Chapter 8

Noli Me Tangere
Published in
Berlin (1887)
REPORTERS:
Flehzy Estolloso
George Adrian Gatan
Dianne Viktoria L. Manatad
BLEAK WINTER OF 1886

Rizal’s darkest winter because he has no

money when he arrived from Calamba he
was flat broke.
IT WAS MEMORABLE IN THE LIFE
OF RIZAL IN TWO REASONS:

1. It was a painful episode for he was

hungry, sick and despondent in a
strange city.

2. It brought him great joy after

enduring so much suffering, because
his first novel, Noli Me Tangere came
off the press in March, 1887.
 IDEA OF WRITING A NOVEL ON
THE PHILLIPINES
Inspired by HARRIET BEECHER STOWE’S UNCLE TOM’S
CABIN

Proposed on Jan. 2, 1884 during the reunion of

Filipinos in the Paterno Residence

It was unanimously approved by those present (The

Paternos, Lopez-Jaena, de Lete, Llorente, Figueroa,
Ventura)
Written by Rizal ALONE
 THE WRITING OF
NOLI ME TANGERE

❑ Toward the end of 1884, Rizal began writing the novel in

Madrid and finished about one-half of it.
❑When Rizal went to Paris, in 1885, after completing his studies
in the Central Universities of Madrid, he continued writing the
novel, finishing one half of the second half.
❑Rizal finished the last fourth of the novel in Germany. He
wrote the last few chapters of the Noli Me Tangere in
Wilhelmsfeld in April-June of 1886.
In Berlin during the winter days of February of 1886, Rizal
made the final revisions on the manuscript of the Noli Me
Tangere.
Sick and penniless, he saw no hope of having it published, so that
in a momentary fit of desperation, he almost hurled it into the
flames. Years later he told his good friend and former classmates,
Fernando Canon:
“ I did not believe that the Noli Me Tangere would ever
be published when I was in Berlin, broken-hearted,
weakened, and discouraged from hunger and deprivation.
I was on the point of throwing my work into the fire as a
thing accursed and fit only to die.”
 PUBLISHED OF NOLI ME TANGERE
Maximo Viola - Rizal’s friend from Bulacan, arrived in Berlin at the height
of Rizal despondency and loaned him the needed funds to publish the
novel; savior of Noli Me Tangere

After the end of Christmas season, Rizal put the finishing touches on his
novel to save printing expenses, he deleted certain passage's in his
manuscript, including a whole chapter - "Elia and Salome."

February 21, 1887 - the Noli was finally finished and ready for printing.

Berliner Buchdruckrei-Action-Gesselschaft- a printing shop which

charged the lowest rate, that is, 300 pesos for 2,00 copies of the
novel
 During the printing of the Noli Me Tangere, a rare
incident happened to Rizal. He was suspected as a
French spy.
Immediately, Rizal accompanied by Viola went 10 the Spanish embassy
to seek the help of the Spanish ambassador. The Count of Benomar, who
promised to attend to the matter. But the ambassador failed to keep his
promise, for it turned out that he had no power to issue the required
passport.

Printing of the Noli Finished. After the incident of his aborted deportation
as a suspected French spy. Rizal, with the help of Viola, supervised the
printing of the Noli day by day, they were in the printing shop proof-
reading the printed pages.

March 21, 1887 - the Noli Me Tangere, came off the press.
 Rizal immediately send the first copies of the printed novel to his intimate friends,
including Blumentritt. Dr. Aniomo Ma. Regidor, G: Lopez Jaena, Mariano Ponce.
and Felix R. Hadalgo.

In his letter to Blumentritt, dated March 21, 1887, he said

"I am sending you a book . It is my first book, though I have

already written much before it and received some prizes in
literary competitions. It is the first impartial and bold book on
the life of the Tagalog. The Filipinos will find it the history of
the last ten years. I hope you will notice how different are my
descriptions from those of other writers. The government and
the friar will probably attack the work , refuting my arguments;
but I trust in the God of Truth and in the persons who have
actually seen the sufferings at close range. I hope I can answer
all the concepts which have been fabricated to malign us,”
March 29, 1887 - Rizal in token of his
appreciation and gratitude gave Viola the galley
proof of the Noli carefully rolled around the pen
that he used in writing it and a complimentary
copy, with the following inscription: To my dear
friend. Maximo Viola, the first to read and
appreciate my work
- Jose Razal"
TITLE OF NOVEL AND AUTHOR'S DEDICATION
The title Noli Me 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
Rizal, writing to Felix Hidalgo in French on March 5, 1887, said:
“Noli Me Tangere, words taken from the Gospel of St. Luke,
signify “do not touch me” but Rizal made a mistake, it should be
the Gospel of St. John (Chapter 20 Verses 13 to 17)
Rizal dedicated his Noli Me Tangere to the
Philippines “To My Fatherland”

