“The God Stealer” by: Francisco Sionil Jose
“The God Stealer”
by: Francisco Sionil Jose
“The God Stealer” is a short story that
encapsulates perfectly how characters in fiction respond to the choices
they make and what they do to attain these choices.
Questions:1. What are the characteristics of
Philip? Sam?
2. If you were Philip, how would you treat the
natives like you?
3. Philip and Sam are symbols of what?
4. Who is the God stealer? Prove.
5. What was the reason of Philip in stealing the
Ifugao god?
“The God Stealer” is not just a tale about an Ifugao
stealing a religious idol, but also about the friendship that developed between a Filipino
and an American.(‘colonized’ and ‘colonizer’)
Philip His name was derived from the
word Philippines. Became a Christian and lived in
Manila Became less sentimental with
his cultural identity, beliefs and customs
SAM CHRISTIE His name was derived from
“Uncle Sam”, a representation of the United States.
An American who wanted to view the rice terraces.
He was also interested in purchasing an original figurine of an Ifugao god.
Philip and Sam went to Baguio City. During a feast honoring Philip for his return, Philip and Sam were
because of the unwillingness of the Ifugao people to sell any Ifugao statue. Philip plans to steal his
grandfather’s god in return for the salary raise given to him by Sam. After finding out that this god was missing, Philip’s grandfather dies.
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.
Part of fiction is the challenge to the main
characters: What do they want?
What do they do to get it?What is the intention of the
character?
This intention sets the plot for the short story,
wherein you see how well-rounded the protagonist is
and what he or she is capable of doing just to
get what he or she desires.
Depending on the outcome of the story, the character may either triumph or fail, and seeing how the character
reacts to these changes also sets the tone for the climax,
until the short story is concluded.
Short stories also express a lot of irony in life situations.
What is irony?
VERBAL IRONY
When what is said by the character is not
what he or she originally meant
SITUATIONAL IRONY
When the actual outcome of a
situation is different from the expected
outcome.
DRAMATIC IRONY
When the readers know more than the
characters in the story.