. She is stingy, arrogant, willing to do anything for social status, high demanding, and proud of herself for being pretty and classy. Her casual arrogance seems inherently American, modern, and enviable (Hagedorn, 1991: 4). Pucha likes fancy and glamorous life. It can be seen from her way of choosing guys, actors, and from her behavior. She is a blond, fair-skinned, and cruel girl. Her hair and skin complexion is inherited from her mix ancestor between Filipino and

Western blood that makes her called as mestiza.

Irritated by my blond cousin’s constant criticism. She wrinkles her mestiza nose, the nose she is so proud of because it’s so pointy and straight (ibid).

As the member of the Gonzaga family, Pucha’s parents are not wealthy enough compared to the other Gonzagas and sometimes Rio’s parents have to help them with their financial matters. Pucha is portrayed as a Filipino who loves to follow new trends and adores Western culture so much. She is a girl who is 43

hungry for living in a high standard, forgetting that Rio’s family is the one who pays for the small thing like going to a weekly manicure, pedicure and foot massage at Jojo’s New Yorker salon. Pucha thinks that marrying creepy Bombom

Alacran will insure her social standing (ibid, 55-64). In addition, she and her parents are frequently invited to have diner at Rio’s house. She enjoys the moment very much when she eats expensive and imported food they serve.

They ask Pacita to open and heat up a can of Heinz Pork’n’Beans instead. Pucha loves her canned beans because they’re expensive and imported (ibid, 62).

Pucha’s fondness of Western culture also can be seen in her letter to Rio when her cousin moves to America. In her error-spelling letter, she plans to have an US divorce in America since divorce still considered as a sin in the Philippines.

From her letter, we can sense that she tries hard enough to write it in English to show more prestige.

“RIO-I wish you never left us if God wills I will perhapps be joineing you soon over there, primma. I need an US divorce , sabes ya-its still not okay here it’s a mortal sin. Well maybe I could do it in Honkong and go shopping too but I rather the US we could go shopping together! Or maybe Reno ITS MORE FUN plus with you there primma it wont be so lonely! Your papi is not so good he just came out of hospital again why dont you see him? Hes always joking you know how he is, life of the party, pobre tambien! Raul was with him everyday; thanks be to God your brother is here. Write to me why don’t you I always do the writeing its not fair. I miss you LOVE always, PUCHA” (ibid, 7).

Movie is the main interest among the Filipinos in Dogeaters. They go to the theater to watch their favorite movies. In this novel almost all movies, including the Philippines’, are entitled in English. Pucha is one of those who love to watch English titled movies, such as All That Heaven Allows, A Place in the 44

Sun, Bundle of Joy (ibid, 3). She even watches them in a special theater called

Avenue Theater which plays English movies only.

Hunddled with our chaperone Lorenza, my cousin Pucha Gonzaga and I sit enthralled in the upper section of the balcony in Manila’s “Foremost! First-run! English Movie Only!” theater (ibid).

After watching those movies, Pucha often brings the part of what she finds interesting into her life or conversation. For example, when she finds Rio made her hair cut, she comments that her hair makes her look terrible—like Joan of Arc, the French heroine (ibid, 236).

b. Dolores Logan Gonzaga

Dolores is Rio’s mother. She is cynical, stubborn, but loyal to friends. She is aware that her beauty can be achieved by efforts. In her diary, Rio describes her mother is like an American actress Rita Hayworth, a modern woman who always cares about how she looks.

My mother uses cold creams, moisturizers, takes daily naps with masks of mashed avocado, mashed sinkamas, and red clay from France smeared on her face. She is a beautiful woman who works hard at it. Every couple of months she has Chiquiting Moreno tint her black hair with auburn highlights, just like Rita Hayworth. She yells at me and cousin Pucha not to play in the sun, she warns us about cancer, old age, and the perils of ugliness (ibid, 82).

Similar with Pucha, Dolores adores Western or “Made in USA” products since she affords to buy them as we can see from following quotation.

“Made in de USA!” The cheerful cashier jokes as she totals the enormous cost of my mother’s purchases: small cans of Libby’s succotash, Del Monte De Luxe Asparagus Spear, two bottle of Hunt’s Catsup, one jar of French’s Mustard, Miracle Whips Sandwich Spread, Kraft Mayonnaise, Bonnie Bell Sweet Sliced Pickles, Jiffy Peanut Butter, package of Velveeta, party-size bags of Cheez Whiz, one box of Nabisco Ritz 45

Crackers, and several boxes of Jell-O gelatin in lime and cherry flavors for my brother Raul. At the last minute, my mother throws in one canister of Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder (ibid, 234). c. Isabel Alacran

Isabel is Severo’s beautiful wife. Before, she worked as a hostess at a nightclub and won Miss Congeniality in Miss Postwar Manila. In contrast to her beauty pageant achievement, she actually is a stiff, hysterical, rude, and egoistic person. She is very addicted to Western lifestyle and intimidated by her role model body-shaped. After several trips to America, she brings back American culture that she learns, like perfecting her English accent and consuming Western fashion brands.

