Unit 5: Noli Me Tangere and The First Homecoming

CHARACTERS AND SUMMARY

Crisostomo Ibarra

known as Juan Crisostomo Ibarra y Magsalin, a filipino who studied in europe for 7
years, the love interest of maria clara. He is the son of the deceased don rafael ibarra;
crisostomo changed his surname from eibarramendiato ibarra, from his ancestor's surname.

Elias

ibarra's mysterious friend, a master boater, also a fugitive. He was referred to at one
point as “the pilot.” He wants to revolutionize his country. In the past, ibarra’s grandfather
condemned his grandfather of burning a warehouse, making elias the fugitive he is.

Maria clara

maria clara de los santos, ibarra's sweetheart; the illegitimate daughter of father damaso
and pia alba. In her, ibarra has fallen in love, she also mirrored the filipina woman of religious
upbringing and orientation, and through her love to ibarra.

Father Damaso

also known as damaso verdoglagas, franciscan friar and maria clara's biological father.
An antagonist in character and represents the un-christian works of the catholic friars who
are in the church.

Sisa

the mother of basilio and crispin, who became insane after losing her sons. She represented
in the novel a sad plight of the filipino mothers losing her two sons, basilio and crispin. In the
novel, sisa loses her sanity.

Kaptain Tiago

also known in his full name as don santiago de los santos the known father of maria
clara but not the real one; lives in binondo. An illegal opium trader who subsequently was a
landlord.
Pilosopong tasyo

known as don anastasio, portrayed in the novel as pessimistic, cynic, and mad by his
neighbors. He portrays the role of a philosopher who was completely misunderstood in many
aspects, he argues with the belief of the catholic church and social changes and concerns in the
novel.

Doña victorina

victorina de los reyes de espadaña, a woman who passes herself off as a peninsulares.
Wife of don tiburciode espadaña, known in the novel as a trying hard rich woman who abhors
anything that is filipino and clings to spanish way of life.

Pedro

abusive husband of sisa who loved cockfighting.

Don rafael ibarra

known in the plot as a concerned citizen and propertyowner who was the father of
Crisostomo ibarra.

Padre damaso

Who played an antagonist role called him a heretic and rebel due to his view on relating
to liberalism in society?

Tandang pablo

the leader of the rebels, whose family was destroyed because of the Spaniards.

The School Master

a teacher at san diego who's view in the novel represented the weak and useless
education in the philippines. He attributes the problem from facilities and methods of learning
that the friars implemented in the country.

Basilio

the elder son of sisa.

Crispin

the younger son of sisa died from the punishment of the soldiers from the false
accusation of stealing an amount of money.
Padre sibyla

Hernando De La Sibyila a Filipino Friars, he describes as short and has fair skin.

Padre Salvi

bernardo salvi, a secret admirer of maria clara.

The Alferez

Chief of the guardia civil; mortal enemy of the priests for power in san diego.

Don Tiburcio

spanish husband of donya victorina who was limp and submissive to his wife; he
also pretended to be a doctor.

Dona Consolacion

wife of the alferez, another woman who passed herself as a peninsular; best
remembered for her abusive treatment to sisa.

Captain-general

the most powerful official in the philippines, a hater of secular priests and corrupt
officials, and a friend of ibarra.

