Dogeaters

Analyze the character arcs in Dogeaters. Do the characters exhibit multidimensional personalities, and how does this contribute to or detract from the overall storytelling?

Investigate the connection between Rio Gonzaga’s narrative perspective in Dogeaters and Jessica Hagedorn’s own experiences and viewpoints. Does Rio serve as a fictional alter-ego for the author, or does her character offer a distinct narrative voice separate from Hagedorn’s personal history?

Why did Senator Avila allow Daisy to enter a pageant organized by his adversaries? What motivated the First Lady to let Daisy win?

Examine Rio Gonzaga’s reliability as a narrator and explore how her narrative technique comments on the accuracy and subjectivity of historical accounts. Compare this approach to Jean Mallat’s depiction of history in The Philippines, and consider the possibilities and limitations of achieving complete accuracy in historical narratives. How does Hagedorn’s novel challenge traditional views of historical truth?

Analyze the role and significance of the disjointed dreams experienced by characters like Baby, the First Lady, and Girlie Alacran. What do these dreams reveal about each character’s inner turmoil and desires? Investigate whether there’s a thematic or narrative connection between these dreams, and how they contribute to the novel’s dissection of a postcolonial society.

In the novel, does the imperative of survival override moral considerations? Examining the actions of the First Lady and Joey, are their choices driven by survival instincts, and can they be equally justified?

Analyze Rudyard Kipling’s poem “The White Man’s Burden” (1899) about the Philippine-American War in the novel’s context. How does it resonate with the novel’s themes? What does it reveal about Western colonization as a whole?

Discuss how Hagedorn’s use of juxtaposition in Dogeaters heightens the irony throughout the novel.