WEEK 1 GEC 009 (LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL)

CHAPTER V: THE NOVELS OF RIZAL

NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO
The Publication of the Noli
As a sojourner in Europe, Rizal participated in the movement of the ilustrados to utilize propaganda to
campaign for reforms in the Philippines. Utilizing their intellectual prowess, the ilustrados released various
written outputs from new bits, to feature articles and commentaries. They also produced creative outputs from
satirical pieces to world-class paintings. Within this artistic and literary collection, Rizal’s exemplary mastery of
words was clearly evident in one of his most celebrated works, his first novel, Noli Me Tangere.
The idea of publishing a boom was not alien to Rizal. In a meeting of the ilustrados in 1884, he proposed to
write a book project to be done collaboratively with his fellow writers. Unfortunately, the project did not
materialize. He eventually decided to write a novel on his own He started work on the project in 1884 and
completed it in 1887.
Many of his biographers cite several works that influenced Rizal in the writing of the Noli. One of these is Juan
Luna’s painting, Spoliarium, which depicted the sufferings faced by humanity in the face of inqualities. Another
is Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that dealt with slavery in America.
Rizal finished the first half of the novel in Spain, supposedly the other half in France, then completed the draft
in 1886. The novel was published the following year in Germany. Lack of funds delayed the book’s publication
until a fellow ilustrado, Maximo Viola, insisted on lending him 300 pesos for the printing of the first 2,000
copies. By 1887, Rizal was already ending out copies of the Noli to his friends and the book began to take
flight.
Motivations behind Writing the Noli
The title, Noli Me Tangere had biblical reference to the Gospel of John in which Jesus appeared to Mary
Magdalene and uttered these words: “Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father”. The choice of
title according to Rizal was fitting because he intended to write about themes that were taboo in the Philippine
for centuries; things that people dared not touch.
According to his biographers, Rizal first planned to write his novel in French, considered to be the language of
the intellectuals in Europe at that time. He, however, shifted to Spanish because he intended to reach out to his
countrymen in the Philippines. Rizal explained “I must wake from its slumber the spirit of my country… I must
first propose to my countrymen an example with which they can struggle against their bad qualities and
afterwards, when they have reformed, many writers would rise up to present my country to proud Europe” (qtd.
In Schumakecher, 1991, p.93)
The Project of writing the Noli, as stated, was geared towards exposing the ills of the Philippine colonial society
under Spain. Thus, through the passages within the Noli, readers, also get glimpses of how Rizal saw his
country.
Plot
The story of the Noli Me Tangere followed the life of Juan Crisostomo Ibarra after he returned to the
Philippines from studying in Europe. The novel opened with Capitan Tiago preparing a homecoming gathering
for the young ilustrado. Throughout the pages of the novel, the characters could be seen navigating the complex
realities of colonial Philippines. Ibarra was shown to be rekindling links with his betrothed Maria Clara. But not
everything was fine and dandy for Ibarra. Upon his return, he learned about the ills that plagued his town as
well as the abuses of the friars to which his late father fell victim to. Ibarra found an antagonist in Padre
Damaso, the former curate of San Diego who ordered that the corpse of his father be exhumed and reburied in
the Chinese cemetery.
Despite these personal travails, Ibarra persevered to fulfill the plan of building a school in San Diego, staying
true to his belief that education was crucial for his nation’s progress. Ibarra almost got killed had it not for Elias,
a boatman, who saved him. Elias also previously cautioned Ibarra about his actions that could anger the friars.
After the incident, Ibarra organized a luncheon. Here, another confrontation occurred between Ibarra and
Damaso who attended the luncheon uninvited. In a fit of anger, Ibarra took a knife against Damaso’s neck and
threatened to slit his throat as he told everyone of the abuses committed by Damaso and the desecration he did
to Ibarra’s father. Maria Clara calmed Ibarra and prevented him from killing the friar. Damaso, is an act of
revenge, to not allow his daughter to marry Ibarra.
