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Historical Context and Time  

     The Spanish colonial era of the Philippines can be traced all the way back to 1565 when Miguel Lopez de Legazpi established a permanent Spanish settlement in Cebu City (Barrows, 1914, p. 127-130). The Spanish colonial era lasted a little more than three centuries, placing Noli Me Tangere , which was published in 1887, closer toward the end of the Philippines’ Spanish colonial era. Before reading any further, it should be noted that in this exhibit, the term “Spanish authorities” is used to refer to the Spanish clergy comprised of friars of the following faiths: Augustinians, Franciscans, Jesuits, Dominicans, and Recollects; as well as state figures who were Spanish. The Spanish authorities centralized their government in by establishing an archdiocese in Manila (Boquet, 2017). Not only did this central placement of power for the Spanish authorities explicitly unite the church and state in advancing Spanish administration, it also granted them stable rulership over both the Philippines’ cultural and political affairs. 

     Upon the Spaniards’ arrival to the Philippines, one of their initial objectives was to convert Filipinos to Christianity. So, churches and abbeys grew to become an important space of socialization within the everyday lives of Filipinos. Not only was the Church integral to building Filipino communities, the Church also controlled the country’s printing presses, which allowed them to embed religion within the country’s literature (Boquet, 2017). Dominican friars also established educational institutions where they strictly controlled curricula and heavily emphasized religious themes (Boquet, 2017). The Spanish authorities also took on civil administration roles that concerned the nation’s finances and infrastructure building (Boquet, 2017). A provincial taxation system was built that “extorted” Filipino civilians and didn’t use the collected fees for the betterment of the Filipino people in any way, shape, or form (Lala, 1898, p. 62-63). The Spaniards also exploited Filipino labourers to build churches and other religious buildings meant to serve the friars (Boquet, 2017). The Spanish friars who were assigned to specific municipalities to serve as civil administration went on to become powerful landowners who were known to persecute their townships’ locals (Boquet, 2017). With the Filipino people being oppressed and exploited by the Spanish and Spanish-speaking elite, many lower-class Filipinos were increasingly becoming resentful of the discrimination and persecution they faced.

     The very idea of Noli Me Tangere was conceived by Rizal at a meeting in Madrid among other Filipino patriots. Rizal proposed that a book that detailed the Philippines’ dismal condition under Spanish authorities and had Filipino artists’ drawings would be good propaganda for their cause (Craig, 1913, p. 121). In 1885, Rizal finishes ¼ of the novel while living in Paris, France (Craig, 1913, p. 126). On February 21, 1887, Rizal finishes writing his first novel ever, the Noli , in Berlin, Germany—the same city where the novel’s eventually published (Nery, 2012, p. 33).

     Being one of the most active patriots in demanding Philippine political reform while living in Spain, Rizal grew in popularity and was viewed “as the intellect, the inspiration, and the energy behind the cause” of Filipinos fighting for independence against the Spanish authorities (DeStephano, 2015, p. 118). In letters to his friends Gregorio del Pilar, Ferdinand Blumentritt, and Mariano Ponce, Rizal further reveals that the Noli was written for his country, his fellow Filipinos, and most especially for the purpose of inspiring passion among his people (Guerrero, 2012, p. 145). He had hoped to ignite this passion by exposing the sociopolitical conditions of the Philippines under Spanish rule that have impoverished and dehumanized the Filipino people through the Noli’s satirical critique of the Spanish friars and state figures. 

     However, perhaps inspired by his time living in Spain as suggested by Craig (1913, p. 130), Rizal also makes known his fellow Filipinos’ general shortcomings and role in the Spanish authorities’ corrupt rule over their country by showcasing their tendency to be hypocritical and docile through specific parts of the novel (e.g. Ibarra’s father being abandoned by everyone when he’s charged with a number of accusations). Rizal reveals another purpose of the novel to his readers in its dedication section: 

“ Palibhasa'y nais co ang iyong cagaling̃ang siyáng cagaling̃an co rin namán, at sa aking paghanap ng̃ lalong mabuting paraang sa iyo'y paggamót, gágawin co sa iyo ang guinágawà ng̃ mg̃a tao sa úna sa canilang mg̃a may sakít: caniláng itinátanghal ang mg̃a may sakít na iyan sa mg̃a baitang ng̃ sambahan, at ng̃ bawa't manggaling sa pagtawag sa Dios ay sa canilá'y ihatol ang isáng cagamutan. ” -Rizal (1886/1909, p. 20-21)

In English, this roughly translates to:

“Because I wish for your wellbeing, which is our wellbeing, and in my search for a better course of treatment for you, I will do for you what those that have come before us have done for their sick: they present their sick at the steps of the church, and with everyone’s call upon God might they be prescribed a cure.”

Here, he implores Filipinos to use the Noli to both educate themselves on the Philippines’ condition and help determine a cure for their country’s societal ailments.