Summary of Noli Me Tangere

Having completed his studies in europe, Juan Crisostomo Ibarra y Magsalin comes back to the
Philippines after a 7 – year absence. In his honor, don santiago delos santos “captain tiago” a
family friend, threw a get together party, which was attended by friars and other prominent
figures. One of the guests, former san diego curate fray damaso vardolagas belittled and
slandered ibarra. The next day, ibarra visits maria clara, his love, the beautiful daughter of
captain tiago and affluent resident of binondo. Their long- standing love was clearly manifested
in this meeting, and maria 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 civil guard,
reveals to him the incidents preceding the death of his father, don rafael ibarra, a rich
hacendero of the town. According to guevara, don rafael was unjustly accused of being a
heretic, in addition to being a subversive – an allegation brought forth by damaso because of
don rafael’s non-participation in the sacraments, such as confession and mass. Damaso’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 child fighting, and the former’s death was blamed on
him, although it was not on purpose. 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
died of sickness in jail. Still not content with what he had done, father damaso arranged for don
rafael’s corpse to be dug up and transferred from the catholic cemetery to the chinese
cemetery, because he though it inappropriate to allow 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 carried through his father’s plan of putting up a school,
since he believed 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 as part of a
same nation or family, with spain seen as the mother and the philippines as the (daughter).
During the inauguration of the school, ibarra would have been killed in a sabotage had elias – 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. After the inauguration, ibarra
hosted a luncheon during which damaso, gate – crashing the luncheon, again insulted him.
Ibarra ignored the priest’s insolence, but when the latter slandered the memory of his dead
father, he was no longer able to restrain himself and lunged at damaso, prepared to stab him
for his imprudence. Therefore, damaso excommunicated ibarra, taking his opportunity to
persuade the already – hesitant tiago to forbid his daughter from marrying ibarra. The friar
wished maria clara to marry linares, a peninsular who had just arrived from spain. With the
help of captain- general, ibarra’s excommunication was nullified, and the archbishop decided 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 was blamed on him, and he was wrongly arrested and
imprisoned. But the accusation against him was overruled because during the litigation that
followed, nobody could testify that he was indeed involved. Unfortunately, his letter to maria
clara somehow got into the hands of the jury and was manipulated such that it then became
evidence against him. Meanwhile, in capitan tiago’s residence, a party was being held to
announce the upcoming wedding of maria clara and linares. Ibarra, with the help of elias, took
this opportunity to escape from prison. Before leaving, ibarra spoke to maria clara and accused
her of betraying him, thinking that she gave the letter he wrote her to the jury. Maria clara
explained that she would never conspire against him but that she was forced to surrender
ibarra’s letter to father salvi, in exchange for the letters written by her mother even before she,
maria clara, was born. The letters were from her mother, pia alba, to father damaso alluding to
their unborn child; and that she, maria clara, was therefore not the daughter of captain tiago,
but of father damaso. Afterwards, ibarra and elias boarded a boat and left the place. Elias
instructed ibarra to lie down, and the former covered the latter with grass to conceal the latter’s
presence. As luck would have it, they were spotted by their enemies. Elias thought he could
outsmart them and jumped into the water. The guards rain shots on the person in the water,
all the while not knowing that they were aiming the wrong man. Maria clara, thinking that
ibarra had been killed in the shooting incident, was greatly overcome with grief. Robbed of
hope and severely disillusioned, she asked damaso to confine her into a nunnery. Damaso
reluctantly agreed when she threatened to take her own life, demanding, “the nunnery or
death!” Unbeknown to her, ibarra was still alive and able to escape. It was elias who had taken
the shots.

It was Christmas eve when elias woke up in the forest fatally wounded, as it is here where he
instructed ibarra to meet him. Instead, elias found the altar boy basilio cradling his already –
dead mother, Sisa.
About the book

Noli me tangere – first novel of rizal 26 yrs. Old at its publication

A historically significant instrumental book that established the filipino’s sense of national
identity

A book that indirectly influenced a revolution

• The author, advocated for direct representation to the spanish government and larger
role of the philippines inside the spanish political affairs.

• The novel was written in spanish, the language of the educated at a time when filipinos
were markedly segregated by diverse native languages and regional cultures.

• the novel created so much controversy few days after its arrival

• Governor – general emilio terrero – summoned rizal to the malacañang palace

• according to him rizal should pay the charges because the novel is full of subversive
ideas

• After the discussion, the liberal governor general was appeased; but he mentioned that
he was unable to offer resistance against the pressure of the church to take action
against the book. The persecution can be discerned from rizal’s letter to ferdinand
blumentritt in leitmeritz:

• “my book made a lot of noise; everywhere, i am asked about it. They wanted to
excommunicate me because of it… i am considered a german spy, an agent of bismarch,
they say i am a protestant, a freemason, a sorcerer, a damned soul and evil. It is
whispered that i want to draw plans, that i have a foreign passport and that i wander
through the streets by night…”
• The book was instrumental in creating a unified filipino national identity and
consciousness, as many filipinos previously identified with their respective regions to the
advantage of the spanish authorities. It lampooned, caricatured and exposed various
elements in the colonial society.
 Hymn to labor

For the motherland in war,

For the motherland in peace,

Will the filipino keep watch,

he will live until life will cease!

Men:

Now the east is glowing with light,

Go! To the field to till the land,

For the labour of man sustains

Fam'ly, home and motherland.

Hard the land may turn to be,

Scorching the rays of the sun above...

For the country, wife and children

All will be easy to our love.

Hymn to labor

(chorus)

Wives:

Go to work with spirits high,

For the wife keeps home faithfully,

Inculcates love in her children

For virtue, knowledge and country.

When the evening brings repose,

On returning joy awaits you,

And if fate is adverse, the wife,

Shall know the task to continue.

 (chorus)

Maidens :

Hail! Hail! Praise to labour,

Of the country wealth and vigor!

For it brow serene's exalted,

It's her blood, life, and ardor.

If some youth would show his love

labor his faith will sustain:

only a man who struggles and works

Will his offspring know to maintain.

Hymn to labor

Chorus

Children:

Teach, us ye the laborious work

To pursue your footsteps, we wish,

For tomorrow when country calls us

we may be able your task to finish.

And on seeing us the elders will say:

"look, they're worthy 'f their sires of yore!"

