Abstract
This thesis explores the representation of the Philippine post-colonial conditions and its intersection of narrating female experiences in Dream Jungle, the novel published by Filipina American writer, Jessica Hagedorn. Choosing her motherland as writing subject, Hagedorn intermingles historical materials with personal stories in the novel to present the beauty and complexity of the Philippine society in the 1970s during Marcos regime. Referring to many studies about Filipino milieu and historical background in the real world, I argue that Dream Jungle represents various problems in the post-colonial Philippines, ranging from colonial impacts, contradictions of nationalistic agenda to neocolonial status of economic development. These problems are shown to be tied up with the country’s colonized experiences in the historical development of globalization and with the political situation corrupted by native elites. In the meanwhile, it is remarkable that Hagedorn incorporates female experiences into her national narrative, showing a subtext of gender oppression in the novel in order to underline these problems and to further bring out a vision of the Philippine nation that transcends the nationalistic appeals. I suggest that Hagedorn unfolds in Dream Jungle a possibility for the Philippine nation to be compatible with its colonized experiences and to further utilize them for its development in modern era.