     More than this, however, Rizal also meant for the Noli to become a canonical text within Philippine literature and build a foundation for nationhood upon which Filipinos could finally recognize themselves as one nation rather than the scattered municipalities they’ve been separated into by Spanish authorities. Dr. Maximo Viola recalls Rizal claiming that most of the characters he included in the Noli “were his relatives and friends” (Guerrero, 2012, p. 139). Blumentritt was also told by Rizal that the Noli was meant to demonstrate Philippine society within “the last ten years” that preceded the novel’s publishing (Guerrero, 2012, p. 139). This demonstrates how Rizal purposely built his first novel upon the Filipino people and the country’s history in order for Philippine canon to authentically represent the nation that was yet to be. This alone was reason enough for Guerrero (2012, p. 139) to declare the novel “the first real Filipino novel.” Additionally, Rizal explicitly writing the novel for the Filipino people not only expressed his desire for the national community to join in on the discourse of their nation’s condition; it emphasized his purpose to build a national community in this way: a Filipino people united through patriotism.

     As soon as the novel was published, Rizal was adamant about smuggling copies of the Noli into the Philippines and disseminating it among Filipinos. This is demonstrated in Rizal’s communication with Mariano Ponce that reads, “Try to send copies of the Noli Me Tángere to the Philippines by all the means at your command. I think the book will do good there. Even if the copies are not paid for!” (Guerrero, 2012, p. 146). Rizal was well aware of the backlash that awaited him as mentioned in a letter to his friend, Ferdinand Blumentritt, “The regime and the friars will probably attack my book…” (Guerrero, 2012, p. 151). Just as Rizal had predicted, the Spanish authorities, indeed, ended up attacking the novel. On August 30, 1887, the Dominican Archbishop Pedro Payo, backed by a specially organized council at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), alerted Governor General Emilio Terrero about Rizal’s novel that was “heretical, impious and scandalous in its religious aspect, and unpatriotic, subversive of public order and harmful to the Spanish Government and its administration of these islands, in its political aspect” (Guerrero, 2012, p. 152). Terrero referred the matter to the friars and parish of the Board of Censorship, only to be followed by Friar Salvador Font who issued an official report that recommended the novel's censorship on December 29, 1887 (Guerrero, 2012, p. 152). Around the same time, Terrero had telegraphed Rizal to express his interest in both the author and the infamous novel (Craig, 1913, p. 136). Nothing officially came of the Manila censors’ report on the Noli and so Terrero, worried about Rizal’s safety, assigned the author a bodyguard named José Taviel de Andrade (Craig, 1913, p. 136-137). 

     The Spanish authorities turned to extrajudicial oppression following the lack of response to the official issue of censorship. For example, in Manila, Laureano Viado’s house was inspected by police officers where they discovered copies of the Noli (Guerrero, 2012, p. 152). The medical student was imprisoned without hearing along with his landlord afterwards (Guerrero, 2012, p. 152). Two months following the Manila censors’ recommendation and with Rizal leaving the country, the Noli was promptly censored in 1892 (Guerrero, 2012, p. 152). Circulation of the novel became restricted following its prohibition, but even so, it quickly became famous. The Noli’s reputation spread by word of mouth and became famous because of rumours surrounding the text—not necessarily because of the text itself (Claudio, 2018, p. 42). Rizal’s novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo , were so popular that neighbourhoods would bury the censored texts in gardens (Craig, 1913, p. 185). The ruse was so elaborate that when the books were being removed from the garden to be read, a dance would be used to distract the rare few informants (Craig, 1913, p. 185). With absolutely no regard for civilians’ private property, Spanish authorities persisted in searching houses while civilians simply dealt with “a hole in the ground, the inside of a post,” repaired hollowed out walls, or even set fires in order to preserve their banned texts (Craig, 1913, p. 185).

Noli Me Tangere

By josé rizal, noli me tangere rizal and the philippine revolution.

Though José Rizal was not directly involved in the Philippine Revolution, his writings are often cited as part of the inspiration for it, and while Noli Me Tángere is set before the revolution, understanding the revolution can help one comprehend the issues at hand in the novel. The Philippine Revolution lasted from 1896 to 1898 and diminished Spanish influence in the Philippines, but did not fully eliminate outside influence from the islands. Rizal was the most prominent member of the Propaganda Movement, a movement led by writers of Filipino descent in Europe who used literature to criticize their society. Historians have argued that the revolution truly began with the construction of the Suez Canal in 1869, which gave some Filipinos access to Europe and new ideas of freedom. Like Rizal, many Filipinos returned home from Europe opposing Spanish rule.

In 1872, a small revolt, the Cavite Mutiny, set off the revolutionary cause. The small mutiny was rapidly crushed by the Spanish, and it was used as an excuse for increased repression of revolutionary activity. This repression, however, only made the revolutionary cause stronger. Three priests, José Burgos, Jacinto Zamora, and Mariano Gómez, were accused of working with the mutineers and executed, and they became martyrs to the revolution.

