WRITTEN REPORT IN LIFE AND

WORKS OF RIZAL
MODULE 7: NOLI ME TANGERE
GROUP 5:
JOSALYN ATENCIO
JINKY JOY CORONG
MADELINE SOPHIE CARDENIO
ARESTIDE BARAQUEL

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The following are the learning outcomes we are expected to achieve by the students at the end of
this module:
 Appraise important characters in the novel and what they represent; and
 Examine the present Philippine situation through the examples mentioned in the novel.

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF NOLI ME TANGERE:

 Literally translated, the Latin words “noli me tángere” means, “touch me not”
 Taken from John 20:17 when Mary Magdalene holds on to Jesus and he tells her not to touch
him.
John 20:17 “Jesus said to her: “Stop clinging to me. For I have not yet ascended
to the father. But be on your way to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending
to my Father and to your Father and to my God and your God.”
 The Noli me tángere can be regarded as a historical novel, as it has mostly fictional
characters but also historical persons like Father Burgos who lived in actual places within a
social system that was then typical of a colonized land. 
 Contains 63 chapters and an epilogue.
 In the preface of his novel Rizal promises “to reproduce the condition (of the country)
faithfully, without discrimination”. He wants to sacrifice “to truth everything”.
 Rizal wrote in his dedication page in the Noli me tángere, “I will strive to reproduce thy
condition faithfully, without discriminations; I will raise a part of the veil that covers the
evil…”  
 He clearly stated his intention of giving an accurate picture of the conditions in the
Philippines at the time, and this gives the reader a good idea what the main theme would be. 
SUMMARY:
 It begins with a dinner given in honor of Crisostomo Ibarra by Capitan Tiago at his house in
Calle Anloague on the last day of October.
 Ibarra is a young and rich Filipino who had just returned after 7 yrs. of study in Europe. He
was the only son of Don Rafael Ibarra, friend of Capitan Tiago, and a fiancé of beautiful
Maria Clara, supposed daughter of Capitan Tiago.
 Ibarra upon his arrival, produced a favorable impression among the guests except for Padre
Damaso who was rude to him. In accordance with a German custom, he introduced himself
to the ladies.
 During the dinner, other conversation centered Ibarra’s studies and travels abroad. Padre
Damaso was in a bad mood because he had a bony neck and a hard wing of the chicken
tinola. He tried to discredit Ibarra’s remarks.
 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.
 On hearing about his father’s sad story, Ibarra thanked the kind Spanish lieutenant and
vowed to find out the truth about his father’s death.
 The following morning, he visited Maria Clara, his childhood sweetheart. After the romantic
reunion with her, he went to San Diego to visit his father’s grave.
 It was All Saint’s Day. At the cemetery, the grave digger told Ibarra that the corpse of Don
Rafael was removed by order of the parish priest to be, buried in the Chinese cemetery; but
the corpse was heavy and it was a dark and rainy night so that he (the grave-digger) simply
threw the corpse into the lake.
 Ibarra was angered by the grave-digger’s story. He left the cemetery. On the way, he met
Padre Salvi and, in a flash, Ibarra pounced on the priest, demanding redress for desecrating
his father’s mortal remains. 
 Padre Salvi told him that he had nothing to do with it for Padre Damaso, his predecessor, was
the parish priest at that time and was responsible for it. Convince of Padre Salvi’s innocence,
Ibarra went away.

Several interesting people Ibarra met in his town:

 Tasio the philosopher- the wise old man whose ideas were too advanced for his times so
that the people who could not understand called him “Tasio the Lunatic”.
 Spineless gobernadorcillo- catered the wishes of the Spanish parish friar.
 Don Filipo Lino- teniente-mayor and leader of the liberal faction in the town.
 Don Melchor- captain of the cuadrilleros. (Town police)
 Don Basilio and Don Valentin- former gobernadorcillo who were prominent citizens.