After some time, revolt was blamed on Ibarra, which caused his incarceration. With the help of Elias, he
escaped and went to see Maria Clara who was soon marrying the man her father chose for her. In a
heartbreaking confrontation, Ibarra and Maria Clara exchanged accusations and in the process, it was revealed
that Damaso was the true father of Maria Clara.
As turmoil and confusion engulfed the town, Maria Clara thought Ibarra has been killed. This caused her
endless grief. She asked to be confined to a nunnery lest she take her own life. It was later revealed that Ibarra
was not dead and that Elias was the one fatally shot but instead, met and talked to the young Basilio. He
instructed the orphaned boy (his mother Sisa, became insane looking for her young sons, had died) to find the
treasure of Ibarra he buried in the cemetery and use it to get an education. He reminded Basilio to never lose
lope and if one day, freedom and progress would come to his country, to not forget those who labored in the
night.
Within this general contour of the narrative, Rizal wove a complex story and subplots. Reading through the
novel, different characters and their corresponding stories unfolded as told through the voice of an unseen
narrator. Truly, the pages of Noli reflected the lives of people living in the complicated world of colonial
Philippines.
Summary
This chapter discussed Noli Me Tangere, tracing its publication and Rizal’s motivation behind its writing. Noli
Me Tangere was part of a publication agenda conceived by Rizal in the hopes of awakening his countrymen and
the world about the colonial conditions in the Philippines. On the pages of the Noli, Rizal’s genius shone
through as he assembled and harnessed his intellect to paint a picture of nineteenth century in the Philippines.
The plot provided a story of hope and struggle against the backdrop of an elaborate setting filled with equally
complex characters. Through the novel’s characters, varied points of view were gleaned from colonial life and
through its plot, an allegory of colonial society was created. The next chapter will continue discussing the novel
by examining its impact and continuing relevance.
Noli Me Tangere Continuing Relevance
While the Noli Me Tangere triggered social conversations in the late nineteenth century Philippines. It is
important to note how the novel continues to resonate beyond its time. The success of Rizal’s novel also rests
on its timelessness in terms of present-day social issues and political/economic realities. In this chapter, Noli’s
legacy and continuing relevance will be explained as a text not only in the field of literature but also in the areas
of history and social sciences. The chapter will also look at Rizal as a social scientist who espoused early
articulations of a social-scientific manner of understanding and presenting the way of life, in this case, within a
colonial context. The lesson will start with a discussion of the incarnations of the Noli as it was published after
Rizal’s time. This will be followed by a section on the study of colonial society.
Noli after its First Publication
At present, Noli Me Tangere is considered by many as a landmark piece of literature. In his account of literary
history of the Philippines, scholar Resil Mojares even went to the extent of naming Rizal as the father of the
Filipino novel (Testa-De Ocampo, 2011). As already discussed in the previous chapter, the themes of the novel
revolved around societal issues experienced in the Philippines under the Spanish colonial rule. As such, the
novel did not go unnoticed and became subject of discussion and debate.
In the immediate months and years after its release in 1887, the Noli generated reactions from readers, Filipinos
and foreigners alike. Responses ranged from praise to outright ridicule. One sector that espoused utmost disdain
for the novel was the Spanish Clergy as well as some Spanish colonial officials. It is thus understandable that
Spanish friars vehemently prohibited the circulation of the novel in 1887 when Fray Salvador Font, chair of the
censorship commission, outlawed the reading and possession of Rizal’s novel. Many other friars assessed and
judged the book as pernicious. They enjoined devout Catholics not to read the novel to avoid committing capital
sins. Not only confined in the Philippines, critiques of the novel coming from Spanish officials and academics
also circulated in Spanish newspapers ridiculing Rizal as a “man of contradictions”. Barrantes lamented that
Rizal’s lambasting of the friars and the Spaniards was reflective of the author and telling more about the
Filipinos.
As much as Rizal’s critics came from various sectors, his novel also found ardent defenders among his peers.