In 1892, Andres Bonifacio founded a clandestine revolutionary society, the Katipunan, in Manila, and in the next four years, membership rose to over 100,000. Once the Spanish discovered the organization in 1896, Bonifacio called for armed rebellion. Though Rizal had never advocated for such a thing himself, he was executed for treason late that year, which further outraged Filipinos. In the beginning of 1897, leadership of the revolution passed to Emilio Aguinaldo, who had Bonifacio shot for supposed sedition. Yet Aguinaldo was unable to defeat the Spanish militarily. At the end of 1897, the pact of Biak-na-Bato temporarily ended the conflict, exiling Aguinaldo and other revolutionary leaders to Hong Kong and promising significant reforms to Spanish rule. Aguinaldo bought arms in Hong Kong, while the promised reforms did not materialize.

After the Spanish suffered a military defeat in 1898, Aguinaldo returned to the Philippines and fought against the United States, who now controlled the islands. This conflict is known as the Philippine-American War.

Noli Me Tangere Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Noli Me Tangere is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Binanggit ni Don Rafael sa kanyang huling ipinadalang liham sa kanyang anak na nag-aaral noon sa Europa na huwag itong mag-alala at magtaka kung hindi na raw ito makakasulat sa kanya dahil magiging abala ito sa mga gawain. Ano ang tunay na dahilan kung

I'm sorry, you will need to post your question in English.

Ano ang mangyayari kapag ikaw ay natawag na filibustero

Sorry, I don't understand your question.

Noli me Tanghere

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Study Guide for Noli Me Tangere

Noli Me Tangere study guide contains a biography of José Rizal, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Noli Me Tangere
• Noli Me Tangere Summary
• Character List

Noli Me Tangere/Introduction

The first half of Noli me Tangere was written in Madrid, Spain from 1884-1885 while Dr. José P. Rizal was studying for medicine.

While in Germany, Rizal wrote the second half of Noli me Tangere from time-to-time starting February 21, 1887. After he read the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, he had an inspiration to write his own novel with the same topic–to expose Spanish colonial abuse in print. Beecher Stowe's novel describes black slavery abuse done by white men. Rizal suggested to his fellow Filipino friends in Europe, through writing, to have a meeting and plan for writing a novel similar to that of Beecher Stowe's. (At this moment, Rizal planned not to write the novel himself , but through collective efforts done by other Filipinos who shared ideals with him.) In 1884, Rizal and his friends including the Paterno brothers–Pedro, Maximo, and Antonio; Graciano López-Jaena, Evaristo Aguirre, Eduardo de Lete, Melecio Figueroa, Valentín Ventura and Julio Llorento; decided to meet at the Paternos' house in Madrid. Each of them agreed to write a unified novel. Suddenly, when the writing began, most of them wanted to change the topic from Spanish abuse to somehow related to women. Rizal walked-out of the hall and decided to write the novel himself.

Title and printing [ edit | edit source ]

The title of Noli Me Tangere is not Spanish nor Tagalog, but Latin. Rizal, in his letter to his friend and Czech scientist Ferdinand Blumentritt, admitted that he obtained the title from the Bible. Rizal took the passage in John 20:17 where Jesus said to Mary Magdalene "don't touch Me!" when she recognizes him after his resurrection. The passage, when translated into Latin, is equivalent to Noli me tangere .

At the time when the novel is ready for printing, he ran out of funds. He contacted his friend, Maximo Viola, who agreed to lend him money for publishing. According to accounts, Rizal is about to throw Noli manuscripts into the fireplace when he received Viola's telegram agreeing for lending him.

Viola gave him an amount equal to three hundred pesos as preliminary payment for the first 2,000 copies of Noli Me Tangere. In 1887, the first edition of Noli was published in Berlin, Germany. To express his gratitude, he gave the original manuscript plus the plume he used to Viola. Rizal also signed the first print and gave it to Viola with dedication.

Objectives [ edit | edit source ]

In another letter to Ferdinand Blumentritt, Rizal described what he expects when the novel will be in circulation. Finally, he pointed out his primary objective:

• to defend Filipino people from foreign accusations of foolishness and lack of knowledge;
• to show how the Filipino people lives during Spanish colonial period and the cries and woes of his countrymen against abusive officials;
• to discuss what religion and belief can really do to everyday lives; and
• to expose the cruelties, graft, and corruption of the false government at honestly show the wrongdoings of Filipinos that led to further failure.

Social impact [ edit | edit source ]

Noli Me Tangere is considered to be romantic but is more socio-historical because of its nature. Most of the issues discussed in Noli can still be seen today.

