Selling the General
Chapter 8 introduces Dolly, formerly known as La Doll, to the web of characters. Dolly was a publicist for the rich and famous. Her work earned her a spot among the elite individuals and gave her access to connections with everyone important. Her reputation, her identity, was destroyed by a party she threw that ended in a tragic accident, causing her to be exiled from the hierarchy of the social circle she once reigned over. Her life has been reduced to working mediocre jobs to support her daughter, Lulu. When Dolly receives a call from a genocidal dictator, the General, to run a publicity campaign to establish a new, more approachable image for the dictator, she is forced to ignore her moral objections and takes the job. The campaign she builds had ups and downs that eventually culminate in Dolly’s idea to portray the General with a woman, a job she believes Kitty Jackson is perfect for. Dolly, Lulu, and Kitty all travel to the General’s home country to capture the images of him with Kitty, and are in turn exposed to the awful state of dictatorship he has established. When the group finally reaches the General, they successfully take the images; however, Kitty begins to accuse the General of his obvious crimes, and she is kidnapped. Dolly and Lulu escape successfully and Dolly published the images, which immediately boost the General’s image.
Analysis
The concepts of public image, social relevance, and social status dominate this chapter after their subtle appearances in previous chapters. Egan is able to analyze the complexities of characters’ inner struggles to regain popularity while, at the same time, criticizing the role of social status in our society. When Dolly is barely able to support her family, she is desperate to reestablish her own relevance in society but after crafting the General’s campaign, she is realizes the destruction she is capable of causing. Her talent of turning a horrible individual into an (almost) respected human being is proof of the inaccuracy of public images.
Chapter 8 introduces Dolly, formerly known as La Doll, to the web of characters. Dolly was a publicist for the rich and famous. Her work earned her a spot among the elite individuals and gave her access to connections with everyone important. Her reputation, her identity, was destroyed by a party she threw that ended in a tragic accident, causing her to be exiled from the hierarchy of the social circle she once reigned over. Her life has been reduced to working mediocre jobs to support her daughter, Lulu. When Dolly receives a call from a genocidal dictator, the General, to run a publicity campaign to establish a new, more approachable image for the dictator, she is forced to ignore her moral objections and takes the job. The campaign she builds had ups and downs that eventually culminate in Dolly’s idea to portray the General with a woman, a job she believes Kitty Jackson is perfect for. Dolly, Lulu, and Kitty all travel to the General’s home country to capture the images of him with Kitty, and are in turn exposed to the awful state of dictatorship he has established. When the group finally reaches the General, they successfully take the images; however, Kitty begins to accuse the General of his obvious crimes, and she is kidnapped. Dolly and Lulu escape successfully and Dolly published the images, which immediately boost the General’s image.
Analysis
The concepts of public image, social relevance, and social status dominate this chapter after their subtle appearances in previous chapters. Egan is able to analyze the complexities of characters’ inner struggles to regain popularity while, at the same time, criticizing the role of social status in our society. When Dolly is barely able to support her family, she is desperate to reestablish her own relevance in society but after crafting the General’s campaign, she is realizes the destruction she is capable of causing. Her talent of turning a horrible individual into an (almost) respected human being is proof of the inaccuracy of public images.