LESSON 9

Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo

Learning Objectives:

 After successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

 Appraise important characters in the novel and what they represent
 Examine the present Philippine situation through the examples mentioned in the Noli
 Value the role of the youth in the development and future of society

Course Materials:

Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo are literary pieces from Rizal that are historical and
political in nature. Rizal's ideals and views about the social, political and economic state of the
country were reflected on his works. The novels discussed the state of religion, the clergy,
authority and government; he exposed the abuses and irregularities that have been brought by
the friars and the Spanish colonizers. The novel was intended to educate, empower the youth and
examine the problems and conditions of the Philippine society. On his Annotation of Morga’s
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas or Events in the Philippine Islands, he presented the past of the
country and proved the existence of a civilization before the Spanish colonization. In his Noli Me
Tangere, Rizal opened a conversation and identified the problems of the society in the present
and in El Filibusterismo, he presented a different point of view, having Simon and Isagani as his
main characters, and a different idea about the future of the nation was presented through
conflicting views from the characters.

Noli me Tangere was written in Spanish, it is the unmasking of the injustices, corruption and
brutality of Spanish rule in the country. It began when the reformist Ibarra, the hero of the story went
back to San Diego with a hope of a better tomorrow for his countrymen. In Rizal's dedication of Noli
Me Tangere, he explained that in order to cure the social cancer of the country, the disease must be
exposed, and the cruelty of the colonizers must be ended. He described the characters with satire,
and it became the catalyst for the movement for the independence in the country.

The Social Cancer

Rizal’s dedication in Noli Me Tangere was addressed to the Philippines.

“In history of human ailments, a cancer was reported of such malignancy that the least contract
irritates it and awakens in it the sharpest pains. Well, then, as often as I have wished to evoke
you in the midst of modern civilizations, whether to have memories of your accompany me or to
compare you with other countries, your beloved image has appeared to me with a social cancer.”

Rizal didn’t specify who or what is the social cancer on his dedication, however, liberal
ideas and radical views were presented in his novel. Noli Me Tangere was published in 1887
during his first sojourn in Europe; he presented a variation of characters in the novel with a
different background based on the present situation of the country. He opened a conversation
about a malignant tumor that should be taken out carefully to heal the society. In Schumacher’s
The vision of Jose Rizal, he explained that Rizal’s novel was just the opposite of all this – a
scathing, full scale attack on political and religious regime of the Philippines, as well as of native
Filipino

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society. He also discussed that Rizal entitled it Noli Me Tangere (or, Touch Me Not” – the technical
name of a particularly painful type of cancer.) He proposed to probe all the cancers of Filipino
society that everyone else felt too painful to touch.

Important Characters from Noli Me Tangere

 Crisostomo Ibarra – A wealthy young man who returned to San Diego after seven years
abroad. His father Don Rafael Ibarra was imprisoned and was labelled as heretic and
subversive that led to a sentence of his death in prison. Rizal used Ibarra’s character to
voice ideas about the nature of the government. Ibarra tried to work the system with the
friars without having to eliminate the colonial forces in the country. Ibarra was convinced
that though the Catholic friars are corrupt, they provide valuable support to the country.
He was labelled as excommunicado after almost killing Padre Damaso at a dinner party.
Ibarra manages to escape prison with the help of Elias.
 Maria Clara – Ibarra and Maria Clara grew up together and was engaged to be married.
She is well-regarded as her father is a socialite and is an important member of the society.
She found out that her real father is Padre Damaso who impregnated her mother who died
at childbirth. After Ibarra was labelled excommunicado, she was arranged to be a bride to
a Spanish man named Linares. When she received the news that Ibarra’s death, she calls
off her marriage to Linares and entered the convent.
 Padre Damaso – A loudmouth and arrogant Spanish priest living in the Philippines. He is
unafraid of taking on nonreligious citizens who undermine his power. Labelled Don Rafael
as subversive because he supported secular means to empower the citizens.
 Elias – A revolutionary who despised the power of the Catholic Church. After Ibarra saved
his life from a crocodile, he promised to protect him from his enemies. He convinced Ibarra
to join him in the retaliation against the civil guards who are abusing their powers. Ibarra
and Elias have had long political discussions about the state of the society and expressed
different viewpoint on how the country can grow. Elias presented a view that the present
situation will not change if the existing power structure will remain as both the church and
the government are apathetic in the condition of its citizens.
 Don Anastasio – also known as FilosopoTasio, known as being the madman who doesn’t
believe in God with his atheistic worldview because of his education in Philosophy.

