"The God Stealer" is a short story by Filipino National ArtistF. Sionil José. It is José's most anthologized work of fiction.[1] It is not just a tale about an Ifugao stealing a religious idol,[2] but also about the friendship that developed between a Filipino and an American, a representation of the relationship that developed between the "influenced" and the "influencer".[1] The story was a first prize winner during the 1959Palanca awards in the Philippines.[3] It is included in the book by José with a similar title, The God Stealer and Other Stories.[1]
The main characters in "The God Stealer" are Philip Latak and Sam Cristie. Philip, also known as Ip-pig, is an Ifugao who became a Christian and lived in Manila. By becoming a city dweller, Philip became less sentimental with his cultural identity, beliefs, and customs. His name was derived from the word Philippines. On the other hand, Sam Christie was an American who wanted to view the rice terraces of Ifugao. He was also interested in purchasing an original figurine of an Ifugao god. His name was derived from Uncle Sam, a representation of the United States. Philip and Sam were co-workers.[4]
Summaryedit
Philip and Sam went to Baguio City. During a feast honoring Philip for his return, Philip and Sam were irritated because of the unwillingness of the Ifugao people to sell any Ifugao statue. Philip plans to steal his grandfather's idol of a god in return for the salary raise given to him by Americans.
Interpretationedit
Philip's act of thievery represented the Filipinos' giving up of their past tribal origins and traditions, only to be replaced by an "unnatural" culture brought by colonialism. At one time in history, colonialism brought to the Filipinos a state of confusion, troubled emotions, helplessness, torment, embarrassment and the inability to embrace the past.[4]
^ abcThe God Stealer and Other Stories, worldcat.org
^José, F. Sionil. "The God Stealer", The Writers in the South Speak Out, Hindsight, Arts and Culture, The Philippine Star, December 22, 2008, philstar.com
^"The God Stealer", Biography of Francisco Sionil José, rmaf.org
^ abThe God Stealer: Filipino Identity in Fiction By F. Sionil José, filipinowriter.com
External linksedit
Roces, Mina. "The God Stealer" at Filipino Identity in Fiction, 1945–1972, Modern Asian Studies 28, 2 (1994), pp. 279–315, jstor.org
This article about a short story (or stories) published in the 1950s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
stealer, short, story, filipino, national, artist, sionil, josé, josé, most, anthologized, work, fiction, just, tale, about, ifugao, stealing, religious, idol, also, about, friendship, that, developed, between, filipino, american, representation, relationship,. The God Stealer is a short story by Filipino National Artist F Sionil Jose It is Jose s most anthologized work of fiction 1 It is not just a tale about an Ifugao stealing a religious idol 2 but also about the friendship that developed between a Filipino and an American a representation of the relationship that developed between the influenced and the influencer 1 The story was a first prize winner during the 1959 Palanca awards in the Philippines 3 It is included in the book by Jose with a similar title The God Stealer and Other Stories 1 The God Stealer Short story by F Sionil JoseCollection first editionCountryPhilippinesLanguageEnglishPublicationPublisherSolidarid Publishing House Inc Publication date1959 short story 1968 collection Contents 1 Character description 2 Summary 3 Interpretation 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksCharacter description editThe main characters in The God Stealer are Philip Latak and Sam Cristie Philip also known as Ip pig is an Ifugao who became a Christian and lived in Manila By becoming a city dweller Philip became less sentimental with his cultural identity beliefs and customs His name was derived from the word Philippines On the other hand Sam Christie was an American who wanted to view the rice terraces of Ifugao He was also interested in purchasing an original figurine of an Ifugao god His name was derived from Uncle Sam a representation of the United States Philip and Sam were co workers 4 Summary editPhilip and Sam went to Baguio City During a feast honoring Philip for his return Philip and Sam were irritated because of the unwillingness of the Ifugao people to sell any Ifugao statue Philip plans to steal his grandfather s idol of a god in return for the salary raise given to him by Americans Interpretation editPhilip s act of thievery represented the Filipinos giving up of their past tribal origins and traditions only to be replaced by an unnatural culture brought by colonialism At one time in history colonialism brought to the Filipinos a state of confusion troubled emotions helplessness torment embarrassment and the inability to embrace the past 4 See also edit nbsp Novels portalThe Quiet AmericanReferences edit a b c The God Stealer and Other Stories worldcat org Jose F Sionil The God Stealer The Writers in the South Speak Out Hindsight Arts and Culture The Philippine Star December 22 2008 philstar com The God Stealer Biography of Francisco Sionil Jose rmaf org a b The God Stealer Filipino Identity in Fiction By F Sionil Jose filipinowriter comExternal links editRoces Mina The God Stealer at Filipino Identity in Fiction 1945 1972 Modern Asian Studies 28 2 1994 pp 279 315 jstor org nbsp This article about a short story or stories published in the 1950s is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The God Stealer amp oldid 1183919893, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
