Life and Works of Jose Rizal

Prepared by: Ms. Riza M. Gabaya

Noli Me Tangere (commonly referred to by its shortened name Noli) is a novelwritten in Spanish by Filipino writer
and national hero José Rizal, first published in 1887 in Berlin, Germany. The English translation was originally
titled The Social Cancer, although more recent translations have been published using the original Latin title.

The writing of the novel

When Rizal read Uncle Tom’s Cabin Harriet Beecher Stowe‘s novel on the abuse of black slaves in America, he
thought that a novel should be written about the abuses that Philippine natives were suffering at the hands of
the Spanish friars. He proposed to his Filipino friends in Madrid in 1884 that they collaborate in writing a novel
on the Philippines. This group of friends included his hosts, the Paternos (Pedro, Maximo, and Antonio),
and Graciano Lopez Jaena. Although the other men approved of the idea of writing on Philippine life, they all
wanted to write about women rather than about national problems and in any case preferred to gamble and flirt
than to write. Rizal then decided he would have to write the entire book himself.

Rizal began work on the Noli while still in Madrid, Spain. Of the remainder, most was written in Paris. He finished
the book in Berlin, Germany. Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, a well-known writer and political activist, volunteered to be
the proofreader and consultant. When he was finishing the book in December 1886, Rizal was penniless and
despaired of ever publishing it. The novel might never have seen print had it not been for the support of his
wealthy friend, Maximo Viola, who came to visit him in Berlin. Rizal gratefully presented him with the galley proofs
of Noli on 29 March 1887, the day that Noli was printed.

The 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.” It has also
been noted by French writer D. Blumenstihl that “Noli me tangere” was a name used by ophthalmologists for
cancer of the eyelids. That as an ophthalmologist himself Rizal was influenced by this fact is suggested in his
dedication, “To My Country”: “Recorded in the history of human sufferings is a cancer of so malignant a character
that the least touch irritates it and awakens in it the sharpest pains. Thus, how many times, when in the midst of
modern civilizations I have wished to call thee before me, now to accompany me in memories, now to compare
thee with other countries, hath thy dear image presented itself showing a social cancer like to that other!” As
shown by this excerpt, the alternate English title, The Social Cancer, is taken from the book’s dedication.

Summary

Having completed his studies in Europe, young Juan Crisostomo Ibarra comes back to the Philippines after a 7-
year absence. In his honor, Captain Tiago throws a get-together party, which is attended by friars and other
prominent figures. In an unfortunate incident, former curate Father Dámaso belittles and slanders Ibarra. But
Ibarra brushes off the insult and takes no offense; he instead politely excuses himself and leaves the party
because of an allegedly important task. The day after the humbling party, Ibarra goes to see María Clara, his
love interest, a beautiful daughter of Captain Tiago and an affluent resident of Binondo, Manila. Their long-
standing love is clearly manifested in this meeting, and María Clara cannot help but reread the letters her
sweetheart had written her before he went to Europe. Before Ibarra left for San Diego, Lieutenant Guevara,
a guardia civil, reveals to him the incidents preceding the death of his father, Don Rafael Ibarra, a
rich hacendero of the town.

According to the Lieutenant, Don Rafael was unjustly accused of being a heretic, in addition to being a filibuster—
an allegation brought forth by Father Dámaso because of Don Rafael’s non-participation in the Sacraments,
such as Confession and Mass. Father Dámaso’s animosity against Ibarra’s father is aggravated by another
incident when Don Rafael helped out on a fight between a tax collector and a student fighting, and the former’s
death was blamed on him, although it was not deliberate. Suddenly, all of those who thought ill of him surfaced
with additional complaints. He was imprisoned, and just when the matter was almost settled, he got sick and
died in jail. Still not content with what he had done, Father Dámaso arranged for Don Rafael’s corpse to be dug
up and transferred from the Catholic cemetery to the Chinese cemetery, because he thought it inappropriate to
allow a heretic such as Don Rafael a Catholic burial ground. Unfortunately, it was raining and because of the
bothersome weight of the cadaver, the men in charge of the burial decided to throw the corpse into the lake.
Revenge was not in Ibarra’s plans; instead he carries through his father’s plan of putting up a school, since he believes
that education would pave the way to his country’s progress (all over the novel the author refers to both Spain and
the Philippines as two different countries which form part of a same nation or family, being Spain the mother and
the Philippines the daughter). During the inauguration of the school, Ibarra would have been killed in a sabotage had
Elías—a mysterious man who had warned Ibarra earlier of a plot to assassinate him—not saved him. Instead the hired
killer met an unfortunate incident and died. The sequence of events proved to be too traumatic for María Clara who
got seriously ill but was luckily cured by the medicine Ibarra sent her

