Republic of the Philippines

FILAMER CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

Roxas Avenue, Roxas City

GRADUATE SCHOOL

THE TEACHING OF FILIPINO LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

A Marxist Analysis of The God Stealer by Jose Francisco Sionil

Presented by:

Mr. EDSEL R. ALAPAG

MAT-English

Presented to:

Ms. ERLYN C. BEUP, PhD.

Professor

March 25, 2017

 A Marxist Analysis of The God Stealer by Jose Francisco Sionil

Introduction

Sam Christie and Philip Latak were best of friends and that was possible because they
worked in the same office. On one December dawn, Sam Christie was on his way to Ifugao with
his native assistant. It was his last month in the Philippines and in a matter of days he would
return to Boston for that leave which he had not had in years.

During their journey, they talked about the grandfather of Philip and the different views
in the Ifugao. Philip encountered an acquaintance that he did not want to recognize because the
latter called him by his native name. When they had arrived on the village of Philip Latak, they
met Sadek, Philips brother. From there, Philip told Sam how his brother, as well as all the others
in the village, disliked him. After staying for quite some time in the house of Sadek, they went to
Philips grandfather; but only Philip went inside to meet and talk to the elder.

They visited the Mission the following day after having hiked to the villages. And there
Reverend Doone invited them for lunch. He told them how he reminisced San Francisco and how
he feels like home.

Going down the hill, Sam told Philip that he would not leave Ifugao without a god
because its more than a souvenir and it would remind him of Philip. Philip then told Sam that he
would steal a god for him since he made the vacation and the raise possible.

They hiked to the village and this time it was not as difficult as it had been the previous
day. When they reached the village, they went to the grandfather of Philip. Sam was pleased with
the prospect of being inside a native Ifugao house for the first time. He was able to see the Ifugao
god for the first time, and he witnessed the rite wherein the blood of the slaughtered pig was
poured on the head of the idol, and was returned to where it was kept.

The feast began. For some time, Sam Christie was entertained by the dances and the
songs, but soon he was bored. He told Philip that he would like to return to the boarding house.

Philip Latak went to the boarding house past midnight carrying his grandfathers idol and
he handed it to Sam Christie. They argued if it was better that Philip returned the bloodstained
god back to his grandfather. When Sam Christie woke up it was already daylight. It was Philip
Latak who had stirred him, his voice shrill and grating. He told Sam that his grandfather is dying.
The next day, Sam was told by Sadek that their grandfather is dead and that Philip would not
return with Sam to Manila.

Philip told Sam that he would not be going back to Manila and that he was the reason his
grandfather is dead. From that moment, their friendship was broken. Philip Latak did not, even
once, face Sam. He seemed completely absorbed in his work. Sam knew then that Philip was
determined to stay and break his bonds with Sam. Sam realized that Philip was carving a new
god to replace the one he stole from his grandfather.

Analysis

The short story The God Stealer puts the spotlight on the economic classes and changes
in the society. It examines the relationship between culture and economy and the gaps that occur
when people change economic classes.

The God Stealer opens with two characters travelling to the Cordilleras. One character,
Sam Christie is an American with a fondness for collecting souvenirs, such as A Grecian urn, a
Japanese sword, a Siamese mask. His companion is Philip Latak, a native Ifugao formerly
named Ip-pig who has converted to Christianity and who has spent the last few years working
alongside Sam Christie. Aside from visiting his family specifically his sick grandfather, Philip
accompanies Sam to his hometown because he wants to repay Sams kindness by helping him
get another souvenir an Ifugao god.

On the way to Philips village, Sam is treated better than Philip, to Sams discomfort.
Sam gets a good seat on the bus, and he is spoken to with high regards by Philips brother Sadek.
When Philip offers candies to his nieces and nephews, he is coldly snubbed, however when Sam
does so he is accepted enthusiastically.

Philip is welcomed warmly by his grandfather despite being fervently against Philip
leaving in the first place. However, he treats Sam with furious contempt. The old man states that
strangers have taken everything from him, such as tranquillity and Philip himself. Philip informs
Sam that the old man wants a feast to welcome Philip home. Regardless of Philips protests, Sam
insists on attending the party.

After visiting Philips grandfather, the pair tour around the village with matches and
candies to offer to the villagers. People treat Sam amiably, and Philip with sullen silence. They
ask the villagers where they could purchase an Ifugao God but their search is futile.

They then visit the American reverend in the village. After exchanging stories about
America, Sam and the Reverend converse about Ifugao religion. The reverend states that Ifugao
religion is based on fear and retribution and that is why Ifugaos are so attached to their gods.
Sam observes that it is very similar to Christianity, which annoys the reverend. He explains that
Christianity is based on the belief of souls. He adds that a man can lose his soul in the city when
people are corrupted by easy living, the pleasures of sense and the flesh, and mass corruption.
When Sam asks him how a man can regain his soul, the reverend says that it takes cataclysm,
something tragic to knock a man back to his wits, to make him realize his loss.