Many of his colleagues in the Propaganda Movement praised his novel. One example is Marcelo H. Del Pilar
who even wrote essays in response to critics of the Noli. Rizal’s friend Ferdinand Blumentritt, also an academic,
also expressed support for the novel.
As the Noli stirred controversy in social circles in nineteenth century Philippines, it is remarkable to realize that
even beyond its time, the novel continued to be a subject of debate and discussion. In the immediate years after
its publication, the Noli was translated into several languages. One of the earliest translation of the novel was
done in French. Many scholars posit that there were early attempts to translate the noel into German (by
Blumentritt) and even Tagalog (by Rizal’s brother, Paciano) but these plans never came to fruition. At the turn
of the twentieth century, during the American colonial period, several other translations and editions of the
novel came out. Arguably the most circulated versions were the English translations of Charles Derbyshire. By
the 19830s, Rizal’s Noli had several Spanish editions, translations into English, French, Japanese and also into
several languages in the Philippines including Tagalog, Cebuano, Waray, Iloko and Bikol (Test-De Ocampo,
2011).
The very controversy that surrounded the passage of the Rizal Law indicated the relevance of the text in the
1950s and even beyond. In academia, many scholars have also made it a point to discuss the politics of
translation and the nuances of transforming the text in several forms. As Testa-De Ocampo points out, as much
as the novel is elevated in the highest echelons of Philippine literary history, seldom do we find Filipinos
reading it in the original Spanish. Versions and translations of the Noli also did not go without scrutiny from
academics like Benedic Anderson. Truly, be it about its content, context or the way it is read or used, the value
of Rizal’s novel is definitely felt in the Philippines.
Noli and the Study of a Colonial Society
A remarkable aspects of Rizal’s Noli lies in its text which espoused the national hero’s articulations of a social-
scientific view of the nineteenth century Philippines he was describing Rizal as “probably the first systematic
social thinker in Southeast Asia”.
Taken together with Rizal’s other writings, the Noli makes an important contribution to the understanding of
colonial society and of the workings of the Spanish empire in the Philippines. The novel portrayed the lives of
the characters of diverse position from which people in nineteenth century Philippines thought and acted in
relation to others. Many scholars interpret Noli as Rizal’s diagnosis of the ills of colonial society as he assessed
the role played by the church, the state, and the people. In the Noli, Rizal highlighted some of his ideas how the
Philippine society could be emancipated from the bondage of colonial rule. He understood the importance of
education as a powerful tool to achieve progress. However, he also exposed the complexities and constraints
wrought by the colonial condition not only on foreigners, but also on some misguided Filipinos that contributed
to the ills of society. As Rizal exposed the vile realities of the context he wrote about, he also emphasized the
good qualities of the Filipinos, which needed to be harnessed in order to succeed in the struggle for
emancipation.
El Filibusterismo: Context and Content
Rizal’s second novel, El Filibusterismo, is a story set in twilight years of Spanish colonial government in the
Philippines. It was first translated into English by Charles Derbshire in 1912 under the title, The Reign of Greed.
The book according to the translator “represents Rizal’s more mature judgment on political and social
conditions in the island, and in its graver and less hopeful tone reflects and disappointments and
discouragements which he had encountered in his efforts to lead the way to reform”.
Filibustero: History and Context
Rizal started writing El Filibusterismo as a sequel to the Noli Me Tangere after he returned to Europe on
February 1888 (Lacson-Locsin, 2004). The novel, therefore, was written in the midst of threats and oppressions
he and his family were experiencing because of the Noli and the Calamba incident.
Rizal continued working on his niovel and made some revisions while he was in London in 1888. He was able
to complete the novel after three years when he was in Biarritz, France on March 29, 1891. However, because
of financial constraints, it was not until September of the same year that the book was published with the help of
his friend, Valentin Ventura.