She is a hostess at a nightclub. Her father dies, in a barroom brawl. She wins a beauty contest. Miss Postwar Manila. Miss Congeniality... She takes a lot of airplane, perfects her English. She is terrified by New York, intimidated by Paris, at home in Rome and Madrid. She developes a Spanish accent, and learns to roll her r’s. She concentrates on being thin, sophisticated, icy. Her role models include Dietrich, Vicomtesse Jacqueline de Ribes, Nefertiti, and Grace Kelly… (ibid, 20). d. Joey Sands

Joey is a pretty, cool and calm black guy who works as a DJ in CocoRico night club. He gets his last name ‘Sand’ from a casino in Las Vegas when he meets Neil, his American client. He is a fearless, ambitious and funny guy. Joey loves to stay (as a guest) in fancy hotels from his side job as a male gay whore.

His favorite clients are from Western countries that he likes to delude and play tricks on. Sometimes he steals stuff from his steady clients or one-night stands, additionally he enjoys to keep the hotels stuffs too. For example, one night he 46

steals from his client a Rolex, a luxurious American watch brand. Rolex is a very popular watch brand and considered as a status symbol.

Sometimes I’ll steal from them, just to make a point. A bottle of cologne, a Rolex left carelessly next to the bathroom sink. I never keep what’s given to me as a gift; I like to let them know how little their trinkets are really worth, what kind of dope I bought with their money (ibid, 37).

Back in his private life, he lives with a man he called ‘Uncle’, his childhood friend Boyboy, and Uncle’s ugly dog Taruk. Together, they live in

Uncle’s narrow and dingy shack, an orphanage for wayward boys where they grew up. There Joey was saved and raised by Uncle like his own son. Similar with

Pucha, Isabel Alacran, and some of the Dogeaters’ characters, he always believes that he will live in a better life, gets a sponsor or green card, and lives in the

United States (ibid, 31-40).

I’ll have it all worked out, soon. I know I will. I have to. I’ll hit the jackpot with one of these guys. Leave town. I’ll get lucky like Junior. Some foreign woman will sponsor me and take me to the States. Maybe she’ll marry me. I’ll get my green card. Wouldn’t that be something? (ibid, 40).

During his narration, Joey uses many times Western terms and culture to express something. For example, he uses Prince Charming when he points to the

German guy. Prince Charming is a stock character who appears in a number of fairy tales. This character is handsome, romantic, and is also used as a term to refer to the idealized man. Moreover, Joey describes Lolita Luna’s body shape as

Coca-cola figure. Coca-Cola is produced in Atlanta, Georgia. The equally famous

Coca-Cola bottle, called as the ‘contour bottle’ within the company, but known to some as the ‘hobble skirt’ bottle.The Coca-Cola Company launched this contour bottle as it would distinguish it from other beverage bottles. People could 47

immediately recognize and tell at a glance of this bottle by its shape even if they felt it in the dark or broken. That is the reason why Joey describes Lolita Luna as having Coca-cola figure; she is easy to be recognized in the crowd.

I slide onto a stool next to Prince Charming. Andres gives me one of his looks. “Your usual?” he asks me casually, pulling out the Remy Martin (ibid, 132).

And,

Lolita Luna makes her noisy entrance, her Coca-Cola figure poured into a short, tight dress (ibid, 136).

Even though Joey lives in a slum, he has such a fancy taste. He worships

Western products, as we can see from the first quotation above. He drinks

Western alcoholic drinks only, like Remy Martin, a French made cognac. He also smokes his high-class English cigarettes (ibid, 144).

e. Andres Alacran

Andres is an old-fashioned cousin of Severo Alacran. But, unlike his cousin who is an owner, Andres only owns CocoRico discotheque as his main business. He is a stingy, unsatisfied, hysterical, and opportunistic business man.

Similar to most of other characters, Andres worships Western culture so much. He adores American singers, Tina Turner and Dona Summer. Tina Turner is being referred to ‘The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll’. As one of the world’s most popular entertainers, Turner has been called the most successful female rock artist and was named “one of the greatest singers of all time” by Rolling Stone magazine.

Meanwhile, Donna Summer is an American singer and songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of music. 48

Joey’s thinking about Andres: What a weirdo—a man of contradictions! He makes novenas to Tina Turner and Donna Summer: “Divine putas with juicy lips,” he calls them. “Immortal women, the way I like them.” (ibid, 34).

In Dogeaters, Jessica Hagedorn describes that most of the characters are filled with Western values and use American jokes. She makes the characters express their feeling or comment on something in a Western way or using

Western parable. The following quotation, Andres describes Rainer the German director resembles to Grace Kelly’s husband. Grace Kelly was an Academy

Award-winning American film, a stage actress, and a fashion icon as well. She married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco in 1956.

I turn my face to the German, real cool, taking my time. He shakes my hand, introduces himself as Rainer. “Like Grace Kelly’s husband,” Andres gushes (ibid, 132). f. Uncle

Uncle is a harsh and tough old man. He does various transactions, including the dirty ones, is a pusher and common pimp. He is a money-oriented, drunker, and manipulative old man. Through the Uncle character, Jessica

Hagedorn once again exposes popular Western expressions which are taken from movies. It shows us that Western culture is becoming popular among rich and poor, or we can say all classes of the Filipinos. The quotation below shows its evidence and that they love Western movies.

The old man savored the English words coming out of his mouth. “Confidential” and “a matter of life and death,” just like the clipped dialogue he remembered from old American gangster movies. Paul Muni or Paul Henreid, George Raft or James Cagney—it didn’t matter if he mixed them up (ibid, 200). 49

g. Romeo Rosales or Orlando

Romeo is a young waiter in Monte Vista Club with Elvis Presley hair style. He is always broke since he spents almost all of his small wages to watch movie, thus he relies his life on her girlfriend Trinidad. Romeo is a dreamer, opportunistic, and bombastic person. Here again, we can see that Romeo uses an

American actor, film director/producer/composer, Clint Eastwood to express his anger towards a guard at Mabuhay Studio.

