Chapter 8

Noli Me Tangere
signify ‘do touch me; the book contains things of which no one among
ourselves has spoken up to the present; they are so delicate that they
cannot be touched by anybody..i have endeavored to answer the calumnies
which for centuries had been heaped on us and our country; I have describe
the social condition, the life, our beliefs, our hopes, our desire, our
grievances, our grief… the facts I narrate are all true and they actually
happened; I can prove them.’’

-Jose Rizal

During the gloomy months in Berlin, Rizal was famished, sick, and despondent. But such physical
discomforts could not chin his indomitable spirit to intellectual captivity. Notwithstanding his empty stomach,
his painful coughing, and his despairing spirits, he continued his first novel. He wrote on, until the early
hours of dawn. At long last, he finished the novel on February 21, 1887. It was the NOLI ME TANGERE, his
first novel.

IDEA OF WRITING A NOVEL ON PHILIPPINES.

His reading of Harriet Beecher Stowes’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which portrays the brutalities of
America slave-owner and pathetic conditions of the unfortunate Negro, slaves,

January 2, 1884
Rizal proposed the writing of novel about the Philippines by a group of Filipinos. His proposal was
unanimously approved by those present, among whom were the paternos (PEDRO, MAXIMINO, and
ANTONIO), GRACIANO LOPEZ JAENA, EVARISTO AGUIRRE, EDUARDO DE LETE, JULIO LIORENTE,
and VALENTIN VENTURA

The novel was designed to cover all phases of Philippines life. However, almost everybody wanted
to write on women. Rizal was disgusted at such flippancy. He was more disgusted to see that his
companions, instead of working seriously on the novel, wasted their time gambling or flirting with Spanish
girls.

THE WRITING OF ‘’NOLI.’’ Toward the end of 1884, Rizal began writing the novel in Madrid and finished
about one-half of it.
When he went to Paris in 1885, after, completing his studies in the UNIVERSIDAD
CONTROL DE MADRID, he continued writing the novel, finishing one- half of the second half. He wrote the
last fourth of the novel in Germany.

December, 1886, while his spirit was at its lowest ebb, he almost threw the manuscript into the fire. The
novel was almost finished then.

FERNANDO CANON; ‘’I did not believe that the NOLI ME TANGERE would ever be published when I was
in Berlin, heartbroken, weakened, and discouraged from hunger and deprivation.
DR. MAXIMO VIOLA, informing Rizal of his coming visit to Berlin. The message revived the author’s hope.
His friend, viola, a scion of rich family of San Minguel, Bulacan would surely lend him the money for the
publication of the novel.

THE MAN WHO SAVED THE ‘’NOLI.’’ Indeed, Viola was a godsend. Without him the Noli would most likely
never appear in print. The meeting between Viola and Rizal in Berlin was joyous one.
Viola loaded with money, came to Berlin to invite Rizal to join him on a tour of Europe.
When he learn of Rizal’s predicament, he kindly agreed to postpone the tour and, instead, advanced some
money so that the novel could be printed.
The first edition of the Noli was printed in Berlin in 1887. The cost of printing was 300 pesos
(advanced by Viola) for 2,000 copies.
Intake of his appreciation and gratitude. Rizal gave to Viola the gallery proofs of the Noli
carefully rolled around the pen that he used in writing the novel and the first copy to come off the press
with dedicatory autograph as follows; ‘’ to my dear Friend, Mazimo Viola, the first to read and appreciated
my work-Jose Rizal, March 23, 1887, Berlin.’
This date-MARCH 29, 1887,- is a significant date for it was the date when the NOLI ME
TANGERE came off the press.

THE TITLE OF THE NOVEL. The little Noli Tangere is a Latin phrase which means ‘’Touch Me Not,’’ It is
not originally conceived by Rizal, for he admitted taking it from the Bible

March 1887- Rizal writing to FELIX R. HIDALGO in French, said; Noli Me Tangere, word taken from the
Gospel of Saint Luke,
Signify’’ do not touch me’’ in citing the Biblical source, Rizal made a mistake. it should be the
Gospel of St. John, on the First Easter Sunday, St. Mary Magdalene visited the Holy Sepulchre, and to her
our lord Jesus, just arisen from the dead, said:

‘’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.’’

THE AUTHOR’S DEDICATION. Rizal dedicated the Noli Me Tangere to the Philippines- ‘’To My Country.’’
His dedication runs as follows:

SYNOPSIS OF THE ‘’NOL.’’

The Novel NOLI ME TANGERE contains 63 chapter and epilogue. It begins with a reception
given by CAPITANA TIAGO (Santiago de los Santos) at his house in CALLE ANLOAGUE (NOW Juan
Luna street) on the last day of OCTOBER.

CRISOSTOMO IBARRA
A young and rich Filipino who had just returned after seven years of Europe. Only son of DON
RAFAEL IBARRA, friend of CAPITAN TIAGO, and

Maria Clara
Is a finance of Crisostomo Ibarra, supposed daughter of Capitan Tiago.
PADRE DAMASCO
A Franciscan friar who had been parish priest of San Diego (Calamba), Ibarra’s native town for
20 years.