After publication, Noli me Tangere was considered to be one of the instruments that initiated Filipino nationalism leading to the 1896 Philippine Revolution. The novel did not only awaken sleeping Filipino awareness, but also established the grounds for aspiring to independence. Noli me Tangere was originally written in Spanish, so the likelihood that Spanish authorities would read it first was very high;which is what Rizal wanted to happen. Copies of books were redirected to churches, many were destroyed, many anti-Noli writers came into the picture. Catholic leaders in the Philippines at the time regarded the book as heretical, while Spanish colonial authorities declared it as subversive and against the government. Underground copies were distributed, so Rizal decided to increase the price, the demand was so high.

The impact also included the expulsion of Rizal's clan in Calamba, Laguna. Extradition cases were filed against him. This led to his decision to write the sequel of Noli Me Tangere, the El filibusterismo. Unlike El Fili or Fili, as they called it, Noli Me Tangere was more delicate and did not invoke rebellion. as El Fili does. So to ensure revolutionary ideas and patriotic reaction, Rizal redefined his careful concepts in Noli to aggression in El Fili.

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Anticolonial Melodramas: Gender Relations and the Discourse of Resistance in Noli me tangere and Lucía Jerez

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• Koichi Hagimoto  

Part of the book series: New Caribbean Studies ((NCARS))

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I n 1885, Martí wrote his only novel Lucía Jerez , originally entitled Amistad funesta (fatal friendship), about the story of the love relationship between two cousins. Two years later, Rizal published Noli me tangere , now considered one of the most important works in Filipino literature, in which he described the oppression wrought by the Spanish friars in the colonial Philippines. Although set in different socio-historical contexts and with distinct intents ( Noli me tangere is more overtly political than Lucía Jerez ), these novels have certain romantic elements in common as both stories involve love affairs between male and female characters. Their focus on gender relations as part of the effects of colonialism is also comparable in terms of how they delineate the condition of imperial power through melodrama. At the same time, an example of the intercolonial alliance becomes apparent as the two writers similarly articulate the possibility of resistance in their respective novels. It has been argued that Martí and Rizal express “masculinity” and “femininity” in conventional terms, characterizing men and women based on their physical and moral qualities defined by nineteenth-centuries societies. However, as I show in this chapter, their novels show examples of flexibility and ambiguity on the limits of gender polarities.

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Hagimoto, K. (2013). Anticolonial Melodramas: Gender Relations and the Discourse of Resistance in Noli me tangere and Lucía Jerez . In: Between Empires. New Caribbean Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137324573_2

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Literature Review Blog

Philippine Literature: Understanding The Message Behind Noli Me Tangere

April 16, 2022 June 7, 2022

Noli Me Tangere, one of the most well-known Filipino novels, is a work of fiction written by Jose Rizal. It was first published in 1887 and it is considered to be the most important novel in Philippine literature. It tells the story of two friends: Juan Crisostomo Ibarra and Elias who are both from wealthy families.

The novel was written in Spanish and English for different audiences. The Spanish version was meant for Spaniards residing in the Philippines while the English version was meant for an international audience. Noli Me Tangere has been translated into over 20 languages and it has been adapted into films and TV series as well as musicals.

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An Analysis of Noli Me Tangere and what it says about Philippine Culture

Noli Me Tangere is a novel by Jose Rizal that is considered an important part of Filipino culture. Its main theme is the oppression of the Filipino people by Spanish colonialists. It also touches on many other themes such as class struggle, education, and religion.

We can see how much this novel has impacted Philippine culture when we look at how it has influenced literature in the country to this day. The book has given rise to many films, TV series, and even comics that have been made in its likeness.

Hidden messages in noli me tangere

Noli Me Tangere is translated to “Touch Me Not” in English. It was published in Berlin, Germany in 1887. This novel was written by Jose Rizal as a response to the Spanish colonization of the Philippines and its brutal treatment of Filipinos.

This novel is about Crisostomo Ibarra who returns from his studies abroad, but he has an accident on his way home and goes into hiding for seven years before he can return to his family again. The novel is a chronicle of the life and times of Ibarra from his birth to death, including his struggles and dreams, his intense friendships as well as the ways he reconciles with society. The novel is not linear. The first six chapters are told in chronological order, but chapter 7 is set in 1892 and tells the story of Ibarra’s youth. You can read a summary of the novel here – Noli Me Tangere Buod 2022.

Noli me Tangere is also considered one of the most important novels in Filipino literature because it paved the way for Philippine independence from Spain and America.

The Mechanism Behind Noli Me Tangere’s Success as a Novel in Philippine History

Noli Me Tangere served as a catalyst for the Philippine Revolution against Spain. The novel is considered as a masterpiece of Filipino literature and has been translated into many languages.

The novel was able to spark the revolution because it was written in Filipino, which was then the national language of the Philippines. This made it accessible to more people who could understand and relate to its message, which encouraged them to take action against Spain’s colonial rule over them.