Incense does not honor the dead

As does a son with glory and valor.

 Rizal’s First Homecoming

Rizal’s plans of coming back home

• as early as 1884, rizal wanted to go back to the philippines for the following reasons:

 Financial difficulties in calamba

 Dissatisfaction with his studies in madrid

 Desire to prove that there is no reason to fear going home.

 His belief that the spanish regime will not punish to innocent.

1. Decision to return home

• After 5 years of his memorable sojourn in europe, rizal returned to the philippines.

• However, rizal was warned by the following not to return to the philippines because his
noli me tangere angered the friars:

 Paciano mercado - rizal’s adviser and only brother.

 Silvestre ubaldo – rizal’s brother in law; husband of olimpia.

 Jose ma. Cecilio (chenngoy) – one of rizal’s closest friends.

1. Decision to return home

• rizal was determined to come back to the philippines for the following reasons:

 To operate his mother’s eyes

 To serve his people who had long been oppressed by spanish tyrants.

 To find out for himself how the noli me tangere and his other writings were
affecting filipinos and spaniards.

 To inquire why leonor rivera remained silent.

1. Decision to return home

• On june 29, 1887, rizal wrote his father about his homecoming.

• He expected to be in philippines by the 15th to 30th of august 1887.

1. Rizal arrives in manila

• Rizal left rome by train to marseilles, a french port and boarded djemnah on july 3,
1887, the same steamer that brought him to europe 5 years ago.

• There were 50 passengers: 4 englishmen, 2 germans, 3 chinese, 2 japanese, 40

frenchmen and 1 filipino (rizal).

1. Rizal arrives in manila

• When the ship reached aden, the weather became rough and some of rizal’s book got
wet.

• In saigon, (ho chi minh), vietnam – he transferred to another steamer, haiphong, that
brought him to manila on august 2, 1887, he reached manila on august 6.

1. Happy homecoming

• When rizal arrived in calamba, rumors spread that he was a:  german spy

 An agent of otto von bismarck – the liberator of Germany.

 A protestant

 A mason

 A soul half way to damnation

• Paciano – did not leave him during the first day after arrival to protect him from any
enemy assault.

• Don francisco – did not permit him to go out alone.

1. In calamba

• Rizal established a medical clinic.

• Doña teodora – was rizal’s first patient

• Rizal treated her eyes but could not perform any surgical operation because her
cataracts were not yet ripe.

• He painted several beautiful landscapes in calamba

• He translated german poems of von wildernath in tagalog.

1. In calamba

• Doctor uliman – rizal was called this name because he came from germany
  he earned p900 in a few months and p5,000 before he left the philippines.

• Gymnasium – was opened by rizal for the young folks

• He introduced european sports fencing and shooting to discourage them from

cockfighting and gambling.

1. Sad moments while rizal was in calamba

• Leonor rivera – rizal tried to visit her in tarlac but his parents for bade him to go
because leonor’s mother did not like him for a son-in-law.

• Olimpia mercado-ubaldo – died because of child birth.

1. Storm over the noli me tangere

• As rizal was peacefully living in calamba, his enemies plotted his doom

• Governor general emilio terrero – wrote to rizal requesting to come to malacañang

palace.

 somebody had whispered to his ear that the noli contains subversive ideas.

1. Storm over the noli me tangere

 Rizal explained to him that he merely exposed the truth, but did not advocate
subversive ideas

 He was pleased by rizal’s explanation and curious about the book, he asked for a
copy of the novel.

 Rizal had no copy that time but promised to send one for him

Rizal visited the jesuits

● Rizal visited the jesuit fathers to ask for their feedback on the novel.

● He was gladly welcomed by the following friars:

 Fr. Francisco de paula sanchez

 Fr. Jose bech

 Fr. Federico faura – told rizal that everything in the novel was the truth and
warned him that he may lose his head because of it.

Rizal visited the jesuits

 ● Governor-general emilio terrero – a liberal minded spaniard who knew that rizal’s life was
in jeopardy because the friars were powerful.

 Because of this he gave rizal a bodyguard to protect him.

Jose taviel de andrade

• A young spanish lieutenant who came from a noble family

• He was cultured and knew painting

• he could speak french, english and spanish

• They became good friends.

Attackers of the noli

 Archbishop pedro payo – a dominican

 Archbishop of manila

 Sent a copy of the noli to fr. Gregorio echevarria, rector of the university of santo tomas
to examine the novel.

The attacks of noli me tangere

 The committee that examined the noli me tangere were composed of dominican
professors.

 The report of the faculty members form ust about the noli states that the novel was:

 heretical, impious and scandalous in the religious orders, and anti-patriotic,

subversive of public order, injurious to the government of spain and its function in
the philippines islands in the political order.