 A most tragic story in the novel is the tale of Sisa, who was formerly a rich girl but became
poor because she married a gambler, and a wastrel at that. She became crazy because she lost
her two boys, Basilio and Crispin, the joy of her wretched life. 
 Capitan Tiago, Maria Clara, and Aunt Isabel arrived in San Diego. Ibarra and his friends give
picnic at the lake. 
 Among those present in this picnic were Maria Clara and her four girlfriends- Siñang,
Victorina, Iday, and Neneng; Aunt Isabel, Capitana Tika, Andeng, Albino, and Ibarra and his
friends. One of the boatmen was a strong and silent peasant youth named Elias.
 An incident of the picnic was the saving of Elias’ life by Ibarra.
 Another incident was the rendering of a beautiful song by Maria Clara who had a sweet
voice.
 After Maria Clara’s song, they went ashore. The luncheon was served, and everybody
enjoyed eating.
 After the meal, Ibarra and Capitan Basilio played chess and as Maria Clara and her friends
were enjoying the game “Wheel of Chance”, Padre Salvi came and tore the book into pieces,
saying that it was a sin to play such game.
 Shortly thereafter, a sergeant and four soldiers of the Guardia Civil suddenly arrived, looking
for Elias, who was hunted for (1) assaulting Padre Damaso and (2) throwing the alferez into a
mud hole. 
 Fortunately, Elias had disappeared, and the Guardia Civil went away empty-handed. 
 During the picnic also, Ibarra received a telegram from the Spanish authorities notifying him
the approval of his donation of a schoolhouse for the children of San Diego.
 The next day Ibarra visited old Tasio to consult him on his pet project about the schoolhouse.
Tasio was pessimistic about the project of Ibarra. However, the construction of the
schoolhouse continued under the supervision of the architect called Ñor Juan.
 Meanwhile San Diego was merrily preparing for its annual fiesta, in honor of its patron saint
San Diego de Alcala.
 In the morning of the fiesta there was a high mass in the church, Padre Damaso gave the long
sermon, in which he expatiated on the evils of the times that were caused by certain men,
who having tasted some education spread pernicious ideas among the people.
 After Padre Damaso’s sermon, the mass was continued by Padre Salvi. Elias quietly moved
to Ibarra, who was kneeling and praying by Maria Clara’s side, and warned him to be careful
during the ceremony of the laying of the cornerstone of the schoolhouse because there was a
plot to kill him.
 Elias suspected that the yellowish man, who built the derrick, was a paid stooge of Ibarra’s
enemies.
 True to his suspicion, later in the day, when Ibarra, in the presence of a big crowd, went
down into the trench to cement the cornerstone, the derrick collapsed. 
 Elias, quick as a flash, pushed him aside, thereby saving his life. The yellowish man was the
one crushed to death by the shattered derrick. At the sumptuous dinner that night, a sad
incident occurred. The arrogant Padre Damaso, speaking in the presence of many guests,
insulted the memory of Ibarra’s father. 
 She introduced to Capitan Tiago’s young Spaniards, Don Alfonso Linares de Espadaña,
cousin of Don Tiburcio de Espadaña and godson of Padre Damaso’s brother-in-law.
 Linares was a penniless and jobless, fortune hunter who came to the Philippines in search of
a rich Filipino heiress. Both Doña Victorina and Padre Damaso sponsored his wooing of
Maria Clara, but the latter did not respond because she loved Ibarra.
 The story of Elias like that of Sisa, was a tale of pathos and tragedy. He related it to Ibarra.
 Elias roamed from place to place, looking for his sister. He heard later that a girl answering
to his sister’s description, was found dead on the beach of San Diego. Since then, Elias lived
a vagabond life, wandering from province to province – until he met Ibarra.
 Elias, learning of Ibarra’s arrest, burned all the papers that might incriminate his friend and
set Ibarra’s house on fire. Then he went to prison and helped Ibarra escape.
 He and Ibarra jumped into a banca loaded with sacate (grass). Ibarra stopped at the house of
Capitan Tiago to say goodbye to Maria Clara. 
 In the tearful last scene between the two lovers, Ibarra forgave Maria Clara for giving up his
letter to her to the Spanish authorities who utilized them as evidence against him. 
 On her part, Maria Clara revealed that those letters were exchanged with a letter from her late
mother, Pia Alba, which Padre Salvi gave her. From his letter, she learned that her real father
was Padre Damaso. After bidding Maria Clara farewell, Ibarra returned to the banca. He and
Elias paddled up the PasigRiver toward Laguna de Bay. A police boat, with the Guardia Civil
on board, pursued them as their banca reached the lake. Elias told Ibarra to hide under the
zacate. 
 As the police boat was overtaking the banca, Elias jumped into the water and swam swiftly
toward the shore. In this way, he diverted the attention of the soldiers on his person, thereby
giving Ibarra a chance to escape. 
 The soldier fired at the swimming Elias, who was hit and sank. The water turned red because
of his blood. The soldiers, thinking that they had killed the fleeing Ibarra returned to Manila.
Thus, Ibarra was able to escape.
 Elias seriously wounded, reached the shore and staggered into the forest. He met a boy,
Basilio, who was weeping over his mother’s dead body. 
 He told Basilio to make a pyre on which their bodies (his and Sisa) were to be burned to
ashes.
 It was Christmas Eve, and the moon gleamed softly in the sky. Basilio prepared the funeral
pyre.
 As life’s breath slowly left his body. Elias looked toward the east and murmured: “I die
without seeing the dawn brighten over my native land.” You, who have it to see, welcome it!
And forget not those who have fallen during the night.