In March 1887, after reading the Noli Me Tanger, Blumentritt asked Rizal the meaning of the word “filibuster”
which he did not find in the Spanish language (Aguilar, 2011). To recall Rizal replied:
The word filibuster is still very little known in the Philippines; the common people as yet do not
know it. I heard if for the first time in 1872 when the tragic executions took place. I still
remember the terror it aroused. Our father forbade us ever to utter it, as well as the words Cavite,
Burgos, etc. The Manila News Papers and the Spaniards apply this word to one whom they want
to render suspect of revolutionary activities. The educated fear the reach of the world. It does not
have the meaning of freebooter; it rather means a dangerous patriot who will soon be hanged or a
presumptuous fellow.
In 1890, Wenceslao Retana wrote about the “filibuster” and described the term as “the one who, eager for the
independence of the country, resorts to various extralegal proceedings in order to reach the objective that he
pursues” (Aguilar, 2011). By the end of the nineteenth century, the Spanish colonial government defined
“filibuster” as “someone who works for the separation of our overseas provinces”. With these definitions, one
will have an idea about the plot of Rizal’s second novel. It deals with subversion. It pictures the lives of people
under an oppressive regime. It narrates the struggle of every Filipino in fighting for independence.
El Fili is dedicated to Gomburza, the three priest who were accused of being filibuster in 1872. In his
dedication, Rizal expressed his high regard for the priests who became victims of “the evil that I am trying to
fight.”
To the Memory of the priests:

Don Mariano Gomez (85 years old)

 Don Jose Burgos (30 years old)
And Don Jacinto Zamora (35 years old)

Executed on the scaffold at Bagumbayan

On February 28, 1872

Rizal, however, made mistakes in indicting the age of the three priests and the date they were executed. The
Gomburza were publicly executed by garrotte on the early morning of February 17, 1872. Gomez was then 73,
Burgos 35 and Zamora was 37.
In her translation of the novel, Soledad Lacson-Locsin described the book based on the themes that can be seen
in the story: “El Fili begins where the Noli leaves off, where love, romance, heroism, idealism, and tragedy trun
to hate, bitterness, anger, disillusionment and vengeance” (Lacson-Locsin, 2004). Unlike Noli, El Fili burns
with passion and ideology, Rizal’s biographers opined that El Fili showed his maturity as novelist.
Synopsis
The story of El Filibusterismo revolved around the main character, Simoun who was a rich jeweller. Simoun
was actually Crisostomo Ibarra of Noli whom everyone thought was killed by the guardia civil at the Laguna de
Bay thirteen years ago. He was able to escape and fled to Cuba. He became wealthy and was able to establish
connections with prominent Spanish officials. Upon his return to the Philippines, Simoun became very
influential being the consultant of the governor-general.
Simoun came back with his grand plan to exact revenge on Spanish officials and to rescue Maria Clara who
entered the convent after learning the news of Ibarra’s death. He planned to launch a revolution which he started
by smuggling arms and recruiting followers, mainly from the exploited and abused natives. One of his recruits
was Basilio, the Son of Sisa. With the help of Capitan Tiago, Basio was able to stuy medicine in Manila.
Simoun also began to establish an alliance with Kabesang Tales and his revolutionary group. Kabesang Tales
was a former cabeza de barangay who was maltreated by the friars. Using his position, Simoun encouraged
corruption and more oppressive government policies to enrage the people and thus, provoke them to revolt.
Simoun’s plans of revolution failed twice. In his first attempt, he decided not to give the signal outbreak of the
uprising upon hearing the news of Maria Clara’s death. Baslio and other students were then arrested for
allegedly forming a seditious organization. Simoun arranged the release of Basilio who became bitter and
vengeful. However, he was very grateful to Simoun and offered his full support for the revolution. The second
attempt at starting a revolution entailed the planting of a bomb at the wedding reception of Paulita Gomez and
Juanito Pelaez. Illustrious guests at the mansion (formerly the house of Capitan Tiago) included Padre Salvi and
the governor-general. In Simoun’s plan, the revolution would be triggred by his gift to the couple – a kerosene
lamp with an explosive. When the lamp starts flickering and someone turns the wick, there would be an
explosion, signalling the revolutionaries to attack all government buildings in Manila.