Noli Me Tangere

Ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Noli Me Tangere takes place in the Philippines during the time of Spanish colonization. In the opening scene, a wealthy and influential Filipino man named Captain Tiago hosts a dinner party to welcome Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin back to the Philippines. Ibarra has spent the last seven years studying in Europe. In talking to the various guests at Captain Tiago’s dinner party, he discovers that his father, Don Rafael , recently died, though he doesn’t know why or how. During the dinner, Father Dámaso , a loud-mouthed friar Ibarra has known since childhood, stands up and insults Ibarra, disparaging him for having traveled to Europe to pursue an education he could have obtained in the Philippines. In response, Ibarra swallows his pride and refrains from directing insults at the half-drunk friar. Instead, he leaves the dinner early, ignoring Captain Tiago’s plea that he stay a little longer in order to see his fiancée (and Captain Tiago’s daughter), María Clara .

On his way home, Ibarra walks with Señor Guevara , a lieutenant of the Civil Guard, Spain’s colonial armed forces that police the Philippines. The lieutenant explains that a few months after Ibarra left, Father Dámaso accused Don Rafael of not going to confession. Don Rafael was a very powerful man, which meant he had many enemies in both the Spanish government and in the church. The lieutenant tells Ibarra that one day Don Rafael came upon a government tax collector beating a boy in the street. When Rafael interfered, he accidentally pushed the man too hard, causing the tax collector to hit his head on a rock. This injury eventually led to the man’s death, and Ibarra’s father was thrown in jail and accused of subversion and heresy. At this point, Father Dámaso heaped new accusations on him and everybody abandoned him. By the time he was finally proven innocent, Guevara explains, Don Rafael had already died in prison.

Ibarra goes to his hometown, San Diego, where the unfortunate events of his father’s death took place. Since Captain Tiago owns multiple properties there, María Clara also relocates to San Diego. November is approaching, a time the town celebrates with a large festival. This festival is surrounded by various religious holidays, such as All Souls’ Day, which commemorates dead people in purgatory waiting for their souls to be cleansed before ascending to heaven. Taking advantage of this, San Diego’s priests implore the villagers to purchase indulgences, which they claim shorten the length of time a soul must languish in purgatory. Ibarra quickly sees that the power of the Catholic friars in the Philippines has greatly increased since he left for Europe, a fact made clear by their control over even governmental officials. For instance, Father Salví , San Diego’s new priest, is constantly at odds with the military ensign in charge of the village’s faction of the Civil Guard. Salví uses his important religious position to spite the ensign, fining the man for missing church services and delivering purposefully boring sermons when he does attend.

The friars interfere with other elements of everyday life in San Diego too, which Ibarra learns after speaking with the schoolmaster . The schoolmaster tells him that Father Dámaso actively meddles with his educational techniques by demanding that he teach only in the country’s native language, Tagalog, instead of instructing the children to speak Spanish. Dámaso also insists that the schoolmaster beat the children, creating a hostile environment that doesn’t lend itself to productive learning. Hearing this, Ibarra decides to build a secular school in San Diego, a project his father dreamed about before his death. On the advice of the town’s old philosopher, Tasio , Ibarra presents his ideas to the town’s religious and civic leaders, making it seem as if he wants them to be involved with the school, even though he plans to ignore their influence after it is built.

Meanwhile, two poor boys named Crispín and Basilio study to be sextons, or people who take care of the church. They do so in order to financially help their mother, Sisa , but Crispín is unfairly accused of theft and thus must work constantly with his brother to pay off the absurd amounts the chief sexton claims that Crispín owes the church. When he protests this injustice one night, Crispín is hauled away and severely beaten. Scared for his brother’s life, Basilio searches him out before running home during a storm and waiting in vain with his mother for Crispín to appear. This never materializes, and the next day Basilio goes back into town. Frightened, Sisa looks for both her boys and is told that the Civil Guard has been ordered to arrest them for theft, though nobody can find them. She herself is arrested and then released, at which point she searches throughout the night for her boys, working herself into permanent insanity and destitution as she wanders the town and the surrounding woods.

Visiting the Catholic cemetery, Ibarra speaks to a gravedigger and learns that, upon Father Dámaso’s orders, he dug up Don Rafael’s body. Although the friar had instructed the gravedigger to take Rafael’s body to the Chinese cemetery—a less respected cemetery—the gravedigger threw Don Rafael into the lake, thinking it a more honorable resting place.

Ibarra and the town’s influential religious and government leaders decide to celebrate the new school on the same day as the town’s fiesta. The church makes plans to bless the new educational building (though it is not yet completed) directly after a long sermon by Father Dámaso. During this sermon, a mysterious figure approaches Ibarra. His name is Elías , a man whose life Ibarra recently saved on an eventful fishing trip. Elías tells Ibarra that there is a plan to kill him during the school’s benediction ceremony, warning him not to walk beneath a certain large stone suspended by a pulley system. Ibarra ignores this advice, and sure enough, the stone hurdles toward him. Luckily Elías takes action and covertly puts the criminal—the man plotting against Ibarra—in the way of the stone, killing him instead of Ibarra. The festivities go on, but Ibarra now knows he has enemies.