After the inauguration, Ibarra hosts a luncheon during which Father Dámaso, uninvited and gate-crashing the
luncheon, again insults him. Ibarra ignores the priest’s insolence, but when the latter slanders the memory of his dead
father, he is no longer able to restrain himself and lunges at Father Dámaso, prepared to stab the latter for his
impudence. As a consequence, Dámaso excommunicates Ibarra. Father Dámaso takes this opportunity to persuade
the already-hesitant father of María Clara to forbid his daughter from marrying Ibarra. The friar wishes María Clara to
marry a Peninsular named Linares who just arrived from Spain. With the help of the Captain-General, Ibarra’s
excommunication is nullified and the Archbishop decides to accept him as a member of the Church once again. But,
as fate would have it, some incident of which Ibarra had known nothing about is blamed on him, and he is wrongly
arrested and imprisoned. But the accusation against him is overruled because during the litigation that followed,
nobody could testify that he was indeed involved. Unfortunately, his letter to María Clara somehow gets into the hands
of the jury and is manipulated such that it then becomes evidence against him.

Meanwhile, in Captain Tiago’s residence, a party is being held to announce the upcoming wedding of María Clara
and Linares. Ibarra, with the help of Elías, takes this opportunity and escapes from prison. But before leaving, Ibarra
talks to María Clara and accuses her of betraying him, thinking that she gave the letter he wrote her to the jury. María
Clara explains to Ibarra that she will never conspire against him but that she was forced to surrender Ibarra’s letter to
her in exchange for the letters written by her mother even before she, María Clara, was born. The letters were from
her mother, Pía Alba, to Father Dámaso alluding to their unborn child; and that she, María Clara, is therefore not the
daughter of Captain Tiago, but of Father Dámaso. Afterwards, Ibarra and Elías board a boat and flee the place. Elías
instructs Ibarra to lie down and the former covers the latter with grass to conceal the latter’s presence. As luck would
have it, they are spotted by their enemies. Elías thinks he could outsmart them and jumps into the water. The guards
rain shots on the person in the water, all the while not knowing that they are aiming at the wrong man. María Clara,
thinking that Ibarra has been killed in the shooting incident, is greatly overcome with grief. Robbed of hope and
severely disillusioned, she asks Father Dámaso to confine her into a nunnery. Father Dámaso reluctantly agrees when
María Clara threatens to take her own life. demanding, “the nunnery or death!” Unbeknownst to her, Ibarra is still alive
and able to escape. It was Elías who has taken the shots. It is Christmas Eve when Ibarra wakes up in the forest,
gravely wounded and barely alive. It is in this forest that Ibarra finds Basilio and his lifeless mother, Sisa.

El filibusterismo, also known by its English alternate title The Reign of Greed, is the second novel written by
Philippine national hero José Rizal. It is the sequel to Noli Me Tangere and like the first book, was written
in Spanish.

The writing of the novel

Rizal began writing El Filibusterismo in October 1887 while he was in Calamba. In London (1888), he revised
the plot and some chapters. Rizal continued to work on his manuscript in Paris. He later moved
to Brussels where the cost of living was cheaper and he would be less likely to be distracted by social events so
he could focus on finishing the book. He finally completed the book on March 29, 1891 in Biarritz. It was published
in September of that year in Ghent,Belgium, partially funded by Rizal’s friend Valentin Ventura.

The title

Rizal had to define the word filibustero to his German friend Ferdinand Blumentritt, who did not understand his
use of the word in Noli Me Tangere. In a letter, Rizal explained: “The word filibustero is little known in
the Philippines. The masses do not know it yet. I heard it for the first time in 1872 when the tragic executions (of
the Gomburza) took place. I still remember the panic that this word created. Our father forbade us to utter it, as
well as the words Cavite,Jose Burgos (one of the executed priests), etc. The Manila newspapers and the
Spaniards apply this word to one whom they want to make a revolutionary suspect. The Filipinos belonging to
the educated class fear the reach of the word. It does not have the meaning of freebooters; it rather means a
dangerous patriot who will soon be hanged or well, a presumptuous man.” By the end of the nineteenth century,
the word filibustero had acquired the meaning “subversive” in the Philippines, hence the book is
about subversion.