In Quibuyen’s A Nation Aborted, he discussed – The orthodoxy frames Rizal and
Philippine nationalism in terms of a set of dichotomies: Ibarra versus Elias; Rizal versus Bonifacio;
ilustrados versus masses, Reform versus Revolution. These dichotomies consist of the following
propositions:

1. In Rizal’s novels, Ibarra represented Rizal, and Elias represented Bonifacio, and the
failure of Bonifacio signified Rizal’s anti-revolutionary stance;
2. Being an ilustrado, with a bourgeois consciousness, Rizal’s goal, in direct contrast to
Bonifacio, was the assimilation of the Philippines into the Spanish nation;
3. The Reform movement only served to delay the inevitable Revolution, which
was betrayed by characteristically opportunistic ilustrados;
4. Rizal became the national hero largely through American sponsorship.

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Ways of Reading Noli me Tangere

To get the context of the novel, reading Noli needs more understanding and analysis than
just merely reading a textbook or a novel; let the imagination take you to the nineteenth century
setting. You can read Noli as a literature piece or a historical document.
1. Do not expect its story or plot to be a head-turner. If you do, you will be bound to be
disappointed.
2. Do not look for psychologically developed characters.
3. Be on alert for social criticism and social commentary. (Social criticism refers to the explicit
criticism of the society; while social commentary refers to the criticism of society implicit in
the way society is portrayed.
4. Pay close attention to discussions of political or social topics. Such discussions occur
between Ibarra and schoolmaster, Ibarra and Filosofo Tasio, Filosofo Tasio and Don
Filipo, Ibarra and Elias.
5. Be on alert for patterns – patterns of events and characters. The pattern reveals themes.
6. Be on alert for passages of costumbrismo – a literary genre popular in Spain and its
colonies in the 19th century, depicting everyday life among ordinary people in ordinary
settings. Exile’s recollection of life in the Philippines and are suffused with nostalgic
affection.
7. If you wish to know exactly what Rizal wanted his readers to take away from the Noli,
then you have to take the dedication and epigraph of the novel seriously.

In this section of the module, we will identify the social commentaries and social
criticisms from a chapter from Noli Me Tangere.

Social Commentaries from Chapter 49: Voice of the Persecuted

“Now then, the country is an organism suffering from a chronic malady, and in order to cure it, the
government sees the necessity of employing such means, harsh and violent if you wish, but useful
and necessary”Ibarra

“He is a bad doctor, sir, who seeks only to destroy or stifle the symptoms without an effort to
examine into the origin of the malady, or, when knowing it, fears to attack it.”Elias

“Has the Philippines forgotten what she owes to those orders? Has she forgotten the immense
debt of gratitude that is due from her to those who snatched her from error to give her the true
faith...”Ibarra

Ibarra and Elias agreed that there is an illness in our society; they have a contrasting
approach to addressing the problem that surrounds them. They were both in favor that the
Philippine society needs a change. In this scene, both characters were passionately debating
about their respective viewpoints. Ibarra insists upon reforming the Philippines from the inside out,
work within existing and established systems, such as making connections with the friars and
Spanish officials and making use of diplomacy and education (his plan to build a home-school). It
looks that Ibarra still has faith in the system and that we can still achieve positive change without
dismantling the entire system. However, Elias has a much radical strategy, he convinces Ibarra
to look at a different angle that nothing productive and true development will come out of Ibarra’s
plan.

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 In the context of religion, Elias holds strong Catholic convictions despite his opposition to
the church and its stipulations. He strongly disses the church hierarchy and the influence it holds
with the state government controlling and dominating every aspect in the society and oppressing
Filipino natives. They will punish anyone and label them as “heretic and filibuster” when they
question and resist their civic and religious authority. Elias also mentioned that Ibarra is blinded
to see the truth because he never experienced persecution for himself, and Ibarra is a privileged
and wealthy man living a comfortable life having the capability to study in Europe for seven years.
But as the story progresses, the author exposed Ibarra to the extent of the corruption of the
government and the church that is why he was open-minded with and he listens to the experiences
of his friend Elias, who are less privileged.

Social Criticisms from Chapter 49: Voice of the Persecuted

“Radical reforms in the armed forces, in the priesthood, and in the administration of justice; that
is to say, they ask for paternal treatment from the government.”