The novel has an epilogue which recounts what happened to the other characters. 
 Maria Clara, out of her loyalty to the memory of Ibarra, the man she truly loved, entered
the Santa Clara nunnery.
 Padre Salvi left the parish of San Diego and became a chaplain of the nunnery. 
 Padre Damaso was transferred to a remote province, but the next morning he was found
dead in his bedroom. 
 Capitan Tiago the former genial host and generous patron of the church became an opium
addict and a human wreck.
 Doña Victorina, still henpecking poor Don Tiburcio, had taken to wearing eye-glasses
because of weakening eyesight.
 Linares, who failed to win Maria Clara’s affection, died of dysentery and was buried in
Paco cemetery.
 The alferez, who successfully repulsed the abortive attack on the barracks, was promoted
major. He returned to Spain, leaving behind his shabby mistress, Doña Consolacion.
 The novel ends with Maria Clara, an unhappy nun in Santa Clara nunnery – forever lost
to the world.
CHARACTERS

A. Main Characters

1. Ibarra (Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin)

Son of a Filipino businessman, Don Rafael Ibarra, he studied in Europe for seven years.
Ibarra is also María Clara's fiancé.  Upon his return, Ibarra requested the local
government of San Diego to construct a public school to promote education in the town.

2. María Clara (María Clara de los Santos y Alba)

She was raised by Capitán Tiago, San Diego's cabeza de barangay and is the most
beautiful and widely celebrated girl in San Diego. In the later parts of the novel, María
Clara's identity was revealed as an illegitimate daughter of Father Dámaso, former parish
curate of the town, and Doña Pía Alba, wife of Capitán Tiago. In the end she entered
local covenant for nuns Beaterio de Santa Clara.
3. Capitán Tiago (Don Santiago de los Santos)
He is a Filipino businessman and the cabeza de barangay or head of barangay of the
town of San Diego. He is also the known father of María Clara. He is also said to be a
good Catholic, friend of the Spanish government and was considered as a Spanish by
colonialists. Capitán Tiago never attended school, so he became a domestic helper of a
Dominican friar who taught him informal education. He married Pía Alba from Santa
Cruz.

4. Padre Dámaso (Dámaso Verdolagas)

A Franciscan friar and the former parish curate of San Diego. He is best known as a
notorious character who speaks with harsh words and has been a cruel priest during his
stay in the town. He is the real father of María Clara and an enemy of Crisóstomo's
father, Rafael Ibarra. Later, he and María Clara had bitter arguments whether she would
marry Alfonso Linares or go to a convent. At the end of the novel, he is again re-assigned
to a distant town and is found dead one day.
5. Elías
He is Ibarra's mysterious friend and ally. Elías made his first appearance as a pilot during
a picnic of Ibarra and María Clara and her friends. He wants to revolutionize the country
and to be freed from Spanish oppression.

6. Filosofo Tacio (Pilosopo Tasyo)

Seeking for reforms from the government, he expresses his ideals in paper written in a
cryptographic alphabet similar from hieroglyphs and Coptic figures hoping "that the
future generations may be able to decipher it" and realized the abuse and oppression done
by the conquerors. His full name is only known as Don Anastacio.  The educated
inhabitants of San Diego labeled him as Filosofo Tacio (Tacio the Sage) while others
called him as Tacio el Loco (Insane Tacio) due to his exceptional talent for reasoning.
7. Sisa
Sisa, Crispín, and Basilio represent a Filipino family persecuted by the Spanish
authorities. Narcisa or Sisa is the deranged mother of Basilio and Crispín. Described as
beautiful and young, although she loves her children very much, she cannot protect them
from the beatings of her husband, Pedro. 