That night, during a celebratory dinner hosted by Ibarra, Father Dámaso arrives uninvited. All of San Diego’s most respected individuals are in attendance, including the governor and the town’s other friars. Dámaso loudly insults the school and its architecture while also making callous remarks about “indios,” a racial slur for native Filipinos. He flippantly speaks about how “indios” abandon their country because they think they’re superior, traveling to Europe instead. “In this life the fathers of such vipers are punished,” he says. “They die in jail, eh, eh, or rather, they have no place…” When Ibarra hears Dámaso make this crude reference to his father’s unfair death, he jumps up and pins the priest down, holding a knife in his free hand and publicly accusing Dámaso of exhuming his father’s body. Ibarra says he won’t kill Dámaso, but his actions say otherwise, and as he lifts the knife to bury it in the friar’s body, María Clara snatches it from his hand.

In the aftermath of this scandalous event, Ibarra is excommunicated from the church. Captain Tiago proves himself a spineless socialite by calling off the wedding between Ibarra and María Clara, instead betrothing his daughter to Linares , a young man from Spain. Linares is the nephew of Don Tiburcio de Espadaña , a fraudulent doctor who treats María Clara for a sudden illness that incapacitates her for several days after the incident between Ibarra and Father Dámaso. Meanwhile, the Captain General —the topmost government official representing Spain—visits San Diego. The friars implore him to punish Ibarra, but because his priorities are more civic than religious and because he supports Ibarra’s mission to build a school, he pulls strings to have the young man’s excommunication lifted.

While Ibarra continues his project, Father Salví makes arrangements with a man named Lucas , the brother of the man hired to kill Ibarra with the large stone. Because his brother died, Lucas wants revenge on Ibarra. Father Salví—who secretly loves María Clara and who believes Ibarra is a heretic—hatches a plot with Lucas to frame Ibarra. With Lucas’s help, he organizes a band of rebels to attack the Civil Guard’s military barracks, telling them that Ibarra is the ringleader. Hours before the attack takes place, Father Salví rushes to the ensign and warns him of the plan, making sure to request that the ensign let it be known that he—Salví—was the one to save the town by discovering the plot and issuing a warning.

The attack goes according to Salví and Lucas’s plan, and Ibarra is arrested. He is imprisoned and found guilty, a verdict based on an ambiguous line in a letter he sent to María Clara. Once again Elías comes to the rescue, breaking him out of prison and taking him away in a boat. Before they leave town, Ibarra stops at María Clara’s house, climbs onto her patio, and says goodbye to her. She explains that she only parted with his letter—which led to his guilty sentencing—because she was blackmailed. Apparently, a man came to her and told her that her real father is Fray Dámaso, not Captain Tiago. The man threatened to spread this information if she didn’t give him Ibarra’s letter. Feeling that she must protect Captain Tiago’s honor and the memory of her deceased mother, she handed over Ibarra’s letter. Nonetheless, she tells Ibarra that she will always love him and that she is deeply sorry for having betrayed him.

After saying goodbye to María Clara, Ibarra gets into Elías’s boat. As the two men row into the night, they continue a heated discussion they’ve already begun about the nature of revolution and reform, debating the merits of working within a corrupt system to change it rather than overthrowing the system completely. As they talk, they realize they’re being chased by another boat. Elías tries to out-row their pursuers, but quickly realizes they’ll eventually catch up. As bullets whip by, he tells Ibarra to row, deciding to jump off the boat to confuse the people behind them. Before diving, he tells Ibarra to meet him on Christmas Eve in the woods near San Diego, where Ibarra’s grandfather is buried with the family’s riches. When Elías plunges into the water, the boat follows him instead of Ibarra. Elías throws them off by diving deep into the water, only surfacing periodically. Soon, though, the people chasing him don’t see him come back up. They even think they see a bit of blood in the water.

Back in San Diego, Father Dámaso visits María Clara, who tells him she can’t marry Linares because she doesn’t love him. She references a newspaper, which falsely reported that Ibarra was found dead on the banks of the lake. She tells the friar that this news has given her no reason to live and, as such, she can’t go through with the wedding, instead deciding to enter a convent.

On Christmas Eve, the young Basilio wanders forth from a cabin in the woods, where he’s been living with a kind family ever since the Civil Guard started looking for him. He goes into San Diego in search of Sisa, his mother. When he finds her, she doesn’t recognize him and runs away, leading him back to the woods, where she goes to the old tomb that contains Ibarra’s grandfather. Once he finally catches up to his mother, though, Basilio faints. Seeing finally that he is her son, Sisa covers him with kisses. When Basilio wakes up, he finds that she has died by his side. At that moment, Elías appears. He is wounded, and seeing that Ibarra has not arrived, he tells Basilio he is about to die, instructing the boy to burn his and Sisa’s bodies on a pyre. Looking up at the sky, he utters his final words: “I die without seeing dawn’s light shining on my country…You, who will see it, welcome it for me…don’t forget those who fell during the nighttime.” The book ends without mention of Ibarra’s fate.

