Noli Me Tangere was Rizal’s first novel. He was 26 at its publication.

The book was historically significant

and was instrumental in the establishing of the Filipino‘s sense of national identity. It talked about the
Spaniard’s arrogance and despicable used of religion to achieved their own desires and rise to power.
Rizal reflected his life through this novel and also to the life of the Filipinos during Spanish colonization.
The novel mostly talked about the life of Crisostomo Ibarra, a member of the Insulares (Creoles) social
class, and a series of unfortunate events that he encountered through the works of a Franciscan friar,
namely Padre Damaso Verdolagas, and by the Spanish conquistadors.The book indirectly influenced a
revolution although the author, Jose Rizal, advocated non-violent means and only direct representation
to the Spanish government using his intelligence and pen. It called on the Filipino to recover our self-
confidence, to appreciate our own worth, to return to the heritage of our ancestors, and to assert
ourselves as the equal of the Spaniard. It insisted on the need of education, of dedication to the country,
and of absorbing aspects of foreign cultures that would enhance the native traditions.