And that damn guard yesterday at Mabuhay Studios! I mustn’t think about him, the shit. “DO YOU HAVE AN APPOINTMENT?” he grins at me. I don’t like it. I can’t see his eyes behind those corny sunglasses. Who does he think he is, Clint Eastwood? (ibid, 126).

SPORTEX is an apparel brand and shop owns by Severo Alacran which is very booming among the Filipinos in the novel. Since her girlfriend works there,

Romeo always makes his daily visit for having lunch together. Actually, he likes to be in that shop where it promises air-conditioner and escalators, but poverty makes him feels invisible there.

Romeo hurries to keep up with the brisk pace of the crowd. He sees impressive façade of SPORTEX looming from a distance, promising air- conditioning, escalators, seductive displays of imported merchandise, and innocuous, piped-in Muzak… The store never failed to make him feel poorer and shabbier than he actually was, especially when the salesclerks seemed to make a point of ignoring him the few times he ventured into the men’s department (ibid, 159-160). . Besides his valuable SPORTEX clothes he has as gifts from Trinidad that she bought with employee’s discount, he likes to wear his RayBans sunglasses, the imitation one. The Ray-Ban became a well-known style of sunglasses when

General Douglas MacArthur landed on the beach in the Philippines in World War

II, and photographers snapped several pictures of him wearing them. 50

Romeo slows down to give himself to think. Sweat mixed with his perfumed hair grease drips down into his ears and drenches his collar. He adjusts his imitation RayBans, another recent gift from Trinidad (ibid, 166). h. Trinidad Gamboa

She is an aggressive woman, a hard worker, loyal, royal, supportive and kind-hearted girlfriend. Trinidad is a cashier at Odeon Theater who falls madly in love with Romeo. She describes Romeo like actors Sal Mineo, Elvis Presley, or

Nestor Noralez.

Romeo ‘s hair was carefully combed and arranged so that his natural curls tumbled carelessly down his forehead. Like Sal Mineo in Rebel Without a Cause. Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock. Or that daredevil Nestor Noralez in Tormented (ibid, 51).

Since her parents cut her allowance, she has to find another job. Therefore, she works in SPORTEX shop as a customer service. She enjoys and is proud of working there because it is a famous brand in the Philippines. Besides she can use special discount to buy clothes for her boyfriend, and she is very proud of having a glamorous boss with spectacular Western designer’s outfit.

“Mrs. Alacran was in the store yesterday, making one of her surprise inspections. Imagine, she called by my first name!” Trinidad imitates her boss’s famous wife by lowering her voice. “Trini, how are you?” “Naku! She was wearing a genuine Oscar de la Renta, I almost fainted it was so beautiful! It’s good thing I just got a perm and manicure and my counter was spic and span. Alam mo na, I’m always wiping away with my rags and my Windex!” (ibid, 160). i. The First Lady

The First Lady is the President of the Philippines’ wife. She often speaks artificially. She is a cruel and insane woman. The chapter The President’s Wife 51

Has Dream (ibid, 121-124) describes what The First Lady dreams of. In this chapter, Jessica Hagedorn illustrates The First Lady’s dreams in full colors and shows how addicted she is to Western culture. In her dream, she is in the lobby of

Waldrof-Astoria, a famously luxurious hotel in New York City. She wears a scarlet beaded silk terno, an opulent black tulle bustle accentuates her plump buttocks as she struts confidently toward the elevators (ibid, 122). She equips herself with hundreds of luxurious French brand Louis Vuitton suitcases, three pearl-handled English umbrellas, and sets of brand-new American golf clubs.

They drag her luggage hundreds of Vuitton suitcases in all shapes and sizes black steamer trunks pale pink hatboxes assorted plastic shopping bags one empty birdcage three pearl-handled English umbrellas and several sets of brand-new American golf clubs the women chatter among themselves their bursts of laughter annoy her she can’t understand a thing they’re saying suspects they’re talking about her (ibid, 122).

Still in her dream, she meets Western figures like Cristina Ford who smokes and says by smoking she can keep her slander shape, she meets an

American film and television actor and occasional film director George Hamilton.

The First Lady even sees Pope John XXIII coming in her room (ibid, 122-123).

Cristina Ford comes out of the first elevator. She wears a nun’s habit and veil. “Ciao, bella—” Cristina greets her warmly pulls a cigarette from the deep fold of her pocket and lights it she inhales greedily exhales the smoke with a sigh of contentment “look, darling—I managed to keep it,” she says, pulling off her veil shaking out her leonine mane of peroxided hair she takes another puff on her cigarette before disappearing into second elevator (ibid, 122).

The First Lady is well-known as her ‘edifice complex’ or an exaggerated aggressiveness to build a large or massive structure. Regarding ‘The Manila

International Film Festival’, her latest whim, the First Lady builds so-called a culture center and orders the city and slums converted into nice looking 52

environment, which looks fake, useless, and wasted. Just before it finishes, one of the structures of film festival’s building collapses and tragically lots of workers are buried in the rubble. But she orders the rest to continue building and asks to pour cement over dead bodies (ibid, 130-152).

