Noli me Tangere: Not Just For The Spanish

José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, also known as simply Dr. Jose
Rizal, is the National Hero of the Republic of the Philippines. Amongst other things, he
is more commonly known as a doctor and a writer. This is because of his two famous
works which sparked the flames of revolution during that period. These works are Noli
me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Noli me Tangere literally translates to “Touch Me
Not”. However, its alternative title, “The Social Cancer”, describes it better. The novel
revolves around the protagonist, Crisostomo Ibarra, and his journey in discovering the
evil, or “cancer”, that envelops the town of San Diego. At first glance, it may just be a
novel calling the Spanish out for their unfair and dishonest rule. However, subtle clues
in the novel are also chastising some Filipinos for their hand in the matter.

The first call out to the Filipinos is that some of them, especially those who are
quite wealthy, are also very selfish. This idea is characterized by Capitan Tiago. In the
novel, Capitan Tiago is the father of Maria Clara which is Ibarra’s betrothed. In his
dedicated introduction in Chapter 6, Rizal states that Capitan Tiago is a man of Filipino
descent and is also one of the richest property owners in the area. This already
solidifies Capitan Tiago’s identity as a “rich Filipino man”. Furthermore, Rizal also
satirizes Capitan Tiago’s description as “a pious man who prays to multiple gods and
saints”. During a time where Christianity was being spread, a man who prays to different
gods and saints is definitely not pious. This states that Capitan Tiago only considers
options that benefit him the highest without any shred of moral integrity. This notion is
further strengthened when he suggested a name of a saint for Ibarra’s new school as it
would bring numerous benefits. During that time, this decision is indeed quite sound as
it would be beneficial not only for him but also Ibarra who is his future son-in-law.
However, his lack of moral integrity is displayed when Ibarra was persecuted. He
immediately cancels the engagement between Ibarra and Maria Clara in search for a
new candidate knowing that Ibarra is innocent and disregarding Maria Clara’s feelings,
all for the sake of benefits.

The second call out is that the Filipinos are blinded. While this may not be the
direct fault of the Filipinos themselves, it did help the Spanish, particularly the Church, in
their rule. The Filipinos at the time were blinded by the church’s propaganda that the
priests are the spokespersons of God and so their will is God’s will. While this thought
may be false, the people still believed that whatever a priest says should be done, at
least for those in the lower part of the society. The first evidence of this can be found in
the novel’s 12th chapter. In this chapter, Don Rafael’s grave is being dug out by the
orders of the head priest as said by one of the gravediggers. This signifies that the
gravedigger believes that whatever the priest demands is justified and unquestionable.
It makes it seem like the people should follow every demand of the priests and the
people just think that it is right. There is also that event during the school’s opening that
was supposed to take Ibarra’s life. Elias reversed the situation by having the one who
set up the “accident” fall victim to it instead. At the end, Elias justified his actions as
“letting God take his life”. The one who instigated the whole “accident” was the head
priest. Elias’ statement signifies that since it was done by a priest, then it must be an
action on behalf of God. This also signifies that while Elias does not abide by any priest,
the idea that priests are spokespersons of God have been long solidified in the mind of
the people. This point is not a direct blame to the people but a wake-up call instead.

The third call out is that the Filipinos view the Spanish as a superior race. Again,
this was due to propagandas made by the Spanish at the time. While the Filipinos are
indeed raised to have this mindset, some of them take it too far. In chapter 29, Doña
Consolacion was introduced in depth. She was the ensign’s wife who views the Spanish
so highly that she even shames her own race. In the chapter, she calls for Sisa to sing
for her. In the scene, she orders Sisa to sing using broken Tagalog even though she is
proficient in it. Rizal wrote that she does this in order to appear more cultured. Later in
the novel, Doña Victorina is introduced. Doña Victorina is another woman who is just
like Doña Consolacion. They both married Spanish men who they view as superior and
important. They even broke out into an argument when they met. It is unknown if this
argument is due to them not seeing eye-to-eye or if they saw each other’s similarities
and thus fought to prove that they are different. Not mentioning further details, this
already displays the attitude of some Filipinos back then that further encourages the
Spanish rule.

While they may not be everything, I believe that the points stated above are
already enough to prove that Noli me Tangere is aimed not just to the Spanish but also
to the Filipinos and their conduct that encourages the Spanish rule. While this may be
the case, it is not completely their fault. The Filipinos also fought when the Spanish first
came. They just needed a spark to again light up the dead fighting spirit inside them and
wake them up from the slumber and oppression, and Noli me Tangere is the perfect flint
to light that necessary spark.