1. The attacks of noli me tangere

 Governor-general terrero – was not satisfied with the report so he sent the novel to the
permanent
Commission of censorship which was composed of priests and lawyers

 Fr. Salvador font – augustinian friar curate of tondo was the head of the commission.

 the group found that the novel contain subversive ideas against the church and
spain and recommended that the importation, reproduction and circulation of the
pernicious book in the islands be absolutely prohibited.

1. The attacks of noli me tangere

 The newspaper published font’s written report

 The banning of the noli me tangere served to make it popular

 The masses supported the book.

1. The attacks of noli me tangere

• fr. Jose rodrigues – augustinian prior of guadalupe

 Published a series of 8 pamphlets under the heading questions of supreme

interest to blast the noli and other anti- spanish writing.

 Copies of anti-rizal pamphlets were sold after mass

 Many filipinos were forced to buy them in order not to displease the friars.

1. Noli me tangere in spain

• The novel was fiercely attacked in the session hall of the senate of the spanish cortes.

• Senators:

 General jose de salamanca

 General luis pando

 Sr. Fernando vida

• Vicente barantes - spanish academician of madrid who formerly occupied high

government position on the philippines bitterly criticized the novel in an article published
in the madrid newspaper, las españa moderna.

1. Defenders of noli me tangere

• Propagandists such as mercelo h. Del pilar, granciano lopez-jeana, antonio ma. Regidor,
mariano ponce rushed to uphold the truths of the noli.

• Father francisco de paula sanchez –rizal’s favorite teacher in ateneo defended and
praised the novel in public.

1. Defenders of noli me tangere

• Don segismundo moret –former minister of the crown.

• Prof. Miguel morayta –historian and state man

• Prof. Ferdinand blumentritt –rizal’s best friend

 1. Defenders of noli me tangere

• rev. Fr. Vicente garcia –a filipino catholic priest-scholar, a theologian of the manila
cathedral and a tagalog translator of the famous imitation of christ by thomas kempis.

 under the pen name justo desiderio magalang he wrote a defense of the novel
published in singapore dated july 8, 1888.

1. Defenders of noli me tangere

2. Rizal cannot be an “ignorant man” as fr. Rodriguez alleged, because he was a graduated
of spanish universities and was a recipient of scholastic honors.

3. Rizal does not attack the church and spain because what rizal attacked in the noli me
tangere were the bad spanish officials and not spain, and the bad corrupt friars and not
the church.

4. Father rodriguez said the those who read the noli me tangere committed a mortal sin.
Since he (fr. Rodriguez) had read the novel therefore he also committed mortal sin.

5. Defenders of noli me tangere

• Rizal cried because of his gratitude to his defenders especially to fr. Garcia who defended
him unexpectedly.

• Rizal was untouched in calamba because he was with a body guard.

• Upon hearing about the investigation, the people of calamba asked helped from rizal to
gather facts and list the grievances so that the government to impose certain reforms.

1. Defenders of noli me tangere

• After a thorough study of the conditions of the calamba hacienda which the dominician
order owned since 1883.

• He wrote down his findings the tenants and the 3 officials of the hacienda signed on
january 8, 1888 and was submitted to the governor general for action.

Findings submitted by rizal

• The hacienda of the dominican order comprised not only the lands around calamba, but
the whole town of calamba.

• The profits of the dominician order continuously increased because of the arbitrary
increase of the rentals being paid by the tenants.
 • The hacienda owner never contributed a single centavo for the celebration of the town
fiesta; for the education of the children and for the improvement of agriculture.

Findings submitted by rizal

• Tenants who had spent much labor clearing the lands were ejected from their lands for
flimsy reasons.

• High rates of interest were charged from the tenants for delayed payment of rentals
and;

• When the rental could not be paid, their carabaos, tools, and homes were confiscated.

1. Friars reaction

• Rizal’s exposure to deplorable condition angered the friars.

• The friars exerted pressure to malacañang to eliminate rizal.

1. Friars reaction

• They asked gov. Gen terrero to deport rizal but the latter refused for there is lack of
charges against rizal court.

• Anonymous threats in rizal’s life alarmed his parents, siblings, andrade his bodyguard,
friends, and even terrero, thus they all advised him to leave the country.

1. Rizal’s reasons for leaving the philippines

• His presence in calamba is endangering the safe and happiness of his family and friends.

• He could fight better his enemies and serve his country efficiently by writing in foreign
countries.

Himno al trabajo

• A poem for lipa –shortly before rizal left in 1888, he was asked by a friend to write a
poem in commemoration of the town’s cityhood.

• Himno al trabajo (hymn to labor) –title of the poem dedicated o the industrious people of
lipa.

1. Farewell philippines

• On february 3, 1888 rizal left his country with a heavy heart.

• But this is for his own good and the safety of his family and friends. ;