As planned, Simoun gave the lamp during the reception. Before leaving the venue, he left a note with a
message: “You will die tonight”, signed by Crisostomo Ibarra.
Meanwhile, when Basilio saw all the people at the venue his conscience bothered him. He saw his friend,
Isagani, who was secretly watching his love, Paulita, celebrating her wedding. Basilio told Isagani about the
explosive and asked him to leave the place.
When Padre Salvi confirmed Ibarra’s handwriting, the guests began to panic. The lamp flickered and Padre
Irene tried to turn the wick. But Isagani, wanting to save Paultia, ran into her house, grabbed the lamp and threw
it into the river where it exploded.
Simoun took refuge in the house of a kind Filipino priest, Padre Florentino. The guardia civiles, however,
learned about the whereabouts of the fugitive and informed the priest that they would come in the evening to
arrest Simoun.
Instead of surrendering to the Authorities, Simoin poisoned himself. As the poison started to take effect on his
body, he confessed to Padre Florentino his true identity and his plan for revenge. After the long and tedious
confession, the priest told Simoun that his plan might have failed because of the unjust means that were used.
He assured Simoun that there was still hope for the freedom of the country.
The story ended with Padre Florentino throwing Simoun’s jewel into the sea so that when the right time comes,
the treasure would be recovered and used for a noble purpose.
Summary
This chapter traced the history of the term filibuster and how the Filipinos defined the concept during Rizal’s
time. For the Spaniards, a filibuster was someone who rebelled against the government while for the indios, he
was a patriot who fought for the country’s freedom. Compared to Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo showed
how Rizal matured as a writer. This transformation could be seen in the main character Simoun who changed
from being a moderate ilustrado to a revolutionary jeweller and planned to launch a revolution against the
colonial government. Through this novel, one could see how a victim oppression and injustice could turn into
an influential revolutionary.
El Filibusterismo: Continuing Relevance
After tracing the historical background of Rizal’s El Filibusterismo in the previous chapter, it is now time to
look into its content and review its social significance as a novel. Rizal clearly stated that he wrote the novel to
describe the Philippine society and expose the injustices that he and his fellow Filipinos were experiencing. The
novel may be written more than a hundred year ago, but it cannot be denied that the social ills that Rizal
depicted in his novel are still present today.
This chapter will focus on important themes tackled by Rizal in his second novel. Through these themes, the
national hero’s views and ideas about the different aspects of society can be examined.
One hundred twenty three years after Rizal’s execution, his writings remain socially relevant. The ills that he
replied against – inept leadership, corruption, abuse of women and the influence of the Catholic Church over
political and social affairs – are still persisting in the Philippine society today. A thorough understanding of the
historicity of his novels is important as it serves as the background of the story. In reading historical novels like
EL Filibusterismo, one must be knowledgeable about the social milieu of the period when it was written. In this
way, history can be used as a tool for interpreting a literary work like El Fili (Nuncio, 2014).
As with Noli Me Tangere, Rizal’s main objective in writing El Filibusterismo is to expose the Philippine
situation as he witnessed during his time. In reading his novel, one can see the nation’s past and present
situations which make this literary work enduringly significant. Renato Constantino (1971, p137) wrote about
the relevance of Rizal’s teaching where he said:
The importance of Rizal’s ideas for our generation hs a twofold basis – first, the applicability to
present-day problems and second, their inspirational value. Rizal hold a mirror to our faces and
we see ourselves, our vices, our defects, our meanness. Because the conditions he describes are
the very conditions we see around us and the characters he portrays are people we continue to
meet, we readily respond to his earnest desire for basic changes in our society and in ourselves.
One hand holds a mirror to shame us and the other points the way our regeneration. Yet, the truth
is that the mirror was not meant to reveal our image, but the image of the people and the society
of Rizal’s time.
By going back to the themes that Rizal tackled in El Fili, one can see the importance of the novel at present.
Themes are the main ideas that flow through the narrative which can be used to evaluate Rizal’s views and
ideas on different social issues.