Noli Me Tángere

42 pages • 1 hour read

Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not)

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-6

Chapters 7-12

Chapters 13-18

Chapters 19-24

Chapters 25-30

Chapters 31-36

Chapters 37-42

Chapters 43-48

Chapters 49-54

Chapters 55-60

Chapters 61-63

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

How does the opening dinner party help frame the novel’s conflicts?

María-Clara is often compared to the Virgin Mary by the narrator and other characters. How does this affect the reader’s perception of her? Is there more to her?

What is the significance of Father Dámaso and Salví’s ties to María-Clara?

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By José Rizal

El Filibusterismo

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Noli Me Tangere by Jose Rizal Sample essay

PURPOSE OF THE TEXT: Jose Rizal wrote Noli Me Tangere during the time of the Spanish occupation in the Philippines. The novel is a reflection of what the Filipinos were going through during that time. He wrote it to open the eyes of the Filipinos to the reality that they were being oppressed. Rizal’s book persistently unmasks contemporary Spaniards in the Philippines of every kind. He exposes corruption and brutality of the civil guards which drive good men to crime and banditry. He focuses on an administration crawling with self-seekers, out to make their fortune at the expense of the Filipinos, so that the few officials who are honest and sincere are unable to overcome the treacherous workings of the system, and their efforts to help the country often end up in frustration or in self-ruin.The Noli is Rizal’s exposé of corrupt friars who have made the Catholic religion an instrument for enriching and perpetuating themselves in power by seeking to mire ignorant Filipinos in fanaticism and superstition. According to Rizal, instead of teaching Filipinos true Catholicism, they control the government by opposing all progress and persecuting members of the ilustrado unless they make themselves their servile flatterers.

STYLISTIC FEATURES: Rizal exaggerated a bit, as in his portrayal of characters like the friars Damaso, Salvi, and Sibyla; the two women who were preoccupied with prayers and novenas, and, the Espadañas but, on the whole, the novel follows the basic rules of realism. Humor worked best where a more serious presentation of the general practices of religion during that time (and even up to present time) would have given the novel a darker and pessimistic tone. Rizal’s description of the lavish fiesta showed the comic antics at church and the ridiculous expense for one day of festivities.

TONE: The superstitious and hypocritical fanaticism of many who consider themselves religious people; the ignorance, corruption, and brutality of the Filipino civil guards; the passion for gambling unchecked by the thought of duty and responsibility; the servility of the wealthy Filipino towards friars and government officials; the ridiculous efforts of Filipinos to dissociate themselves from their fellowmen or to lord it over them–all these are ridiculed and disclosed. Nevertheless, Rizal clearly implies that many of these failings are traceable to the misguided policy of the government and the questionable practices of the friars.

TITLE: “Noli me tangere” is a Latin phrase that Rizal took from the Bible, meaning “Touch me not.” In John 20:13-17, the newly-risen Christ says to Mary Magdalene: “Touch me not; I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren, and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.”

STORY/CONTENT: The first of two canonical 19th-century novels, Noli Me Tangere revolves around Crisostomo Ibarra who, after a seven-year stay in Europe to study, comes home to his town of San Diego, brimming with the desire to contribute to the development of the townspeople. More specifically, as a reformist, he aims to make education accessible to more people. His idealism, however, cannot bear fruit because of insidious forces bent on destroying him.

Ibarra learns that his father, Don Rafael, had been embroiled in a conflict with Padre Damaso, who eventually causes his humiliation and death. It is not only political power that the friar wields; he has also used power to seduce the mother of Maria Clara, Ibarra’s sweetheart. Ibarra has another enemy in the person of Padre Salvi, who lusts after Maria Clara. It is also Padre Salvi who almost causes Ibarra’s death at the groundbreaking ceremonies for the school. Things come to a head when Ibarra is implicated in a failed uprising instigated by Padre Salvi. The young man is imprisoned but is eventually rescued by Elias, whose life Ibarra has saved in the past. As the novel ends, the thoroughly disillusioned Ibarra sees a bleak future.

