Genre
Novel
Setting and Context
Set in the Philippines
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Sad, pessimistic, hopeless
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is Rio Gonzaga.
Major Conflict
The main conflict is the big gap between the rich and the poor in the Philippines.
Climax
The climax is when the dictator's wife orders the reconstruction of the Manila Film Festival buildings in total disregard of the people who lost their lives during the construction.
Foreshadowing
The dictatorship in leadership foreshadows the gap between the rich and the poor in the Philippines.
Understatement
Despotism is understated in the book. It is devastating to note that the dictator's wife does not care about the families of the people who die.
Allusions
The story alludes to disparities in life which are brought by meagre leadership.
Imagery
The imagery of corruption is rampant in the text. The images of the poor people show that the gap between the rich and the poor is big. The main reason for poverty in the Philippines is poor leadership because the leaders are self-centered.
Paradox
The paradox of wealth is rampant in the text. For instance, almost every character is looking for wealth using all means, including engaging in corruption.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Political intrigue is a metonymy for despotism and self-centeredness.
Personification
N/A