A bunch of new building have been built right next to Magsaysay Pavilion on Roxas Boulevard. She’s calling the whole thing a cultural center, whatever that means. Movies, ballerinas, and opera daw (ibid, 130).

Besides, The First Lady is famous with her obsession on personal hygiene, like common American people who put a lot of concerns to hygiene.

Chiquiting joins in with his tsismis, entertaining the German with stories about the First Lady’s ‘edifice complex,’ plus her unnatural obsession with personal hygiene” (ibid, 134).

In the chapter Bananas and the Republic, The First Lady is being interviewed by Steve, an American journalist. With her favorite American expression she uses as many times and as randomly as possible, she makes self defenses in her interview from what people said, that she is extravagant by showing that she has been wearing local-made dress and shoes from her own designs which obviously she will not wear anymore. She declares herself as a nationalist when it comes to fashion, which they both know that it is untrue and means on the contrary (ibid, 217-224). Beyond all questions, she prefers to use imported brands like Oscar de la Renta than local made.

To make a point, Madame removes one shoe. She holds it up for the foreign journalist’s benefit. “Local made! You see, Steve—they say I only buy imported products. But look, di ba, my shoe has label that clearly says: Marikina shoes, Made in PI! You know our famous expression, imported? It’s always been synonymous with ‘the best,’ in my country—” She pauses to glance around the room at her hovering female attendants, all dressed in blue. Madame turns her attention back to him. “They accuse me of being extravagant, but I’ve owned these shoes for at least five years! 53

Look at the worn heel… And this beautiful dress I’m wearing is also local- made, out of pineapple fiber, which we also export. I use top Filipino designers exclusively for my clothes and my shoes… Valera, Espirtu, Ben Farrales… And Chiquiting Moreno is the only one allowed to touch my hair! I am a nationalist when it comes to fashion,” she smiles. She has been lying to him cheerfully all morning, and they both know it. He smiles back. She shows him the mother-of-pearl heel of her custom-made peau- de-soie pumps. “I have big feet for a Filipina,” she sighs, “all my shoes have to be special ordered.” Pale blue, sky blue, virgin blue, happy blue, mother-of-pearl blue shoes. Her own designs, she tells him proudly. Her favourite color, blue. A color which for her signifies harmony, peace, her serene oneness with the universe (ibid, 217-218).

B. The Influence of Popular Culture toward Filipinos’ Behavior Pattern

The Westernization introduces the consumption pattern on popular culture among the Filipinos in this novel. The influences of popular culture can be seen from the attitude of the Filipinos toward their origin and popular culture. The growth of popular culture in society gives influence on: (1) praising Western culture; (2) imitating Western culture and products; (3) feeling ashamed and disrespectful of their original culture and local products; and (4) having consumerism habit.

1. Praising Western Culture

The existence of popular culture in Dogeaters is to indoctrinate people to get them accept and adhere ideas and values which ensure the continual dominance of those in more privileged positions. The writer discovers the pattern that how the American and those in privileged positions maintain their dominance upon the Philippines is based on Gramsci’s concept of hegemony. The American and those in privileged positions had succeeded in persuading other classes of the 54

society to accept their moral, political and cultural values with the minimum use of force to maintain their dominance. Their domination can make the Filipinos keeping up American culture, adopting, and making it becomes their popular culture. They are so proud of consuming imported products with ‘Made in USA’ in tag. They also feel self-important by using English expression into their daily conversation, like corny, desire, adoration, and love. The quotation below proves how Isabel Alacran praises popular culture. In order to obtain more prestige, she tries to make her English perfect by going to America. She is also tries to look sophisticated and slim as her Western role model.

His wife Isabel and his widowed mother Serafina call him by his first name, Severo. His daughter avoids calling him anything, even “Papa,” except on public occasions. When his wife loses her temper, she calls hiijo de puta, a whore’s son, carbon. Motherfucker she learns to call him, after several trips to American… She is a hostess at a nightclub. Her father dies, in a barroom brawl. She wins a beauty contest. Miss Postwar Manila. Miss Congeniality... She takes a lot of airplane, perfects her English. She is terrified by New York, intimidated by Paris, at home in Rome and Madrid. She developes a Spanish accent, and learns to roll her r’s. She concentrates on being thin, sophisticated, icy. Her role models include Dietrich, Vicomtesse Jacqueline de Ribes, Nefertiti, and Grace Kelly… (ibid, 19- 20).

The other example of being proud of using English language and embracing American value are found in Pucha’s character. In her letter to Rio, she works very hard to use English language, even when the result is error in spelling.

Here she also uses ‘US divorce’ term to point an easy divorce in the country where the marriages will commonly end in divorce.

RIO-I wish you never left us if God wills I will perhapps be joineing you soon over there, primma. I need a US divorce , sabes ya-its still not okay here it’s a mortal sin. Well maybe I could do it in Honkong and go shopping too but I rather the US we could go shopping together! Or maybe Reno ITS MORE FUN plus with you there primma it wont be so lonely! 55

Your papi is not so good he just came out of hospital again why dont you see him? Hes always joking you know how he is, life of the party, pobre tambien! Raul was with him everyday; thanks be to God your brother is here. Write to me why don’t you I always do the writeing its not fair. I miss you LOVE always, PUCHA (ibid, 7).