“For example, more respect for a man’s dignity, more security for the individual, less force in the
armed forces, fewer privileges for that corps which so easily abuses what it has.”

“These unfortunates ask for more protection against ... their oppressors, Sir.” Elias

The narratives above are all from Elias; he became the voice of the poor and pitiful, and
bravely reveals to Ibarra the brutality and injustices that were brought by the colonizers. These
were some of the radical reforms that Rizal, the Propaganda movement, and La Liga Filipina were
demanding from Spain with their peaceful cry through media publications. Here, the author, Rizal
tries to inform and enlighten the readers what specific changes they want in the colonial
government, Catholic Church, and military force.

“The Civil Guard has only this purpose: the repression of crime by means of terror and force, a
purpose that it does not fulfil or accomplishes only incidentally. “Elias

“Because one has forgotten his cedula he must be manacled and knocked about...” Elias

“To weaken the Civil Guard would be to endanger the security of the towns.”Ibarra

“Meanwhile, believe me that the government needs a corps with strength enough to make it
respected and to enforce its authority.”Ibarra

“...You saw what the people thought about these things; what have they got by repressing their
anger and hoping for human justice? Ah, sir, if that is what you call keeping the peace--”Elias

Spain’s militarized law enforcers or the infamous Civil Guard(s) has an undeniably strong
presence throughout the novel. In the above lines, it is evident that Elias and Ibarra shared
different perspectives about the authoritative power of the Civil Guard. Elias, for his part, wants to
retaliate against the brutal and abusive Civil Guard that oppresses the people they claim to
govern. Also, Elias sees the Civil Guard as a terrorizing force that turns honorable and honest
people into criminals in their own land and instill fear among these “criminals” which prevents
them to repent, giving them no choice than resort to their crimes and continue living as criminals.
Ibarra, on the other hand, believed that this power is essential in promoting order and on keeping
security in the country.

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“...a country that is obedient because it is deceived; a government that commands because it avails
itself of fraud, a government that does not know how to make itself loved or respected for its own
sake? Pardon me, sir, but I believe that our government is stupid and is working its own ruin when
it rejoices that such is the belief...”Elias

Noli me Tangere depicted the chaotic situation in our society especially between the government and
the people they ought to govern. It imposes questions about the colonial state of our country.

El Filibusterismo

Despite of the lack of financial resources, internal strife inside the propaganda movement
and family concerns the sequel of his first novel Noli Me Tangere after several revisions was finally
printed on 1891 in Ghent, Belgium. The multiple updates of the said masterpiece are still baffling
the mind of historians. What could be going through his mind in making several changes, his
correspondence with Blumentritt on March of 1891 concluded that he completed his work but
weeks after on April 29, he expresses the second time the completion of Fili. Another proof of this
revision is his letter to Basa the following month informing him that he is ready for the publication,
after a month that he already expressed to Blumentritt twice that he had done it. Then the following
month when he expresses to Basa that he still has several chapters need to be checked. We can
only speculate on the reason why the publication of his novel was delayed for months. It could be
financial reason, possibly needing to cut down some chapters or compressed some of it to
minimize the page shortening the cost. His first novel was published with help of Maximo Viola
and the second materialized because of Valentin Ventura. Or it could be something else, possibly
he must remove some of his previous thoughts, maybe his thought reflected in his writings change
over time. If that is case, what could have affected his reasoning? Nonetheless, whatever the
reason maybe, the literature that affected the course of Philippine history was published – serving
its purpose.

Jose Rizal’s annotation of Morga’s Sucesos presented its readers the forgotten past of the
Philippines while his Noli Me Tangere narrate and describes the current situation of the country.
El Filibusterismo’s plot (Schumacher, 1998) on the other hand is loose, sometimes serving more
as a framework for philosophical and political discussions on the future of the Philippines. The
end of the 19th century is a critical period for the Philippine independence, and it reflects the
culmination of Filipino struggles and enlightenment. The second novel of Rizal presented the
readers the direction where Filipino should head to in claiming their freedom. It shows the shiftof
Ibarra’s reformist character into Simoun’s radical measures in achieving his goals. It also
highlighted the many characters that represent the position of many individuals towards the
liberation of the country. In the end, Simoun’s dialogue with Father Florentino shows Rizal’s true
intention. The people must be ready in claiming their independence; they should own and be
responsible for it. Revolution should not only about preparedness and not because of hatred but
love the mother country.