Revolution as a Means of Social Change

In the novel, Simoun is the filibuster who encourage the principalia class to abuse the poor so that the latter
would be driven to revolt against the government. His character maybe interpreted as someone who represents
the Filipino revolutionaries that supported the idea of a bloodt revolution against the Spanish colonial
government. Simoun’s death in the story made some readers conclude that Rizal was against the idea of
revolution. Simoun’s failed uprising in the narrative, were interpreted as Rizal’s abhorrence of violence and
bloodshed. They failed to see that Rizal, together with other reformist like Marcelo H. del Pilar, regarded
reform and assimilation first towards Philippine independence. In his letter to Blumentritt on June 19, 1887, he
said:
“I assure you that I have no desire to take part in conspiracies which seem to me very premature
and risky. But I the government drives us to the brink, that is to say when no other hope remains
but seek our destruction in war, when the Filipinos would prefer to die rather than endure their
misery any longer, then I will also become partisan of violent means. The choice of peace or
destruction is in the end hands of Spain, because it is a clear fact, known to all, that we are
patient and peaceful, mild unfeeling, etc. But everything ends in this life, there is nothing eternal
in the world and that refers also to our patience” (Ocampo, 2012)
Rizal’s words in the aforementioned letter are significant because they proved that he was not against the idea
of violence if necessary. Historian Ambeth Ocampo (2012) wrote: “Simoun failed – not because Rizal was
against the revolution, but because he reflected on the anger and bitterness in his heart following the agrarian
dispute in Calamba and realized that one must start with a goo intention to succeed”.
On Leadership and Governance
El Fili’s message is very clear – the inept leaders, corrupt officials and system of the government in the
Philippines could lead to Spain’s downfall. When Simoun said: “What is a man to do when he is denied justice?
Take the law into his own hands or wait for Spain to give him rights…?” he stressed that id the demands of the
people would not be granted, they would be driven to oppose the system and organize movements to fight for
their rights.
Rizal himself was admired as a good leader. His colleagues in the Propaganda Movement respected him
because he showed a kind of leadership that was not motivated by personal interest. The call for a good
leadership could be gleaned from El Fili when he stressed the importance of national sentiment to guard the
society against all kinds of injustices and oppression.
Rizal condemned the friar-led officials for their greed, corruption and exploitation of the natives. On the other
hand, he also criticized his fellow Filipinos who did not respond to the challenges under the abusive leadership
of the Spaniards. The character of Basilio, for example, who, despite the extreme sufferings that he and his
family experiences, did not support Simoun’s plan of overthrowing the government. He only joined the
revolutionary group after being arrested and imprisoned, followed by the death of his sweetheart, Juli. There
was also one character, Senor Pasta, who abandoned his noble ideas to serve only the interest of those who
hired him.
While Rizal exposed the injustices done by the colonial government, he also challenged the Filipinos to guard
their rights as one of their main responsibilities. Good leadership and governance bring about social, economic
and political reforms in the country. All this can be achieved if the leaders have moral fiber and are ready to
give up their personal interest for the welfare of their constituents.
On Education and Language
At the time that Simoun was planning to launch the revolution, students including Basilio were also fighting for
the establishment of a school that would allow natives to learn the Spanish language. Simoun strongly reacted
against the project advocated by the students. For him, it would mean the death of national identity and the
institutionalization of tyranny. In Chapters 6 (Basilio) and 7 (Simoun). Simoun expressed his disapproval of the
students’ program, convincing Basilio to join him in his plan of revolution instead. He questioned the students;
advocacy and said:
What will you be in the future? A people without character, a nation without liberty. Everything
in you will be borrowed, even your very defects. You are asking to be Hispanized and you do not
blanch with shame when it is denied you! Even if it is conceded, what would you want? What
would you gain? At best, to became a country of pronouncements, a country of civil wars, a
republic of the rapacious and the discontented, like some republics of South America. Why do
you now come with your teaching of Spanish, a pretension that would be ridiculous were it not
for its deplorable consequences? Do you wish to add another idiom to the more than forty
already spoken in the islands so that you may understand each other, each time, less…?