2. Imitating Western Culture and Products

Popular culture which appears in Dogeater is a type of imitation on

Western Culture. People like to use analogy to show the similarity between local people and Western figure, for examples in a music show in television, the MC presents Connie Lim, as the Barbara Streisand of the Philippines (ibid, 76).

Meanwhile, Rio Gonzaga labels her mother as my ‘Rita Rita Hayworth’ mother

(ibid, 9 and 16). And people consider the Girl Talk’s presenter, Cora Comacho, as

Barbara Walter of the Philippines (ibid, 21). They also use imitation of Western culture to signify the chance of success. Jojo’s New Yorker beauty parlor and

Baguio the swiss-styled cottage sounds promising to satisfy Western culture lovers.

The summer before the Goldenbergs leave, my parents invite her to spend a week up in Baguio with us in an imitation Swiss chalet they are renting for the summer with the consul and his wife… In Pucha’s imagination it’s the closest thing to America. We are both eager to show off our pastel orlon cardigan sweaters, which we wear draped over our shoulders, under single strands of tiny pearls. Pucha’s pearls aren’t real, mine are. No one can tell the difference. We affect the casual teenage glamour of Gloria Talbott in our favorite movie (ibid, 234-236).

3. Feeling Ashamed and Disrespectful of their Original Culture and Local

Products

People who accept and adhere to ideas and values of popular culture lose their individual identity and quality. In this novel, Jessica Hagedorn depicts the 56

attitude of the Filipinos towards their own culture. The growth of popular culture in society lessens the Filipinos’ interest in their origin culture or local products.

They are ashamed and disrespect of their own culture. For example Rosario

‘Baby’ Alacran is one of few characters who like to watch Tagalog soap operas, but she keep it as a secret since her family forgot it long time ago (ibid, 157). And for most of Gonzagas family, they do not appreciate their official language melodrama, movies, or songs because they consider it as lower class entertainment.

According to my father, Love Letters appeals to the lowest common denominator. My Uncle Agustin’s version of the lowest common denominator is the “bakya crowd.” It’s the same reason the Gonzagas refuse to listen to Tagalog songs, or go to Tagalog movies. I don’t care about any of that (ibid, 12).

They respect Western brand and disrespect their local brand. Like what is stated in the following quotation, Sergeant Isidro Planas likes to smoke US brand cigarette only because he considers local brands can give him a sore throat or because it is not prestigious.

Sergeant Isidro Planas: He pulled out his pack of Winstons with a flourish and offered it to Uncle. “Go on.” He urged, “help yourself—U.S. brand!” That’s all I smoke…” he licked his teeth. “You know how it is—local brands give me a sore throat (ibid, 198).

The word Dogeaters refers to the native Philippines who eat dogs instead of other meats. Through her novel, Jessica shows the attitude of the Filipinos who try to leave their original culture behind and shift to popular culture. Now they are ashamed of and disrespect their original culture, like what Andres says to his janitor-guy Pedro, “He eats dogmeat” (ibid, 32). And Andres believes that

Filipinos enjoy stealing toilet paper from public bathrooms (ibid, 34). 57

And calls him Pedro “the Pagan Dogeater with the Prick of a Monkey and the Brain of a Flea. Then he throws in the usual gago, tanga, walanghiya,ulol: stupid, stupid, shameless, stupid, and variations of stupid like dumbfoolidiot” (ibid, 33).

The bloom of popular culture causes the Filipinos to lose their interest on their original culture. They intend to remove themselves from poverty, and they dream of living in a glamorous life in America. Like Cora Comacho who dreams of driving Ferrari on nice road in America rather than driving car on Philippines’ street which is full of trucks, busses, jeepneys, pedicabs, barefoot boys riding slow, plodding carabao.

When Cora Comacho interviews Severo she hopes, “She hopes he will linger after the taping ends, maybe offer her a ride home in his limousine. She hopes her “Tigress” perfume isn’t too overpowering. Maybe he drove himself to the studio today, in one of those fancy sports cars. A Maserati of Ferrari, something Italian and phallic. A young man’s car. They could be alone, speeding on the highway, like in those American commercials where the road is endless and smooth, empty of other cars, trucks, buses, jeepneys, pedicabs, barefoot boys riding slow, plodding carabao (ibid, 22).

Meanwhile, Joey dreams about a trip to Vegas-Paradise Metropolitan

Statistical Area than to his own country which he never visits. He considers a trip to waterfalls and volcanoes are not interesting.

“A government official offered to loan me his private plane. I could call him tomorrow, accept his offer. We’ll take a trip—we’ll have a wonderful time. We’ll fly to the jungle. You’ll show me waterfalls and volcanoes—” “Waterfalls and volcanoes? You’re crazy let’s go somewhere fun. Let’s go to Las Vegas.” “You’ve never been out of Manila, have you? How terrible. All the more reason, then. We’ll explore your country. Joey—please. Stay with me.” (ibid, 146). 58

4. Having Consumerism Habit

The influence of popular culture also can be seen from the overflow of popular products in the Filipinos’ society. The emergence of popular culture in commodity forms in Dogeaters indicates that criteria of profitability and marketability take precedence over quality, artistry, integrity and intellectual challenge. They love to follow popular culture because they seek for pleasure, additionally, they like doing things or using products the same as their fellows which are makes them to lose their self identity and quality. In Dogeaters,

English-titled movie is the most popular entertainment among the characters.