Plot summary

Thirteen years after he left the Philippines, Juan Crisostomo Ibarra (the main character from Noli Me Tangere)
returned as Simoun, a rich jeweler sporting a beard and blue-tinted glasses, and a confidant of the Governor-
General of thePhilippines Captain-General. Abandoning his idealism, he becomes a cynical saboteur, the
titular Filibuster (military)|filibustero, seeking revenge against the Spanish Philippines system responsible for his
misfortunes by plotting a revolution. Simoun insinuates himself into Manila high society and influences every
decision of the Captain-General to mismanage the country’s affairs so that a revolution will break out. He
cynically sides with the upper classes, encouraging them to commit abuses against the masses so that the latter
would be encouraged to revolt against the oppressive Spanish colonial regime. This time, he does not attempt
to fight the authorities through legal means, but through violent revolution using the masses. Simoun has reasons
for instigating a revolution. First is to rescue María Clara from the convent and second, to get rid of ills and evils
of Philippine society. His true identity is discovered by a now grown-up Basilio while visiting the grave of his
mother, Sisa, as Simoun was digging near the grave site for his buried treasures. Simoun spares Basilio’s life
and asks him to join in his planned revolution against the government, egging him on by bringing up the tragic
misfortunes of the latter’s family. Basilio declines the offer as he still hopes that the country’s condition will
improve.

Basilio, at this point, is a graduating student of medicine at the Ateneo de Manila University Ateneo Municipal de
Manila. After the death of his mother, Sisa, and the disappearance of his younger brother, Crispín, Basilio heeded
the advice of the dying boatman, Elías, and traveled to Manila to study. Basilio was adopted by Captain Tiago
after María Clara entered the convent. With Captain Tiago’s help, Basilio was able to go to Colegio de San Juan
de Letrán where, at first, he is frowned upon by his peers and teachers not only because of the color of his skin
but also because of his shabby appearance which he also experience at Ateneo. Captain Tiago’s confessor,
Father Irene is making Captain Tiago’s health worse by giving him opium even as Basilio tries hard to prevent
Captain Tiago from smoking it. He and other students want to establish a Spanish language academy so that
they can learn to speak and write Spanish language in the Philippines Spanish despite the opposition from the
Dominican Order Dominican friars of the University of Santo Tomas|Universidad de Santo Tomas. With the help
of a reluctant Father Irene as their mediator and Don Custodio’s decision, the academy is established; however
they will only serve as caretakers of the school not as the teachers. Dejected and defeated, they hold a mock
celebration at a pancitería while a spy for the friars witnesses the proceedings.

Simoun, for his part, keeps in close contact with the bandit group of Kabesang Tales, a former cabeza de
barangay who suffered misfortunes at the hands of the friars. Once a farmer owning a prosperous sugarcane
plantation and a cabeza de barangay (barangay head), he was forced to give everything to the greedy and
unscrupulous Spanish friars. His son, Tano, who became a civil guard was captured by bandits; his daughter
Julî had to work as a maid to get enough ransom money for his freedom; and his father, Tandang Selo, suffered
a stroke and became mute. Before joining the bandits, Tales took Simoun’s revolver while Simoun was staying
at his house for the night. As payment, Tales leaves a locket that once belonged to María Clara. To further
strengthen the revolution, Simoun has Quiroga, a China| Chinese man hoping to be appointed consul to
thePhilippines, smuggle weapons into the country using Quiroga’s bazaar as a front. Simoun wishes to attack
during a stage play with all of his enemies in attendance. He, however, abruptly aborts the attack when he learns
from Basilio that María Clara had died earlier that day in the convent.

A few days after the mock celebration by the students, the people are agitated when disturbing posters are found
displayed around the city. The authorities accuse the students present at the pancitería of agitation and
disturbing peace and has them arrested. Basilio, although not present at the mock celebration, is also arrested.
Captain Tiago dies after learning of the incident and as stated in his will—forged by Father Irene, all his
possessions are given to the Church, leaving nothing for Basilio. Basilio is left in prison as the other students are
released. A high official tries to intervene for the release of Basilio but the Captain-General, bearing grudges
against the high official, coerces him to tender his resignation. Julî, Basilio’s girlfriend and the daughter of
Kabesang Tales, tries to ask Father Camorra’s help upon the advice of an elder woman. Instead of helping Julî,
however, Father Camorra tries to rape her as he has long-hidden desires for Julî. Julî, rather than submit to the
will of the friar, jumps over the balcony to her death.

Basilio is soon released with the help of Simoun. Basilio, now a changed man, and after hearing about Julî’s
suicide, finally joins Simoun’s revolution. Simoun then tells Basilio his plan at the wedding of Paulita Gómez and
Juanito, Basilio’s hunch-backed classmate. His plan was to conceal an explosive inside a pomegranate-styled
Kerosene lamp that Simoun will give to the newlyweds as a gift during the wedding reception. The reception will
take place at the former home of the late Captain Tiago, which was now filled with explosives planted by Simoun.
According to Simoun, the lamp will stay lighted for only 20 minutes before it flickers; if someone attempts to turn
the wick, it will explode and kill everyone—important members of civil society and the Roman Catholic Church
in the Philippines|Church hierarchy—inside the house. Basilio has a change of heart and attempts to warn the
people inside, including Isagani, his friend and the former boyfriend of Paulita. Simoun leaves the reception early
as planned and leaves a note behind;

“The writing on the wall|Mene Thecel Phares.”

