"The City and the Dogs"

"The City and the Dogs" is a novel by Mario Vargas Llosa that follows a young man named SINUÉ who enrolls in a military academy in Lima, Peru. The story explores themes of authority, rebellion, and the abuse of power as SINUÉ and his classmates experience harsh discipline, humiliation, and violence. Set within a brutal, oppressive environment, the book examines how such institutions can dehumanize individuals and reveal the struggle between individual identity and authoritarian systems. It is a critical portrayal of institutional corruption and the loss of personal freedom within a totalitarian-like setting.