People love to watch them in theater. For them, they do not really consider about the quality and if it is suitable for their culture. What they want is English-titled movie performed by well-known movie stars. Certainly the producers respond to their interest by making English-titled movies in the Philippines which contain better entertainment but worse in art or art is not well-considered, like Lolita

Luna’s movies A Candle is Burning (ibid, 48), The Agony of Love (ibid, 49), dance drama Loverboy (ibid, 106), and sex drama A Candle Is Burning (ibid,

169).

Fortunately for us, Pucha’s older brother Mikey is our chaperone for one day. He wants to see Elizabeth Taylor naked… We are all bewildered by the movie, which probably too American for us (ibid, 15).

TruCola and SPORTEX appear in almost every chapter in Dogeaters. This brings sense that all characters in any occasion are connected with these two brands which are owned by Severo Alacran. He produces TruCola in many forms, such as TruCola Soft Drinks, Diet TruCola, Cherry TruCola, and TruCola T-Shirt. 59

He also owns SPORTEX brand and monopolizes market by building SPORTEX

Stop & Shop a futuristic department store in the suburb of Makati. Severo makes them most available in many places and as a result it becomes so popular and a profitable business. Even in the prison Pepe Carreon offers detainee bottles of

TruCola (ibid, 110). It is just the same like if we go to a restaurant or fast food corner and they offer us Sarsi, Diet Coke, or San Miguel, they are from the same company. Sarsi is a sarsaparilla-based soft drink sold in Australia, the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries. In the Philippines, it is the most popular root beer brand on the market.

Hoy, bruja! Kumusta/ Ano ba—long time no hear! What’s the latest balita? Sige na—sit down lets make tsismis. You want Sarsi or TruCola? Diet Coke or San Miguel? (ibid, 55).

In addition, Severo Alacran also advertises SPORTEX, TruCola, and

Intercoco Investments together with the motto “first name of modern living” in the Philippines’ pageant (ibid, 102). He also gives the jeepney driver TruCola T- shirt for free promotion.

Turning slightly, Joey faced the back of the jeepney driver’s head. He looked like an ordinary man, with long black hair and an orange TruCola T-shirt that showed off his muscular chest and tattooed arms. He was whistling along softly with Kool and The Gang on his transistor radio… Joey felt the driver watching him in the rearview monitor, which was adorned with scapulars, assorted medals, a single rosary, and a rabbit’s foot keychain from the Manila Playboy Club (ibid, 189).

Popular cultural products frequently put the quality not as main consideration. And, on the other hand, sometimes people are not wise and critical in buying the kind of products they have in the market. They are just seeking for pleasure. In this novel, there are tendencies that people consume certain products 60

because they are popular and the most essential is imported brand. Even here, the term ‘imported brand’ is not a hundred percent that the products are being imported from Western country, but it is just Western brands made by local company. For example, Filipinos prefer to consume local-made Marlboro cigarette than local cigarette brands, since they associate Marlboro as a brand of cigarette made in US. They even do not realize that Spanish brought Cuban tobacco seed to the Philippines over the Acapulco-Manila trade route. And they found excellent climates and soils for growing high-quality tobacco on the

Philippines’ soil. That condition makes local cigarettes brands, actually, are not always having less quality than Marlboro, Cuban Cigar (ibid, 8), or English brands.

In a Silence, we finished the rest of our tuba, puffing nervously on harsh, local-made Marlboros (ibid, 39).

In chapter Sprikitik or cheat in English, the members of Gonzagas family discuss about the General who gives his armies putok or fake liquors. These fake liquors are labeled Dewar’s Scotch or Johnny Walker, Scotch whisky produced in

Scotland. The armies do not see the difference; in fact they are pleased enough for this deadly mixture of rubbing alcohol and brown tea in imported brand bottles.

The putok liquor is so terrible, their guts rot and burn, and they wake up with killer hangovers. People believe that is why General Ledesma’s armies stay mean- spirited and ready to kill. In fact, the producers of this putok liquor definitely do not care how terrible it may bring harm to the consumers. They produce it only based on profitability and marketability principle and keep aside the quality. 61

“Johnny Walker Black, on the rock for me,” my cousin Mikey says to Aida… “Genuine ba ito, or putok?” Mikey asks Aida when she returns with his drink. It is reference to the common practice of selling deadly mixtures of rubbing alcohol and brown tea in brand-name bottles as imported liquor… Mikey says to his father, “They say the soldiers don’t know the difference, and they’re grateful! They say that’s why the soldiers are so loyal to the General. He gives them cases and cases of putok labeled Dewar’s Scotch, or Johnny Walker. The putok is so terrible, their guts rot and burn, and they wake up with killer hangovers. They say that’s why Ledesma’s men stay mean-spirited and ready to kill—”(ibid, 63-64).

. In Dogeaters, more popular products make more people consume them, and the more people consume them make the products more popular. In this

Philippines’ society most of them are crazy about Western products. The consumption of Western products becomes their popular culture. Rich people of course will buy expensive genuine products, but how about the people who can not effort them? The producers can sense this big market demand, and lead them to produce nearly similar affordable products for them. They make these popular products in secondary quality, like previous quotation of putok Dewar’s Scotch,

Johnny Walker, and imitation of RayBans sunglasses which became a well-known style of sunglasses when General Douglas MacArthur landed on the beach in the

Philippines in World War II, and photographers snapped several pictures of him wearing them.