Juan Crisostomo Ibarra.

Initially thinking that it was simply a bad joke by those left behind, Father Salví recognizes the handwriting and
confirms that it was indeed Ibarra’s. As people begin to panic, the lamp flickers. Father Irene tries to turn the
wick up when Isagani, due to his undying love for Paulita, bursts in the room and throws the lamp into the river,
sabotaging Simoun’s plans. He escapes by diving into the river as guards chase after him. He later regrets his
impulsive action because he had contradicted his own belief that he loved his nation more than Paulita and that
the explosion and revolution could have fulfilled his ideals for Filipino society.

Simoun, now unmasked as the perpetrator of the attempted arson and failed revolution, becomes a fugitive.
Wounded and exhausted after he was shot by the pursuing Guardia Civil soldiers, he seeks shelter at the home
of Father Florentino, Isagani’s uncle, and comes under the care of Doctor Tiburcio de Espadaña, the husband
of Doña Victorina, who was also hiding at the house. Simoun takes poison in order for him not to be captured
alive by the authorities. Before he dies, he reveals his real identity to Father Florentino while they exchange
thoughts about the failure of his revolution and why God forsook him. Father Florentino opines that God did not
forsake him and that his plans were not for the greater good but for personal gain. Simoun, finally accepting
Father Florentino’s explanation, squeezes his hand and dies. Father Florentino then takes Simoun’s remaining
jewels and throws them into the sea, hoping that they would not be used by the greedy, and that when the time
came that it would be used for the greater good, when the nation would be finally deserving liberty for themselves,
the sea would reveal the treasures.

Characters

Below are some of the major characters in the novel.

o Simoun – Crisóstomo Ibarra disguised as a wealthy jeweler, bent on starting a revolution

o Basilio – Sisa’s son, now an aspiring doctor
o Isagani – poet and Basilio’s best friend; portrayed as emotional and reactive; Paulita Gómez’ boyfriend
before being dumped for fellow student Juanito Peláez
o Kabesang Tales – Telesforo Juan de Dios, a former cabeza de barangay (barangay head) who resurfaced
as the feared Luzón bandit Matanglawin (Tagalog for “Hawkeye”); his father, Tandang Selo, dies eventually
after his own son Tano, who became a guardia civil, unknowingly shoots his grandfather in an encounter
o Don Custodio – Custodio de Salazar y Sánchez de Monteredondo, a famous “journalist” who was asked by
the students about his decision for theAcademia de Castellano. In reality, he is quite an ordinary fellow who
married a rich woman in order to be a member of Manila‘s high society.
o Paulita Gómez – The girlfriend of Isagani and the niece of Doña Victorina, the old India who (racial
identity) passes herself off as aPeninsulares|Peninsular, and is the wife of the quack doctor Tiburcio de
 Espadaña. In the end, she and Juanito Peláez are wed, and she dumps Isagani, believing that she will have
no future if she marries him.
o Father Florentino – Isagani’s godfather, and a secular priest; was engaged to be married, but chose to be
a priest after being pressured by his mother, the story hinting at the ambivalence of his decision as he
chooses an assignment to a remote place, living in solitude near the sea.
o Juli – Juliana de Dios, the girlfriend of Basilio, and the youngest daughter of Kabesang Tales.
o Ben Zayb – Abraham Ibañez is his real name. He is a journalist who thinks he is the “only” one thinking in
the Philippines.
o Placido Penitente – a student of the University of Santo Tomas who was very intelligent and wise but did
not want, if not only by his mother’s plea, to pursue his studies. He also controls his temper against his
Physics teacher, Father Millon
o Quiroga – a Chinese businessman who dreamt of being a consul of a “Consulate of China” in
the Philippines. He hid Simoun’s weapons inside his house.
o Tandang Selo – father of Kabesang Tales. He raised the sick and young Basilio after his mother Sisa had
died.
o Father Fernandez – the priest-friend of Isagani. He promised to Isagani that he and the other priests will
give in to the students’ demands.
o Attorney Pasta – one of the great lawyers of mid-Hispanic Manila.
o Captain-General (no specific name)– the powerful highest official in the Philippines.
o Padre Sibyla– Hernando de la Sibyla, a Filipino friar and now vice-rector of the University of Santo Tomas.

Sources:
https://cambridgeforecast.wordpress.com/?s=el+filibusterismo
https://cambridgeforecast.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/noli-me-tangere-jose-rizal-phillipines-novel/