CHARACTERS: * Juan Crisostomo Ibarra, the main character, is a young illustrado who has been studying in Europe for 7 years according to the wishes of his father. Influenced by his father, his studies and his observations of other countries, he has developed patriotic and progressive ideas which he wishes to put into action in his country. He is very much like Rizal himself. Quoted as saying that to achieve liberation, they need the “catuiran ng lakas” , or the use of force. * María Clara de los Santos is Ibarra’s faithful, pure and modest sweetheart. She is the portrait of an ideal woman, partly drawn perhaps from Rizal’s love Leonor Rivera. * Padre Dámaso was once a good friend of Ibarra’s father. He was, until the start of the novel, the domineering and condescending curate of San Diego, where the property of the Ibarra family is located, and continues to be a powerful figure in San Diego. Biological father of María Clara, as he takes advantage of Doña Pia, mother of María Clara and wife of Capitán Tiago

* Padre Salví is the new parish priest of San Diego, who lusts after Maria Clara. * Elías, a common laborer whose family has suffered much, dreams of revolution. He may be said to represent another side of Rizal. * Pilosopong Tasio is an old man who received an excellent education in his youth but was persuaded into discontinuing his studies, which he was told would lead him away from his faith. The character is based on Rizal’s older brother, Paciano. * Sisa is the mother of two young boys who disappear. With her mother love, her grief and her frustration, she is thought to represent the suffering motherland. * Crispín- brother of Basilio. Dies at the hands of the “sacristan mayor” and Padre Salví. * Basilio- brother of Crispín and son of Sisa and Pedro. Last person to see Elías alive.

* Capitán Santiago de los Santos – also known as Capitan Tiago, he accepts María Clara as his own daughter. * Doña Victorina is a native woman who desperately tries to look like a Spaniard. She was so determined to marry a Spaniard that she was willing to settle, late in life, for a toothless stuttering man. She convinces him to pretend to be a doctor to raise their status and society. * Don Tiburcio is a former customs official who pretended to be a prestigious medical doctor in town as his bread and butter. He is the lame, stuttering husband of Doña Victorina. * Doña Consolación is the muse of the cuartel. She is the violent wife of the Alferez and has treated Sisa cruelly. * Alfonso Linares is the godson of Padre Damaso and a distant cousin of Don Tiburcio from Spain. He is hard pressed to be Maria Clara’s fiance instead of Ibarra. * Padre Sibyla is a Dominican friar who is the curate of Binondo. His character is a stark contrast to that of Padre Damaso.

PROBLEM: There was a cancer in the time of our national hero Jose Rizal that he elaborately depicted through his novel “Noli Me Tangere,” metastasized in every fiber of Philippine society back then, having its roots in the prolonged oppression of the Filipinos by our Spanish colonizers. Today, we see cancer in the Philippines again, and our people and environment have shriveled badly from this cancer, which is on its terminal stage.

What is the main problem with the Philippines? Put in another way, what is Philippine society’s cancer today? The main problem with the Philippines can be seen from the perspectives of different sectors; and thus, there can be many answers to this question.

From the point of view of the citizens, the main problem is the dirty politics of traditional politicians. There is no end to election fraud and accusations of election fraud. Then there are also politicians in power who bicker and accuse endlessly. Some even kill their political opponents, and the murders they commit to keep themselves in power are barbaric. Thus, our nation is in a constant mode of being destabilized from all sides – from those in power and those who are not in power.

From the point of view of entrepreneurs or the market, the main problem is graft and corruption in government offices. It has become abnormal not to pay “under-the-table” to get a business permit or a government clearance.

From the point of view of politicians, the main problem is a personality-based politics, wherein celebrities without any platform nor preparation for public service win by a landslide at the polls and end up mismanaging their public office and the public funds.

From the point of view of public administration employees or civil servants, the main problem is their low pay such that they need to earn extra from extortions and sideline-selling to adequately provide for their families.

From the point of view of the Church, the main problem is the Government’s interference on matters of faith as it pushes bills that undermine morality and one’s religious beliefs, although advocates of those bills see them as timely remedies to socio-economic problems.

Just like the Indian tale of “The Blind Men and The Elephant,” wherein not one of the six blindmen saw the elephant, but rather one claimed it was a wall, another a spear, another a snake, another a tree, another a fan, and the last one a rope, because each of them experienced only a part of the elephant and not its entirety, so also each sector of our society see but facets and symptoms of the cancer that has kept us way behind the nations that used to learn at our heels.

What is our cancer? What cannot we touch? Rizal’s writings and martyrdom sparked the hearts of the Filipinos towards a fight for freedom from our foreign oppressors. But ironically, whereas our people’s struggles before were against foreign domination, our modern-day “Noli Me Tangere” is about the Filipinos’ struggle against fellow Filipinos entrusted with the role to lead and serve the nation. This is our cancer today: Filipinos are against fellow Filipinos.

MESSAGE: Noli Me Tangere or Touch Me Not… was the a controversial novel of Rizal aside from the predicaments he encountered just to publish this novel. He did it to ridicule the friars and let the Filipinos be awoke of the oppression and learn to fight. It contained all the immoralities of the spaniards. So I think the messege we can get from it is learn how to fight in a peaceful manner, fighting doesnt need a bolos, a sumpit or lantakas but it can also be possible using your pen, your wisdom. As a Filipino we should learn to be united in deeds and be educated and learn to argue rationally.

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