When popular culture is manufactured industrially and sold according to the criteria of marketability and profitability, what comes first to the producers’ priority is commerce. How the products can sell good in the market. They put 62

quality as a secondary priority. They are confident that no matter how popular culture is, it already attracted people. All they need are producing and selling it according to the criteria of marketability and profitability. CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION

From the analysis which has been done in Chapter IV, the writer finds that the coming out of popular culture in the Philippines in the novel Dogeaters is caused by the invasion of Spain and America. In this novel, American culture has more dominant influence towards the rise of popular culture than Spain does. In this analysis the writer focuses on the reflection and influence of popular culture as the impact of Westernization which is reflected on two elements, its setting and characters. In setting, according to Rio’s narration, the writer finds out the story happen in Manila in late 1950s; and in early 1980s from Joey’s narration. The coming of United States in the Philippine becomes the starting point of the upcoming Westernization in the society. They introduce their fondness of luxurious products and consumptive moral into society. The expansion of Spain and America towards the Philippines brings the cultural changing to native societies. The process of Westernization among The Philippines affects the societies to come under or adopt the Western customs in such matters as industry, law, politics, economics, lifestyle, diet, language, religion, and many more. As the result, the Filipino’s collective behaviors seem inherently from American which is modern and enviable. They dream of living in a fancy and glamorous life of

America as Pucha, Dolores, The First Lady, Joey Sands loves to follow new trends and adore Western culture so much. They very often use the Western culture terms and parables to express something, like Prince Charming, Coca-cola

63 64

figure, a German director like Grace Kelly husband, Clint Eastwood, and slender actress Cristina Ford.

Popular culture comes from those in the power positions as a type of social control. The arrival of American becomes the preliminary point of Filipino initiation to the Western culture consumption which leads to the rise of popular culture. Americans introduce their lifestyle as living in Forbes Park mansion, joining to golf club, and also inherit their fondness and consumptive moral on luxurous products. They as well bring their ideas and values on tracking to their role model for being slim from consuming diet or sugar free products and smokes.

Meanwhile, the privileged positions have succeeded in persuading the other classes of society to accept its own moral, political and cultural values as well.

The figure of this power class is Severo Alacran, an exceptionally wealthy business man. He owns TruCola Soft Drinks and constructs SPORTEX. He advertises his products and values to the society and persuades them to follow or do what he wants. The power positions manipulate people to think that popular culture and products are what they want. They cultivate the feeling, like it is not right if women are not in a slim shape, it is not cool if Filipinos do not drink

TruCola and wear SPORTEX, and it is awkward if the Filipinos watch Tagalog movies instead of the English-titled ones. And in this novel, those elites have done their job very well and maintain their dominance by succeeding to make people follow their trends. The existence of popular culture in Dogeaters is to indoctrinate people to get them accepting and adhering ideas and values which ensure the continual dominance of those in more privileged positions. 65

The influences of popular culture can be seen from the behaviors of

Filipinos toward their origin and popular culture. The growth of popular culture in society gives influence on praising, imitating on Western culture and products, ashamed and disrespect of their origin culture and local products, and the rise of consumerism in the society. The upcoming out of popular culture in commodity form in Dogeaters indicates that the criteria of profitability and marketability of popular culture products take precedence over the quality. Filipinos love to follow popular culture because they are seeking for pleasure and using products the same as their role models and their fellows. For examples, Filipino likes watching

English-titled movies as well as consuming TruCola, SPORTEX, and imported brands. Even ordinary people force themselves to buy imitation of imported brands to satisfy their need on popular culture.

To sum up this analysis, the writer finds that the coming out of popular culture in the Philippines is the result of Westernization. The purpose is to influence and indoctrinate people to get them accepting and adhering to their moral, political, and cultural values. It ensures the continual dominance of those in more privileged positions. In this novel, Jessica Hagedorn depicts the rise of popular culture in the Philippines that brings the lost of interest, shame or disrespectful feeling to their original culture or local products. They shift to

Western culture, make it into their own popular culture, and lose their individual identity and quality. BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Appendix 1: The Summary of Dogeaters

Part One:

1956, Rio’s story begins in the Avenue Theater where Pucha and she watch a Hollywood movie. Here, it states two different angles in viewing life. First version is seen in Pucha’s character who likes living in fancy and glamorous life and seen from the way choosing her dream guy and favorite movie stars. She has a big ambition living in a high standard and forgets that Rio’s family is the one who pay for the small thing like going to the weekly manicure, pedicure, and foot massage at Jojo’s New Yorker salon, and eating expensive Western’s food brands. And, she thinks marrying creepy Bombom Alacran will insure her social standing. Meanwhile, Rio is more down to earth. She likes popular culture, but she is a modest girl and likes original things as well. She doesn’t feel bother getting close with her servants or grandmother hearing Tagalog radio program, Love Letters. Rio’s mother, Dolores Gonzaga, is a beautiful woman who works hard for it. She extremely cares about health and avoids all factors which can make her looks ugly. Severo Alacran is a picture of a wealthy businessman in Manila. He owns The Metro Manila Daily, Celebrity Pinoy Weekly, Radiomanila, and TruCola Soft Drinks. Additionally, he controls interests in Mabuhay Movie Studios, Apollo Records, and the Monte Vista Golf and Country Club. He also conceived and constructed SPORTEX, a futuristic department store in the suburb of Makati, Manila. In CocoRico discotheque, Joey Sands is the main attraction and gold mine for his money mad boss Andres Alacran. Joey tries to collect more money from his side job as a gay whore to his favorite clients, guys from western countries. Sometimes he steals stuffs from his steady clients or one-night stands, additionally he enjoys to keep the hotels stuffs too. Back in his private life, he lives with Uncle in a hut. There, he was saved and raised like his own son. Uncle taught him doing