Upon leaving the reverend, Sam reiterates that he must have an Ifugao God, stating that it
would help remind him of Philip and of the Ifugaos. Philip then answers that he can steal a god
for Sam. Sam is horrified but Philip assures him that they can just make another god. He
convinces Sam that he can do this as thanks for everything Sam has done for him.
 Before the welcome party for Philip, he takes Sam to see his grandfather. The grandfather
allows him to enter his house, but does not welcome him warmly. The old man then takes out his
Ifugao God, the pours pigs blood over it while reciting a prayer. After that, he picked up the god
and returned it to its niche.

Sam quickly got bored of the party and returned to the room he shared with Philip to get
some sleep. He is awakened by a drunken Philip, who triumphantly tells him that he has stolen
his grandfathers god. Sam is aghast and urges Philip to return the stolen god. Philip drunkenly
rants that his grandfather is wrong to love Philip so much when Philip does not believe in the old
ways anymore. Philip mocks him when Sam continues to protest.

The next morning, Philip leaves Sam when he gets news that his grandfather is dying.
Sam wanders the village and he meets the chief of police who treats him with obsequiousness.
Sadek, Philips brother, arrives Sam notices that he is wearing Philips clothes. Sadek is
uncomfortable with Sams stare, but he still relates the news that their grandfather is dead and
Philip will not be leaving anymore. Sam goes looking for Philip with Sadek. He asks Sadek how
his grandfather died, to which Sadek replied that it was the loss of the god, the one that Philip
had stolen. Sam is sceptical about this but Sadek is certain about his news. He states that his
grandfather died in Philips arms, and he expresses worry about his brother.

When Sam finds Philip, Philip is adamant that he will not be returning to the city. Philip
lashes out at Sam, saying that he killed his grandfather who loved him because he wanted to be
grateful. He tells Sam that he can buy anything, even gods. Sam then sees that Philip is wearing
traditional Ifugao costume and he is making another god. Sam leaves with a heavy heart.

Throughout the story, we see two social classes in the personas of Sam and Philip. Sam
Christie is the upper class, while Philip Latak is the lower class. Even their names are indicative
of their status. Sam can be an allusion to America (Uncle Sam) and Christie can be Christianity.
Philip can stand for the Philippines, while Latak means residue, or anything that is worthless and
fit only to be thrown away. This can reference that the persona of Philip is the residue of when he
left Ifugao.

Sam as a rich foreigner is treated with high regards and respect while Philip, regardless of
what he achieved is treated with contempt. This shows that the lower class is not only oppressed
and looked down upon by the other classes; they do this to themselves as well. Even Philip
himself is indifferent of his culture. Marxism attempts to reveal the ways in which our
socioeconomic system is the ultimate source of our experience. The villagers are aware that Sam
is upper class so they treat him as such, and they see Philip as a lower class pretending to be
something else. Despite their contempt of Philip, we see that some of them want to be
Americanized or upper class, as evidenced by Sadek wearing Philips cast-off clothes and the
eager acceptance of candies and other products. On the other hand, Philips grandfather is openly
disdainful of Sam and the upper class. It is a love-hate relationship that is similar to crab
mentality. The lower class want to be upper class yet they hate people who are becoming part of
that class.
 Marxist criticism follows the material dialectic, wherein they believe that what drives
historical change are the material realities of the economic base of society, rather than the
ideological superstructure of politics, law, philosophy, religion, and art that is built upon that
economic base. This can be seen when Philip stole his grandfathers Ifugao God. He openly
defies and disrespects his family and former religion because his material reality has changed.
He lives a more comfortable life in the city and with the help of Sam has gotten a raise. He sees
that reality as better he is grateful, grateful enough to forsake what his family believes in.

The material dialectic asserts that stable societies develop sites of resistance:
contradictions build into the social system that ultimately lead to social revolution and the
development of a new society upon the old. In the case of the God Stealer, there is contradiction
between Philip and his old family. They have different beliefs now, as influenced by their social
classes. His family, being lower class, believes in the old ways. Philip, who is now upper class,
has a different set of beliefs now. This tension ultimately led to a revolution, namely Philip
stealing his grandfathers beloved god.

This event can be examined using the reverends words. He stated that a man can lose his
soul when he is corrupted by an easy life.

References:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1521340.The_God_Stealer_and_Other_Stories
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090108181827AAKsJ49
http://vincesantoalla.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/the-god-stealer/
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_Analysis_of_God_stealer
http://jackliao.blogspot.com/2002_07_21_archive.html