PADRE SILBYLA
A young Dominican parish priest of Binondo
SENOR GUEVARA
An Elderly and kind lieutenant of the Guardia Civil,
DON TIBURCIO DE ESPADANA
A bugos Spanish Physician, lame, and henpecked husband of DONA VICTORIA; and several
ladies.

PADRO DAMASCO was in bad mood because he got a bony neck and hard wing of the chicken tinola.
After dinner, IBARRA LEFT CAPITAN TIAGO’S house to return to his hotel. On the way, the kind
Lieutenant Guevara told him the sad story of his Father’s death in San Diego. DON RAFAEL, his father,
was rich and brave man. He defended a helpless boy from the brutality of an illiterate Spanish tax collector,
pushing the letter and accidentally killing he died unhappily.
At the cemetery, the grave-digger told Ibarra that the corpse of Don Rafael was removed by order of
parish priest to be buried in the Chinese cemetery

PADRE SALVI
On the way he met, Franciscan parish priest of San Diego. For he was not the priest at the time of
Don Rafael’s death. It was Padre Damasco,

In his town, Ibarra met several interesting people, such as the wise old man TASIO the SAGE, whose
ideas were too advance for his times so that the people, who could not understand him, called him ‘’Tasio
the Lunatic.’’ The progressive school teacher.
Who complained to Ibarra that the children were losing interest in their studies because of the lack of
a proper schoolhouse and the discouraging attitude of the parish priest towards the teaching of Spanish
and the use of modern methods of pedagogy; the spineless gobernadorcillo, who catered to wishes of the
Spanish parish priest;

DON FILIPINO LINO,

The teniente mayor and leader of the liberal faction in the town

DON MELCHOR
The captain of the cuadrilleros (town police)

DON BASILIO and DON VALENTIN.

The former gobernadorcillos who were prominent citizens
SISA
The tragic story in the novel about him is who was formerly a rich girl but became poor because she
married a gambler, and a wastrel at that crazy because she lost her two boys, BASILIO and CRISPIN, the
only joys of her wretched life. These boys were sacristance (sextons) in the church, working for small wage
to support their poor mother,
CRISPIN
The younger of two brothers, was accused by the brutal sacristan
Mayor (chief sexton) of stealing the money of the priest. He was torture in the convent and died.

BASILIO
With his brother’s dying cries ringing in his ears, escaped.

Capitan Tiago Maria Clara, and Aunt Isabel (Capitan Tiago’s cousin who took care of Maria Clara,
after her mother death) arrived in San Diego. Where Maria Clara and her four girlfriends-‘’ merry Sinang,
the grave Victoria, the beautiful Inday, and the thoughtful Neneng’’; Aunt Isabel, chaperon of Maria Clara;
Capitana Tika, mother of Sinang; Andeng, foster-sister of Maria Clara; Albino, the ex-theological student
who was in love with Sinang; and Ibarra and his friends. One o boatmen was a strong silent, peasant youth
named Elias.
Elias life saved by Ibarra, he jumped to the water and killed the crocodile.

THE SONG OF MARIA CLARA

After the crocodile accident Maria Clara who had a sweet voice she played the harp and sang

They made merry in the cool, wooden meadow. Padre Salvi, Capitan Basillo (former gobernadorcillo
and Sinang (father), the alferes (lieutenant of the Guardia Civil), and the town officials were present. The
luncheon was served, and everybody enjoyed eating.

Chess- played Ibarra and Capitan Basilio

Wheel of Chance –Maria Clara and her friends played, their game based on a Fortune- telling book.

Shortly thereafter, a sergeant and four sodiers of the GUARDIA CIVIL suddenly arrived, looking for Elias,
who was hunted for
1. Assaulting Padre Damaso and
2. Throwing the ALFEREZ into a mudhole

During the picnic also, Ibarra received a telegram from the Spanish authorities notifying him of the
children of San Diego.

Tasio – say that ‘’Not all were asleep in the night of our ancestors!’’
Tasio was pessimistic about the project of Ibarra to build a schoolhouse continued under the
supervision of the architect called Nor Juan

November of 11th – fiesta of Patron Saint San Diego

The music was furnished by five brass bands (including the famous Pagsanjan Band owned by the
escribano Miguel Guevara) and three orchestras.
In the morning of the fiesta there was a high Mass in the church, officiated by Pader Salvi.
Elias suspected that the yellowish man, who built the derrick, was paid stooge of Ibarra enemies. True to
his suspicion, later in the day, when Ibarra, in the presence of a big crowd into the trench to cement the
cornerstone, the derrick, collapsed. Elias quick as a flash pushed him aside, thereby saving life.the
yellowish man was the one crushed to death by the shattered derrick.
Ibarra’s attack on Padre Damaso produce two results:
1. His engagement to Maria Clara was broke and
2. He was excommunicated

DOCTORA DONA VICTORINA DE LOS REYES de DE ESPADANA

Tiburcio de Espadana wife, a vain, frustrated native woman, was a frequent visitor in Capitan
Tiago’s house. This woman had hallucinations of being a superior Castilian, she introduced to Capitan
Tiago a young Spaniard. Tiburcio is a quack Spanish physician.

DON ALFONSO LINARES DE ESPANADA

Cousin of Don Tiburcio de Espanada, and godson of Padre Damaso’s brother-in-law. Linares,
penniless and jobledd, came to the Philippines in search of a Filipino heiress and fortune.