69 70

odd job on the street like selling cigar, The Metro Manila Daily, and others else include stealing. Time after time, Joey realizes that he puts more interest to men than women since he doesn’t have to work hard for it. By knowing men best than women, he can manipulate them in order to take advantages of the situation and make them giving him money. Joey always believes that he will get a sponsor and green card for living in a better life in States, not end up like Uncle. Filipinos like gossiping or make tsismis in refilling their opinions on something. And by tsimis, beside advertisement or other media, they can also transfer news and recent happening stuffs. Like what the member of Gonzagas do every Saturday night, they make tsismis while gather for diner in Rio’s house. For example, they talk about General Ledesma rewarding his army with cases of putok or fake liquor labeled Dewar’s Scotch or Johnny Walker which makes his army hangover. People say that is why Ledesma’s men stay loyal, mean-spirited, and ready to kill. Many versions of tsismis also occur among the public when Daisy Avila is crowned the most beautiful woman in Young Miss Philippines annual pageant. There is an intense and immediate speculation as to how and why Daisy wins over the daughter of super powerful figures, especially when the panel judges headed by General, Avila’s enemy. On her birthday, she grants Cora Camacho an exclusive interview where she denounces the beauty pageant as a farce and a giant step backward for all women, and accuses the First Lady of furthering the cause of female delusion in the Philippines by her extravagance.

Part Two: Regarding the First Lady’s latest whim on ‘The Manila International Film Festival’, she builds so-called a culture center. Just before it is done, one of the structures of film festival’s building collapses and tragically lots of workers are buried in the rubble. But, she orders the rest to continue building and asks them pouring cement over dead bodies. She also orders the city and slums convert into nice looking environment, which is looks fake, useless, and wasted. Rainer, a German director, attends to the Festival. He is attracted by Joey when he is visiting CocoRico. With his expertise of playing tricks and his coolness, Joey 71

charms the German guy easily. In one last morning, they spend time together in Intercontinental Hotel’s coffee shop. There, Joey steals packet of drugs and money from Rainer. On his way out of the lobby, he sees Senator Avila gets out of a dark limo and walks briskly toward lobby. Then suddenly, he hears an explosion and witnesses to Senator’s assassination. A moment after, on the way to meet Trinidad in SPORTEX shop, Romeo has been shot down and Police suspects him as Senator’s assassin. Joey decides to go back to Uncle’s hut and tells him the incident. He runs to Boy-Boy’s apartment when he knows that Uncle betrays him by telling police the story. Boy-Boy arranges him escape to the mountain where he meets Daisy Avila An extravagant actress, Lolita Luna, wants to break free with General but she cannot because feels bide by General and needs his protection and material security. But then, she urges him for help leaving Manila permanently to Los Angeles or New York. It’s for one reason that she suspects he killed the Senator and captured his daughter Daisy Avila, she knows it and probably everyone knows that she knew and she will get killed. Meanwhile, the First Lady makes self defenses in an interview with Steve, an American journalist. She denies what people said if she is being extravagant. She shows that she has using local hairdresser and local-made dress and shoes which are her own designs. She declares herself as a nationalist when it comes to fashion, which they both know that it means on the contrary. She also explains that Orlando Rosales who has been shot down and arrested in Camp Dilidili by General’s army is proven to be guilty of having the same gun that shot Senator Avila. And, he was also shooting back at the police. Still, Steve believes that he is innocent. She confesses not knowing about Trinidad who disappeared after her testimony. She as well says that Daisy Avila is not being captured nor raped, but still hides on the mountains. There, she refuses for being accused as a corrupt regime-a dictatorship or stealing food from children’s mouths. And, she says conflicts that occur in her country are made up by the opposition, the leftist. She warned Domingo Avila to stop consorting with them. She states that they double- crossed him and blame the government. 72

Appendix 2: Terms in the Novel Quoted in the Thesis

Capitalism: a form of social and economic organization, typified by predominant

role played by capital in the economic production process and by the

existence of extensive markets by which the production, distribution and

consumption of goods and services is organized (Edgar and Sedgwick,

1999: 52).

Comodity: is an object or service that is produced for exchange or a market rather

than for consumption or use by the producer (ibid, 71).

Consumption: the idea that capitalism ( had become a ‘consumer society’ arose, at

least in western Europe, in the 1950s, in response to increased affluence

and changes in the economic and industrial structure after the Second

World War (ibid, 80).

Elite: is a small group that has leadership in some sphere of social life (such as a

cultural elite), or has leadership of society as a whole (ibid, 124).

Intertextuality: a term that was coined by Julia Kristeva to indicate tat a text (such

as a novel, poem or historical document) is not a self-contained or

autonomous entity, but is produced from other texts (ibid, 197).

Lifestyle: it refers to the patterns of consumption and use (of material and

symbolic goods) associated with different social groups and classes (ibid,

216).

Mass media: are those institutions that produce a distribute information and visual

and audio images on a large scale (ibid, 224).