CHAPTER REVIEW OF THE NOVEL NOLI ME TANGERE (TOUCH ME

NOT)

CHAPTER 15: LOS SACRISTANES (SACRISTANS)

PRESENTED BY:

APRIL, 2020

ABSTRACT

This paper provides an analysis of a chapter from Dr. Jose Rizal's political novel Noli Me

Tangere, which is focused on historical literary works. In today's generation, the historical

development and problems depicted in the novel are highly relevant. This paper examines the

legacy of colonization, religion, and influence in our society, as well as current affairs in the

Philippines. It also discusses how Noli Me Tangere influenced the lives of millions of Filipinos in

their fight for independence and reconciliation against the Spanish government. Which also

concerns the rise of poverty, the disparity of government structures, religions and values that can

influence daily life, and unfounded allegations of folly and ignorance leveled at innocent citizens.

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 CHAPTER TITLE: THE SACRISTAN

The characters that were involved in this specific chapter were Crispin who was a young boy

living in San Diego and one of the sacristans of its church alongside his older brother Basilio.

Basilio is the ten-year-old son of Sisa. He was an acolyte charged with ringing the church bells

for the Angelus, and he was terrified of losing his younger brother and his mother's plunge into

madness. He went on to play a significant part in the film El filibusterismo. They both work

tirelessly to send money home to their mother. The next one is the Sacristan Mayor, he is the one

who accused Crispin of stealing his money and with that, he beats Crispin to confess his crime.

Another character that is involved in this chapter is a priests, who is with the Sacristan Mayor.

Crispin and Basilio, the two young apprentice sacristans Tasio talked with earlier, stand at

the top of the bell tower while the storm continues to rage. Crispin laments that the sacristan

mayor and priest have accused him of cheating while Basilio tolls the bell. He wishes they were

at home with their mother, who is looking forward to their arrival for dinner. They haven't seen

her much since they began training to be sextons, and she has no idea what they go through on a

daily basis in the church. When the two boys calculate how much the church says Crispin owes,

they discover that the sum is much greater than what they regularly receive.

Crispin comes up with the notion that often unfair laws and policies contribute to the same

misbehavior they are intended to discourage as he claims that the charges leveled against him by

the church made him think he had truly stolen. If a ruling body or dominant system (such as the

church) considers its subordinates as offenders, it may inadvertently lead to subversion because

they are still expected to deal with the ramifications of violating the law. This is a significant

concept to remember since Noli Me Tangere is a political novel that examines the effect of

patriarchal power systems on Filipino people.

The sacristan mayor appears from the stairwell while Crispin and Basilio fret about what their

mother would say if the priest tells her Crispin is a liar. He advises Crispin that he must remain in

the tower until what he took is replenished, scolding Basilio for not tolling the bells in the proper

rhythm. The boy informs him that their mother is expecting them at eight o'clock, to which the

sacristan mayor responds that the brothers will not be allowed to leave until ten o'clock. Crispin

pointed out that the town's curfew is at nine o'clock, so they won't be free to wander the streets at

ten o'clock. This infuriates the sacristan mayor, who grabs Crispin, slaps Basilio aside, and drags

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 Crispin down the stairs. Basilio remains terrified in the dark tower when he hears his brother

screaming, "They're going to kill me!" when it is quiet again.

After a few minutes, Basilio descends the tower and enters the church, pursuing his brother's

dying cries before a door shuts and the sound fades. He walks into the church and then back

outside. Two gunshots and a handful of voices can be heard in the streets moments later, but no

one pays heed, and the night envelops itself yet again in darkness.

My junior high school teacher interprets this chapter of Crispin and Basilio working hard as

their lives get more difficult. And, how the sacristan mayor exploits his authority against the two

young people, accusing one of them of stealing something despite the lack of clear facts. This

further demonstrates how barbaric those with authority were back then.

The issues raised in Noli Me Tangere continue to influence and occur in today's society. The

nation, or our fellow Filipinos, must learn and read about Noli me Tangere. The novel's

prevailing conflicts, such as greed, injustice, poverty, and harassment, continue to be a concern to

this day. Consider the 15 billion funds lost from PhilHealth, or the sufferings of millions of

Filipinos during this time of pandemic.

This chapter conveyed a message not only about Filipinos, but also about someone who is

innocent who has been convicted of wrongdoing without presenting clear facts. The brutality they

endured at the hands of the government during their lifetime was silenced by their murders and

the subsequent cover-ups. Furthermore, this chapter demonstrates how life is unjust, especially

for those without power, and how the poverty that is constantly growing in our world is not

something we can ignore merely because the youth or children suffer the most.

