THE GOD STEALER

F. Sionil Jose

F. Sionil Jose is a Filipino National Artist who wrote the short story "The God Stealer."
In his short fiction "The God Stealer," he draws attention to these social strata and
transformations. It investigates the interaction between culture and economy as well as the
chasms that develop when people move between economic classes. It is his most widely
successful and respected piece of fiction. This literary work is more than just a story about an
Ifugao stealing a religious idol. This story also talks about the friendship that has grown
between a Filipino and an American and is said to be a portrayal of the relationship that
developed between the colonized and the conqueror. It is due to the fact that we were once
conquered by Americans, and many of us still cannot forget what has happened before,
especially our country's elderly, who have witnessed more cruelty. Filipinos have been left in
a state of bewilderment, emotional distress, pain, and grief that serve as an obstacle for them
to forget and move forward due to colonialism and social stratification.

As we are introduced to the two main characters, we are also introduced to the
symbolism and social statutes that are being themed in the story. The two friends in the story
symbolized their very own country. Philip Latak who is an Ifugao who dwelled in Manila,
represents the lower class in our society, while Sam Christie who is an American friend of
Philip represents the higher class in the story. As shown in the story, their age gap to each other
is only two years but their life status is quite different. With that, this story presents the
symbolism of hegemony in the nation. Sam Christie shows the reflections of history about
America as being colonizers while Philip represents the history of Filipinos when they were
colonized by Americans. Furthermore, Sadek is an older brother of Philip who was opposed to
his idea of leaving the Ifugao for the greater opportunity that he found in the city; he chose to
stay in their homeland and remained faithful to their culture. The characterization about the
role of Grandfather symbolizes the old days where the Philippines was controlled by the
Americans. The grandfather disliked strangers, especially Americans. That's why when Philip
asked him “where we could get a god and he said he didn’t know” and when he found out that,
“it was for an american friend he got mad.” The way his grandfather reacts just proves how
traumatized he was by the past, which made him fearful of losing everything due to the
presence of Sam, an American.

Marxist criticism focuses on class, socioeconomic status, and power relations between
different social groups. This criticism contextualizes a literary work within a social context and
draws conclusions about class. This is demonstrated when Philip steals his grandfather's Ifugao
God. Since his material reality has changed, he openly resists and disrespects his family as well
as his former religion. He lives a more comfortable life in the city, while his family longs for
him. When his brother Sadek said, "I thought the city had won you so completely that you have
forgotten this humble place and its humble", you can immediately feel his frustration with
Philip. It seems that Philip appears to have altered his viewpoints once he began working in
Manila, deviating from a prevalent trait of Filipinos, which is being humble and having a high
value in culture, into someone who shows less appreciation for and dislikes where he came
from. It became more evident when they arrived in Ifugao, his homeland. The description of
Philip and how he sees Ifugao in the beginning of the story contradicts the scenes that happen
in the actual place. "Proud Ifugao" is how Sam referred to Philip, but he shows the opposite by
expressing discontentment with his homeland as well as by marking out his family, culture,
customs, and traditions negatively. He's obviously looking up at Sam. While Ifugao’s
considered him a source of pride, he took Sam as an honor for being a person who belongs to
a higher class and is a very significant part of his agency and even of his life.

As Philip said in the story, "You get a lot better in cocktail parties, how many people in
Manila would feel honored to attend the parties you go to?" and "I'm glad you are in the
agency, Sam. We need people like you" only demonstrates how he saw Sam as a blessing.
Eventually, this is what leads him to steal the god, a precious, valued, and sacred statue of
Ifugaos. The concept of "utang na loob'' from colonialism was overused in the story. Due to
his eagerness to return what he thought was a favor when his salary was raised when Sam
arrived at their agency, he came up with the plan of stealing the god to satisfy Sam's desire.
Inspite Sam insisting that Philip cannot do that, he instead conveyed material dialectic. He set
aside what that god means and symbolizes to their culture and rather asserted that it's just a
material which can be replaced and made again.

The two primary characters are manifested at the beginning of the story, where they
become a representation of their own countries. Philip's family is opposed to how two people
of different races became friends. It is also demonstrated here how colonization of other
countries influenced Philip's family, particularly his grandfather, who shows anger toward his
new American friend. The actions of the supporting characters throughout the story suggest
that there was social stratification that led to Philip's theft. Therefore, we can conclude that
colonization and social stratification play a significant role in the overall story, as evidenced
by the characters' portrayals of various aspects of reality. The family's rage, including Philip's
brother and grandfather, the rejection of his friend Sam, and, most importantly, the fact that
Philip stole something valuable just to give it to his friend is unforgivable and could not bring
their family relationship back into harmony.

“For a colonized people the most essential value, because the most concrete, is first and foremost the land: the
land which will bring them bread and, above all, dignity.”
-Franz Fanon

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