8. Crispín 
He is Sisa's 7-year-old son. An altar boy, he was unjustly accused of stealing money from
the church.  After failing to force Crispín to return the money he allegedly stole, Father
Salví and the head sacristan killed him. 
9. Basilio 
He is Sisa's 10-year-old son. An acolyte tasked to ring the church bells for the Angelus,
he faced the dread of losing his younger brother and falling of his mother into insanity. 
OTHER CHARACTERS:

1. Padre Hernando de la Sibyla – a Dominican friar. He is described as short and has fair
skin. He is instructed by an old priest in his order to watch Crisóstomo Ibarra.
2. Padre Bernardo Salví – the Franciscan curate of San Diego, secretly harboring lust for
María Clara. He is described to be very thin and sickly. It is also hinted that his last name,
"Salvi" is the shorter form of "Salvi" meaning Salvation, or "Salvi" is short for "Salvaje"
meaning bad hinting to the fact that he is willing to kill an innocent child, Crispin, just to
get his money back, though there was not enough evidence that it was Crispin who has
stolen his 2 onzas.
3. El Alférez or Alperes – chief of the Guardia Civil. Mortal enemy of the priests for
power in San Diego and husband of Doña Consolacion.
4. Doña Consolacíon – wife of the Alférez, nicknamed as la musa de los guardias civiles
(The muse of the Civil Guards) or la Alféreza, was a former laundrywoman who passes
herself as a Peninsular; best remembered for her abusive treatment of Sisa.
5. Doña Victorina (Doña Victorina de los Reyes de Espadaña)
She is an ambitious Filipina who classifies herself as a Spanish and mimics Spanish
ladies by putting on heavy make-up.
6. Don Tiburcio de Espadaña – Spanish Quack Doctor who is limp and submissive to his
wife, Doña Victorina.
7. Teniente Guevara - a close friend of Don Rafael Ibarra. He reveals to Crisóstomo how
Don Rafael Ibarra's death came about.
8. Alfonso Linares – A distant nephew of Tiburcio de Espanada, the would-be fiancé of
María Clara. Although he presented himself as a practitioner of law, it was later revealed
that he, just like Don Tiburcio, is a fraud. He later died due to given medications of Don
Tiburcio.
9. Tía Isabel - Capitán Tiago's cousin, who raised Maria Clara.
10. Governor General (Gobernador Heneral) – Unnamed person in the novel, he is the most
powerful official in the Philippines. He has great disdains against the friars and corrupt
officials, and sympathizes Ibarra.
11. Don Filipo Lino – vice mayor of the town of San Diego, leader of the liberals.
12. Padre Manuel Martín - he is the linguistic curate of a nearby town, who says the
sermon during San Diego's fiesta.
13. Don Rafael Ibarra - father of Crisóstomo Ibarra. Though he is the richest man in San
Diego, he is also the most virtuous and generous.
14. Dona Pía Alba - wife of Capitan Tiago and mother of María Clara. She died giving birth
to her. In reality, she was raped by Dámaso so she could bear a child.
15. Salomé - Elías' sweetheart. She lives in a little house by the lake, and though Elías would
like to marry her, he tells her that it would do her or their children no good to be related
to a fugitive like himself.

IMPORTANCE OF THE NOVEL

 The theme of ‘Noli me Tangere’ comes from the Gospel of John. John tells that when
Jesus showed himself after the Resurrection, it was first to Mary Magdalene.
 Jesus called her and she turned round and saw him. But Jesus did not want her to touch
him. He said literally to her, “Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the
Father. 
 But go to the brothers and tell them: I am ascending to my father and your Father, my
God and your God.” 
 at the expense of the Filipinos, so that the few officials who are honest and sincere are
unable to overcome the treacherous workings of the system, and their efforts to help the
country often end up in frustration or in self-ruin.
 The Noli is Rizal's exposé of corrupt friars who have made the Catholic religion an
instrument for enriching and perpetuating themselves in power by seeking to mire
ignorant Filipinos in fanaticism and superstition. 
 According to Rizal, instead of teaching Filipinos true Catholicism, they control the
government by opposing all progress and persecuting members of the ilustrado unless
they make themselves their servile flatterers.
 Rizal does not, however, spare his fellow countrymen. 
 The superstitious and hypocritical fanaticism of many who consider themselves
religious people; 
 the ignorance, corruption, and brutality of the Filipino civil guards; 
 the passion for gambling unchecked by the thought of duty and responsibility; 
 the servility of the wealthy Filipino towards friars and government officials;
 the ridiculous efforts of Filipinos to dissociate themselves from their fellowmen
or to lord it over them--all these are ridiculed and disclosed. 
 Rizal nevertheless balances the national portrait by highlighting the virtues and good
qualities of his unspoiled countryman:
o the modesty and devotion of the Filipina, the unstinting hospitality of the Filipino
family, 
o the devotion of parents to their children and children to their parents,
o the deep sense of gratitude, and
o the solid common sense of the untutored peasant.
 It calls on the Filipino to recover his self-confidence, to appreciate his own worth, to
return to the heritage of his ancestors, and to assert himself as the equal of the Spaniard.
 It insists on the need of education, of dedication to the country, and of absorbing aspects
of foreign cultures that would enhance the native traditions."