The novel's repercussions in terms of The Cavite Mutiny inspired the Philippine Revolution,

and while Noli Me Tángere is set before the revolution, remembering the revolution will help us

understand the problems at hand in the novel. The Philippine Revolution, which took place from

1896 to 1898, reduced Spanish presence in the Philippines but did not completely abolish it. Rizal

was the most well-known founder of the Propaganda Movement, which was headed by Filipino-

American authors in Europe who used literature to ridicule their government. Historians contend

that the revolt started with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, which provided some Filipinos

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 with access to Europe and new concepts of liberty. Many Filipinos, including Rizal, returned

home from Europe to protest Spanish rule.

The Cavite Mutiny, a brief uprising in 1872, sparked the revolution. The minor mutiny was

quickly put down by the Spanish, who used it as an excuse to crack down on revolutionary

action. This suppression, on the other hand, only strengthened the revolutionary cause. José

Burgos, Jacinto Zamora, and Mariano Gómez, three priests who were convicted of collaborating

with the mutineers and hanged, became revolution martyrs.

Andres Bonifacio established the Katipunan, a secret revolutionary society in Manila, in

1892, and membership grew to over 100,000 in just four years. Bonifacio called for military

revolt after the Spanish uncovered the organization in 1896. About the fact that Rizal had never

called for such a thing, he was executed for treason later that year, infuriating Filipinos even

more. At the start of 1897, Emilio Aguinaldo assumed command of the revolt, and Bonifacio was

executed for alleged sedition. Despite this, Aguinaldo was unable to militarily beat the Spaniards.

The Biak-na-Bato treaty, which exiled Aguinaldo and other rebel figures to Hong Kong and

promised major changes to Spanish rule, briefly ended the war in 1897.

After the Spanish were defeated militarily in 1898, Aguinaldo returned to the Philippines and

battled the Americans, who had taken possession of the islands. The Philippine-American War is

the name given to this battle.

Noli Me Tangere played a significant part in changing the lives of Filipinos. We all know it's

a political novel about colonialism, religion, and power. The novel, written in Spanish, exposes

the cruelty and oppression of Spanish rule in the Philippines (1565–1898) in sweeping and

passionate detail. Noli Me Tangere is important to Filipinos for a variety of reasons. It gave us

power; it was the seed that sparked our desire for independence and democracy by inspiring us to

avoid being ignorant. His work served as a catalyst for the unification of Filipino national identity

and consciousness. Dr. Jose Rizal's novel, Noli Me Tangere, incorporates historical and nostalgic

elements that had a significant impact on the country. Rizal's writings were written to help the

Filipinos break away from the shackles of abuse by fostering an increasing nationalism. It

opened our minds and eyes to see our country's true criminals and reality to rebel against the

Spanish government for its oppression and abuse. The primary audience was Filipino residents,

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 but it also sent a message to people in other countries. This book provided us with an opportunity

to really comprehend and experience a great deal.

The book not only showed how the Spaniards gradually stole our freedom and our stand as

Filipinos, but also how they gradually converted our fellow-men to their side. Some of our

leaders in the Philippines were consumed by prestige, wealth, and power, which blinded them.

One concrete example from the novel was Doña Victorina, who wanted to disown her country

and become "one of them." It clearly means that Filipinos were previously ignorant and under-

educated of how fortunate they were in various ways. However, in our day and age, the audience

or readers can understand that some of the items written in the book are simply about how corrupt

and cruel Spaniards are.

Noli Me Tangere is a very valuable historical evidence on how Filipinos evolved and

maintained some of their traditions and culture. When the novel was first published, it was

considered scandalous because the substance of the book frightened the Spaniards, while the

Filipinos were fascinated and sympathized with the characters. It helped us aware that there were

parallels between the past and the current. Since people learns about the problems and potential

ways of wrongdoing present in the book, their attitudes about the structure of our government

today shifted. It also showed us that the Spaniards were not our only enemies before, but also our

fellow Filipino leaders who disowned our nation. As what Rizal said, “Ang hindi marunong

magmahal ng sariling wika ay higit pa sa hayop at malansang isda.”

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 REFERENCES:

1. Poblete, P. (2006) Novelang wicang Castila na tinagalog , Retrieved

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2. Osias, C. (1956) “Noli Me Tángere": A Complete English Translation of Noli Me Tángere

from the Spanish of Dr. José Rizal,Retrieved from https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/3112153

3. Tamblyn, N. (2016) Noli Me Tángere: A Shortened Version in Modern English with an

Introduction and Notes, Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MXV2YYG

4. Pardo de Tavera, T.H (1905). “Historical Account of the Philippines from its Discovery to

1903,” Census of the Philippine Islands:1903, pp. 376-380 Washington, D.c

5. Zafra, N. (1974). Readings in Philippine History, mimeographed edition, pp. 461-465 Manila:

University of the Philippines.

6. The Noli Me Tangere's Purpose. (2016, Dec 18). Retrieved from http://studymoose.com/the-

noli-me-tangeres-purpose-essay

7. Esmale, L. (2021). “PhilHealth: Liquidation of missing ₱15-billion fund to be completed by

end-March”. Retrieved from https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/2/15/philhealth-15-billion-

liquidated-march.html

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