Important Characters from El Filibusterismo

 Simoun – A jeweler with unknown origin who came to the Philippines with the governor
general. He constantly wore large dark glasses that hid much of the upper part of his face.
With his almost absolute control over the governor – general's patronage, he was
cultivated by everyone who hoped to profit from his connections, and

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 he in turn used his power to amass an ever-greater fortune for himself (Schumacher,
1998).
 Basilio – Sacristan from the Noli Me Tangere whose younger brother had been beaten to
death by the head sacristan of Fray Salvi and whose mother Sisa had been driven to
insanity and death. Since then Basilio had lived as a servant boy and manage by dint of
hard work to get an education, and now he would soon graduate as a Doctor of Medicine
(Schumacher, 1998).
 Isagani – A close friend of Basilio and confident young man. He is supposed to marry
Paulita Gomez but had been passed over for a rich man’s son. Basilio alerts him of
Simoun’s lethal plan and he moved to neutralized it (Dumol and Camposano, 2018).
 Father Florentino – He is the oracle of wisdom who debated with Simoun and explain
why he is wrong (Dumol and Camposano, 2018).

Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo have had different interpretations and eventually
became a way of talking about the societal nature of the Philippines. His ideology and patriotism
eventually made it into a law requiring that his books be taught in every high school, colleges and
universities in the nation. It aims to regain the nationalism in the youth of today's generation and
make them socially conscious.

For El Filibusterismo, Rizal’s dedication reads:

“To the memory of the priests, Don Mariano Gomez (85 years old), Don José Burgos (30 years
old), and Don Jacinto Zamora (35 years old). Executed in Bagumbayan Field on the 28th of
February, 1872.The Church, by refusing to degrade you, has placed in doubt the crime that has
been imputed to you; the Government, by surrounding your trials with mystery and shadows,
causes the belief that there was some error, committed in fatal moments; and all the Philippines,
by worshiping your memory and calling you martyrs, in no sense recognizes your culpability. In
so far, therefore, as your complicity in the Cavite mutiny is not clearly proved, as you may or may
not have been patriots, and as you may or may not have cherished sentiments for justice and for
liberty, I have the right to dedicate my work to you as victims of the evil which I undertake to
combat. And while we wait expectantly upon Spain someday to restore your good name and
cease to be answerable for your death, let these pages serve as a tardy wreath of dried leaves
over your unknown tombs, and let it be understood that everyone who without clear proofs attacks
your memory stains his hands in your blood!
- J. Rizal.”
Ways of Reading El Filibusterismo

1. Pay close attention to the plot – Unlike the Noli in which characters are more important than
plot, plot is fundamental in the Fili. This is because, while the Noli presents us with the problems
of Philippine society, the Fili proposes solutions. It is, therefore, necessary to note the proposed
solutions, how they are pursued, and why they fail.
2. Do not expect Rizal to transform the solutions into detailed narratives – Rizal is not interested
in the solutions as stories. What is more important for Rizal is the theoretical outlines of the
proposed solutions and the reasons they fail. In other words, the solutions proposed aretypes
of solutions, and the reasons they fail are types of reasons for failure.
3. Do immerse yourself, however, in the story of Cabesang Tales and the Story of Simoun’s
second attempt at revolution – While Simoun’s first attempt at revolution and the student’s
Spanish academy address the reader’s head, these two stories address his heart and
subsequently his head. They are directly related to the last chapter of the novel, in which we

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 have Rizal’s thoughts on the redemption of the Philippine society and on freedom and
independence.
4. The Fili is a novel of debates and discussions, try your best to follow the argumentative chapters
closely – These are especially Chapters 7 (The debate between Simoun and Basilio, 33 (Simoun’s
long speeches to Basilio and the narrator’s comment on them), and 39 (the discussion between
Simoun and Padre Florentino). Aside from these three, there are as well
Chapters 15 (Isagani’s visit to Señor. Pasta), 27 (the debate between Isagani and Padre
Fernandez) and 31 (the argument between the governor general and the high government
official).
5. Rizal was a poet before he became a novelist – in the Fili, Rizal writes as both novelist and
poet: the novelist for the most part writes literally; the poet, figuratively. One must be aware
that certain passages, characters, and events are intended by Rizal to be understood not only
literally but also figuratively. It is not good to be hunting symbols in the Fili. Let the symbols
detach themselves from their contexts whenever the right moment comes in the reading
experience of individual readers. This right moment will differ from reader to reader, but when
it comes, it will come as a gift in burst of light and with a feeling of vertigo.

