The interplay of ideologies in F. Sionil Jose's Mass

• Main Author: Oreiro, Maureen Jane B.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2008
• Subjects: Ideology; Equality; Capitalism > Philippines; Imperialism > Philippines; Feudalism > Philippines; Comparative Literature
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/2281
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study primarily studies F. Sionil Jose's Mass, which is the last book in the Rosales saga. It aims to prove that despite its highlighting of the pro-revolutionary ideals and of the egalitarian society, it remains untransgressive and unsubversive to the dominant or hegemonic class. By extensive research, series of interviews with the author, and the application of Eagleton's theory on Materialist Criticism and Macherey's concept of silences or the 'not-said', the researcher is able to come out with the following findings. From the period of the writing and publication of the novel, it is found out that the pervading social relation at work during that period and even up to this current period is that already of the bourgeoisie-proletarian relation present in capitalist societies. This social relation then aids in the identification of the complex workings of the dominant GMP in the whole literary text. With capitalism at work in the economic and social systems, it is found out that Mass is not transgressive or subversive to the dominant class due to the following points: 1.) Using the concept of the LMP, the role of the author as at the same time the literary producer defeats the ideology of pro-revolution and egalitarian society in a way that he practices capitalism by literary production, with the patronage of the dominant class (as he is a petty-bourgeois producer) and therefore, maintaining status quo since the access to the literary product is focused only to the dominant class, as price is determined by the GMP, LMP and GI. We can therefore see that the GMP is working its way into the life of the author, penetrating his own ideology with the thought of a capitalist mind--gain more money 2.) The social or class relation affect the linguistic competency of Jose which shows in all of Jose's novels, Mass being one of them. One the text itself, although the novel poses such a strong ideological drive for revolution and fighting for the masses, there are still nuances in terms of the personal beliefs, as well as in the characterization, representation and symbolisms in the novel which shows that its idea of being pro-masses and pro-revolution is not as subversive or as transgressive as it is perceived to be. Among the strategic used is the toning down of radical ideas. The dominant power silences the subordinate class which tries to fight it in the form of the literary mode which is in the realist form. We can therefore see how the social relations of the GMP, LMP, and Aesthetic Ideology work together in training whatever ideology that rises which is against the dominant power. Even in the protagonist, the text has to do some modifications in his motivations as a pro-revolutionary so that he will not end up dead at the end of the story. The motivation which should be rooted to nationalistic ideals and class struggle is set aside and became the motivation of the antithesis character Toto, who, is also killed in the story. The fact that the text is confronted by an are in which ideology itself is uncertain, Mass displayed the limits of its own project and is compelled to manifest the inadequacies of a borgeois significant and perception which, working within the constraints of ideology, is thus unable to challenge it.