Still about the language issue, Simoun added:
You allow yourselves to be misled by big words and you never get to the bottom of things to
examine the effects in their ultimate manifestations. Spanish will never be the common language
in the country; the people will never speak it because for the ideas of its minds and the
sentiments of its heart there are no words in that idiom. Each country has its own, as it has its
manner of feeling. What will you gain with Spanish? The few who speak it? To stamp out your
originality, subordinate your thoughts to other minds andmean instead of making yourselves free,
make yourselves truly slaves! Nine out of ten of those among you who presume to be
enlightened, are renegades to your motherland. Those among you who speak that language are
indifferent to their own tongue, so much so that they neither write not understand it. How many
have I seen who pretended not to know a single word for it!
Basilio, on the other hand, believed that through education, he would be able to alleviate the lives of his fellow
Filipinos. He did not believe that revolution could be an effective means to achieve freedom from its present
situation.
On the Filipino Youth
Where are the youth who will consecrate their golden hours, their illusions and their enthusiasm
for the welfare of their country? Where are they who would generously shed their blood to wash
away so much shame, so much crime, so much abomination? Pure and spotless the victim has to
be for the holocaust to be acceptable!... Where are you, youth who will incarnate in yourselves
the vigor of the life that has fled from our veins, the purity of ideas that have been soiled in our
minds, and the fire of enthusiasm that has been extinguished in our hearts?... We wait for you, O
youth! Come, for we await you!
Such were the words of Jose Rizal through the character of Padre Florentino, patriotic Filipino priest in El Fili.
Rizal saw the youth as the future of the country because this generation would one day lead the nation. Their
actions today would shape the path of tomorrow.
Rizal stressed the important role of the youth in challenging the government as seen in the efforts of students
like Basilio and Isagani to organize themselves and unite to call for reforms. For Simoun, it was a way of
embracing the Hispanization of the country. On the other hand, it could also be seen as Rizal’s way of showing
what the youth could do it if they wanted reforms from the government.
Major Theme of Fili
El Filibusterismo is a sequel to the Noli. It has little humor, less idealism and less romance than the Noli Me
Tangere. It is more revolutionary, more tragic than Nolil
As in the Noli the characters in El Filibusterismo were drawn by Rizal from real life. For instance, Padre
Florentino was Father Leoncio Lopez, Rizal’s friend and priest of Calamba; Isagani, the poet was Vicente
Ilustre, Batangueño friend of Rizal in Madrid and Paulita Gomez, the girl who loved Isagani but married to
Juanito Palaez, was Leonor Rivera.

Comparison of Noli and Fili

1. The Noli is a romantic novel. It has freshness, color, humor, lightness and wit.
2. The Fili is a political novel. It contains bitterness, hatred, pain, violence and sorrow.
3. The Noli is a “Book of the Heart” while Fili is a “Book of the Head”.
4. Originally, Rizal intended to make the Fili longer than the Noli but it became shorter than the Noli
because there were parts that were drastically cut due to lack of printing funds. Fili consists only 38
chapter as against the Noli’s 64 chapters.
5. Marcelo H. del Pilar and Rizal himself considered Noli as superior to the Fili as a novel.
6. Retana, Rizal’s first biographer believed that the Noli is superior to Fili whereas Blumentritt, Graciano
Lopez Jaena and Dr. Rafael Palma claimed that the Fili is superior to Noli.
In fact, Jaena wrote Rizal on October 2, 1891 to write another rnovel which would give a definite
solution to the country’s problem.
Noli and Fili are purely academic. From the point of view of history, both novels are good as they are
purely academic in nature. Both novels depict the actual and real conditions of the Philippines and the
sufferings of the Filipinos during the Spanish Rule.
Both novels are instrumental in awakening the spirit of the Filipino nationalism. Both novels also paved
the way for the Philippine revolution that brought about the downfall of the Spanish rule in the
Philippines.