Dogeaters

Dictatorship vs. Anarchy One theme is the clash between dictatorship and anarchy. The President and the First Lady have a foreboding presence throughout the novel that contrasts with the human rights activist Senator Domingo Avila; the Senator protests "crimes against the people" and is thus labeled a "leftist" by the government.[4] Avila's assassination and the resultant coverup that implicates the innocent Romeo[5] demonstrates the government's oppressive nature. These events are juxtaposed with an interview with the First Lady who rationalizes the evidence of their corruption and denies that the Filipino government is a dictatorship.[6]

Marriage Another theme is the achievement of social mobility of Filipino women through marriage. Isabel Alacran, for example, marries Severo because of his power and wealth. Likewise, Isabel is a social asset to her husband and her main job in life is to always appear flawless and polished. Pucha also exhibits this mindset for women.

Beauty Another theme is the importance placed on beauty. Rio's mother, Dolores, follows a strict beauty regimen and uses various products and services in order to remain youthful.[7] Joey also epitomizes this theme as he uses his exotic looks to infatuate customers and procure gifts from them.

Religion Religion seems to be an underlying theme as a few key characters are described as extremely religious. For example, General Ledesma's wife, Leonor, exhibits a monastic lifestyle, with much fasting and prayer, and strives for sainthood.[8] Religion runs so deep in the Gonzaga family that even when Rio's atheist grandfather is dying, the family priest is called.[9] Although Rio does not directly address the role of religion in her life during the novel, in the end she states that her "belief in God remains tentative" and that she "long ago stopped going to church."[10]

American Influence A prevalent theme in the novel is the effect of American influence. Through American movies and music young characters such as Rio and Pucha begin to desire American glamour and its brash style. Filipinos embrace American influence and admire the culture.

Role of Women Within Dogeaters, women are either preoccupied with beauty, as society expects of them, or their education.

Homosexuality Homosexuality is a strong undertone of the novel.

When the novel Dogeaters was first published in 1990, The New York Times said that it was written with "wit and originality"[11] Another critic argued that the novel is based on Filipino nationalism. In an interview with Ameena Meer, Hagedorn explains: “a lot of Filipinos were upset about that title. This sense of cultural shame came in. I had intended it as a metaphor. I should have fought the whole idea of trying to explain it, which they did on the book jacket. I didn’t want them to define it and I should have stood by my guns, because it’s been creating more trouble than necessary.” [12] Rachel Lee states that Dogeaters "illustrate[s] the transnational legacy of the United States imperialist practices."[13] The San Diego Union stated, "Hagedorn transcends social strata, gender, culture, and politics in this exuberant, witty, and telling portrait of Philippine society."[14]

Dogeaters won an American Book Award in 1990 and was nominated for the National Book Award in 1991.[15]

The author uses excerpts from other books, poems and speeches within the novel itself or to signify the start of a new section of the novel.

• Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.[16]
• The Philippines by Jean Mallat.[17]
• Poetry by Jose Rizal.[18]
• President William McKinleys "Address to a Delegation of Methodist Churchmen"[19] which provides the stereotypical view Americans have had of Filipinos.

The novel refers to a number of major films:

• All That Heaven Allows[20]
• A Place in the Sun[21]
• Bundle of Joy[21]
• "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Presley[21]
• Florante at Laura by Francisco Balagtas[22]
• Rebel Without a Cause[22]
• The Agony of Love
• The Ten Commandments

The novel also refers to a number of iconic American figures:

Actor	Page Number
Shirley Temple	page 88
Barbra Streisand	page 76
Anita Ekberg	page 87
Rita Hayworth	pages 79 and 87
Audrey Hepburn	page 237
Elizabeth Taylor	pages 15 and 17
Elvis Presley	page 222
Sal Mineo	page 51

• 1990, USA, Pantheon Books (ISBN 0394574982), March 1990, hardcover (First edition)
• 1991, USA, Penguin Books (ISBN 014014904X), June 1991, paperback

In 1997, Jessica Hagedorn transformed her book into a play. The play was developed in Utah and first premiered in La Jolla, California on September 8, 1998.[23]

• Jessica Hagedorn
• Culture of the Philippines

• Ashok, S. (2009). Gender, language, and identity in Dogeaters: a postcolonial critique. Postcolonial Text, 5(2).
• D’Alpuget, B. (1990). Philippine dream feast. Review of Dogeaters, by Jessica Hagedorn. New York Times Book Review, 25 Mar 1990.
• Ho, Hannah (2015). The language of depathologized melancholia in Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters. South East Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 15, 17-25. (PDF Version).
• Nubla, G. (2004). The politics of relation: creole languages in Dogeaters and Rolling the R's. MELUS Special Issue: Filipino American Literature, 29(1), 199–218.

• Hagedorn, Jessica (1990). Dogeaters. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-394-57498-2.