In this section of the module, we will identify the social commentaries and social
criticisms from a chapter from El Filibusterismo.

Social Commentaries from Chapter 34: The Wedding

...from a poor student and servant, perhaps the sun would see him [Basilio] transformed into some
one terrible and sinister, standing upon pyramids of corpses, dictating laws to all those who were
passing before his gaze now in magnificent carriages.

Then he thought that had there been no imprisonment, he would have been betrothed, or
a husband, at this time, a licentiate in medicine, living and working in some corner of his province.
The ghost of Juli, crushed in her fall, crossed his mind, and dark flames of hatred lighted his eyes;
again he caressed the butt of the revolver, regretting that the terrible hour had not yet come.

Basilio, being imprisoned and has been experienced almost everything, seems to be
restless for their plan to succeed. As he was caressing his revolver, it appeared that he was
longing and hoping that when the Spanish reign ends, he will be one of the most feared and
respected persons in the town and be the one to make and enforce the law. Moreover, Basilio
thinks about how if notfor his arrest he would be married and practicing medicine in the province.
He thinks of Juli being dead and feels angry. This makes him more eager for the terrible hour to
come.

But the table for the greater gods was not there, being placed yonder in the middle of the
wide azotea within a magnificent kiosk constructed especially for the occasion...On this table were
laid only seven plates. The dishes were of solid silver, the cloth and napkins of the finest linen,
the wines the costliest and exquisite. Don Timoteo had sought the mostrare and expensive in
everything...

Rizal once again portrayed the different worlds between the rich and privileged citizen in
San Diego. In the aforementioned lines, Don Timoteo prepared a more luxurious and expensive
dining area at the azotea for the “greater gods”. He sought the “rarest and expensive” in
everything, from the most exquisite wines to the solid silver dishes and finest cloth and napkins.
It is obvious that there are a distinction and differences in the treatment among the people.

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Social Criticisms from Chapter 34: The Wedding

He was [Don Timoteo], at last, marrying his son to the rich Gomez heiress, and, thanks to
the money Simoun had lent him, he had royally furnished that big house, purchased for half its
value, and was giving in it a splendid fiesta, with the foremost divinities of the Manila Olympus for
his guests, to gild him with the light of their prestige.

In this chapter, Rizal depicted some of many undesirable traits of many Filipinos; and one
of these is to live behind their means. DonTimoteo wanted to have an elite lifestyle and he bought
the house of Capitan Tiago half its price but doesn’t have enough money for it so he went to
Simoun and asked to lend him some money. Don Timoteo wanted to have good impression
among the townspeople for his son, Juanito Pelaez, who is marrying Paulita Gomez who is an
heiress.

With the chromos he ran no risk, as the Filipinos did not make them, they came cheaper,
the effect was the same, if not better, the colors brighter and the execution very fine. Don’t say
that Don Timoteo did not know how to comport himself in the Philippines.

The author implied that people tend to possess a colonial mentality and have a perception
of being inferior in cultural aspects. Here, Don Timoteo, even though Simoun disproved, removed
all the old drawings and pictures of saints that Capitan Tiago owned because he doesn’t want
Filipino crafted paintings so he replaced it with chromos which are Spanish-made for he doesn’t
want to be misconceived that he is patronizing local products.

Assessment

Instruction: Complete the table below by identifying what major character in Noli me Tangere and
El Filibusterismo symbolize in relation to colonial Philippine society.

Character Symbolism

Crisostomo Ibarra

Elias

Basilio

Sisa

Padre Damaso

Note: Plese do not write anything unnecessary on this instructional material. Use a clean sheet of
bond paper in answering your activity/assessment task either in a type-written or hand-written
format (please see the appendices for the sample template). When doing a hand-written work,
make sure that your penmanship is legible.

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References:

Derbyshire, Charles. The Social Cancer. New York: World Book Company. Retrieved 14 July
2010, 1912.
Dumol, PA and Camposano, C. The Nation as Project: Ways of Reading TheNoli. Vibal
Group, 2018.
Quibuyen, Floro. A Nation Aborted: Rereading and Revisioning Philippine Nationalism, 2008.
Schumacher, John (1998). Kasaysayan: The Story of the Filipino People, The Vision of Jose
Rizal, Vol 5. Asia Publishing Company Limited, 1998.

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