The Feast of the Goat

Urania’s father, another composite character, was the fictional President of the Senate and a high-ranking, closely trusted member of Trujillo’s government until a few weeks before Trujillo’s assassination. A longtime, fiercely loyal member of Trujillo’s government, Cabral viewed the darker parts of the administration as necessary and excusable as long as they didn’t affect him directly. When Trujillo finally decides to test Cabral’s loyalty, Cabral responds by offering Urania’s virginity as a way of redeeming himself. Although Urania and Agustín are fictional, scholars note that this practice was common during Trujillo’s dictatorship. Following Urania’s escape, Agustín tries to restore contact with his daughter, but Urania never responds to his letters.

Agustín is a character revealed mostly by other people, primarily through Urania but also indirectly through conversations in other chapters. As a result, Agustín remains somewhat enigmatic. Agustín was likely tolerated rather than admired by Trujillo; Chirinos tells Balaguer later that “Egghead” was a divisive figure. If Trujillo had rehabilitated Agustín prior to his assassination, the senator might have seen his career restored, as Balaguer preferred and admired him. Adelina, Agustín’s sister, struggles to reconcile Urania’s description of Agustín and his actions with what she knows about her brother. She believes him to be a man of high morals and character, a selfless man who cares only for the good of his family and country—adulation reminiscent of the misguided hero worship heaped onto Trujillo. 

Urania severed ties with the fictional Cabral family, not just her father, when she left for the United States. Aunt Adelina is Agustín’s sister; like Agustín, she has aged, but unlike him, she remains lucid. Lucinda and Urania are cousins who were very close as children. Urania’s life appears comfortable to Lucinda, whose life after Urania left has proven much more difficult. Urania’s aunt and cousins, unaware of the full story behind her departure, view Urania as neglectful and cruel. They initially resist Urania’s explanation; Aunt Adelina struggles to accept it even at the end. Before Urania leaves, however, a hope for renewed connection emerges when Marianita tells Urania that she intends to write to her every month even if Urania doesn’t answer. 

Also called the Generalissimo, the Chief, the Benefactor, and His Excellency—as well as El Chivo, The Goat—Rafael Trujillo ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 to 1961. Under Trujillo, the Dominican Republic enjoyed growth, prosperity, and modernity, at the cost of extreme repression and brutality. A tireless man and a harsh dictator who ruled with an iron fist, Trujillo demanded absolute loyalty and enjoyed testing his subordinates’ loyalty in excruciating ways.

Trujillo’s chapters recount his final day alive, showing the internal thoughts, motives, and fears that lead up to his assassination on the evening of May 30, 1961. These issues include political ones, such as his problems with the Catholic Church and the United States, as well as personal ones, such as complications with his family and his failing body. These personal issues are particularly weighty for Trujillo, as his most treasured values are family, strength, and discipline. He wants the Trujillo name to remain unsullied, particularly within the Dominican Republic, and goes to great lengths to ensure that his family remains unscathed and appears prosperous and successful. By their actual actions, which range from incompetence at best (Pupo’s failing farm) to sadism at worst (Ramfis’s treatment of women), these family members constantly disappoint.

A desire to be perceived as strong and disciplined overrides nearly all other concerns for Trujillo. To appear tougher and more fearless than his strongman counterparts in other countries, he eliminates security along his walking and driving routes. His newfound incontinence and erectile dysfunction damage his self-perception, making him feel like less of a man, and symbolically represent his failing grip on power. 

Johnny Abbes was the head of the SIM, the intelligence service of the Dominican Republic under Trujillo. Known as a ruthless and ruthlessly efficient member of Trujillo’s government, Abbes is almost as feared as Trujillo himself. Feast depicts Abbes both directly and indirectly, suggesting how large his presence loomed over that period of the country’s history. Following Trujillo’s assassination, Abbes received a “golden exile” in Japan.

Chirinos, like Cabral, is a fictional character in Vargas Llosa’s Dominican Republic, based on a real-life counterpart in Fujimori’s late 20th-century Peruvian dictatorship: Enrique Chirinos Soto. Known as the “Constitutional Sot” for his intelligence and his love for alcohol, Chirinos is one of Trujillo’s most trusted acolytes.

The Cabrals believed Chirinos betrayed Agustín, with whom Chirinos had a close but competitive relationship for many years. Trujillo is disgusted by Chirinos’s slovenly manners and habitual excess, but considers him loyal and excellent at what he does. Trujillo is always impressed by Henry’s ability to drink for hours each evening, yet still report for work on time the next morning, appearing clear and sharp as ever.

Chirinos survives the assassination. Balaguer appoints him President of the Senate—Agustín’s old position—and tasks him with moving the Dominican Republic toward democracy (although Balaguer preferred Agustín, who never escaped disgrace before Trujillo died). 

Dr. Balaguer, a poet and former professor, is Trujillo’s puppet president. Trujillo feels confident that Balaguer will fulfill his duties and stay out of Trujillo’s way. Trujillo made Balaguer president in 1960 and forced his brother to resign in an attempt to avoid sanctions. Trujillo considers Balaguer an unambitious man who has no vices but admires his way with words, and therefore has used him in a variety of positions over the years.

Quiet and unassuming, but far sharper than people give him credit for, Balaguer is approached to be part of the conspiracy to assassinate Trujillo. He offers a vague, noncommittal response and instead waits to see how things play out, keeping his hands clean. Following Trujillo’s assassination, Balaguer carefully navigates the chaos, making deals with Ramfis and the Americans while convincing key members of both the Trujillo family and Trujillo’s administration to disappear overseas. 

Officially an ambassador for the Dominican Republic, Manuel Alfonso advises Trujillo on matters of style and fine living, and procures women for Trujillo. Manuel was a model living in New York City when Trujillo discovered him; he became one of Trujillo’s most trusted and friends. Manuel Alfonso recommends that Agustín offer Urania to Trujillo, to return to Trujillo’s good graces. Though Manuel Alfonso is fictional, he is likely based on the real Manuel de la Moya, who played a similar role in the Trujillo Era.