The cover of Noli Me Tangere was designed by Rizal. It is sketch of

explicit symbols.
CROSS – SUFFERING
POMELO BLOSSOM & LAUREL LEAVES –
HONOR AND FIDELITY
SILHOUETTE OF A WOMAN - MARIA CLARA

BURNING TORCH – RAGE & PASSION

SUNFLOWERS – ENLIGHTENMENT

BAMBOO STALKS – RESILIENCE

CHAINS – SLAVERY

WHIPS – CRUELTY

MAN WITH HAIRY FEET – PRIEST USING

THE RELIGION IN A DIRTY WAY
 CHARACTERS OF NOLI ME TANGERE
• The Noli Me Tangere was a true story of the Philippine conditions during
the last decades of Spanish rule
• Maria Clara-was Leonor Rivera, although in real life she became
unfaithful and married an Englishman
• Ibarra and Elias- represented Rizal himself
• Tasio-the philosopher was Rizal’s elder brother Paciano
• Padre Salvi-was identified by Rizalists as Padre Antonio Piernavieja, the
hated Augustinian friar in Cavite who was killed by the patriots during
the Revolution
• Capitan Tiago-was Captain Hilario Sunico of San Nicolas
• Doña Victorina- was Doña Agustina Medel
• Basilio and Crispin- were the Crisostomo brothers of Hagonoy
• Padre Damaso- typical of a domineering friar during the days of Rizal,
who was arrogant, immoral and anti-Filipino
SYNPOSIS OF THE NOLI ME TANGERE
Contains 63 chapters and an epilogue

It all started at the reception of Capitan Tiago which was given in honor
of Crisostomo Ibarra who had just returned after 7 years of studies in Europe

The conversation centered on Ibarra's travels abroad

which gave a favorable impression on the guests except
Padre Damaso, a fat Franciscan friar

After dinner, one of the guests, Lieutenant Guevara told Ibarra about the sad
story of his father, Don Rafael's death who accidentally killed a Spanish tax
collector after defending a helpless boy and was accused of heresy
 The following morning, Ibarra visited his childhood sweetheart Maria
Clara and after which he went to his father's grave on All Saint's Day

The grave-digger told Ibarra that his father's corpse had been removed by
order of the parish priest but because it was a dark night, the grave-digger
threw the corpse into the lake.

This angered Ibarra who took his frustrations out on Padre

Salvi only to discover that the parish priest who ordered the
removal of the corpse was Padre Damaso

In his town San Diego, he met Tasio the Philosopher who was
nicknamed "The Lunatic" for no one could understand him because
his ideas were too advanced
 Tasio was a school teacher who complained to Ibarra that the
children were losing interest in their studies because of the lack of
school house and the attitudes of the parish friars

The most tragic story in the novel was about Sisa who became poor after
marrying a gambler. She had two sons: Basilio and Crispin who were both
sextons working to support their mother

Crispin the younger brother was accused by the chief

sexton of stealing money and was tortured to death
while Basilio was able to escape

When both boys did not return home, Sisa searched for them
but to her great sorrow, she became insane
 Capitan Tiago, Maria Clara, and Aunt Isabel; after returning to San
Diego were given a picnic by Ibarra, and one of the guests was a
boatman named Elias

Later on, Ibarra received a telegram notifying him of the approval

of his donation to the school house. Ibarra believed that this
could pave the way for his country's progress

Meanwhile, San Diego celebrated its annual fiesta and while Ibarra and
Maria Clara were praying, Elias whispered to Ibarra that during the laying
of the cornerstone of the school house, there was a plot to kill him

Elias then suspected a yellowish man who built the derrick, was a paid
stooge of one of Ibarra's enemies. When Ibarra was tasked to trench the
cement of the cornerstone, the derrick collapsed
Elias, quick as a flash, pushed Ibarra aside, therefore saving his life.
The yellowish man was the one crushed to death by the derrick

At the dinner later that night, the arrogant Damaso insulted the
memory of Ibarra's father. Ibarra then jumped out of his seat and
threatened the fat friar with a sharp knife

Ibarra would have killed Damaso had Maria Clara intervened which
produced 2 results, his engagement to Maria Clara was broken and he
was excommunicated

Ibarra's enemies then continued to bring him ruin by

engineering a revolt by attacking the barracks of the Guardia
Civil where Ibarra was wrongly blamed for the catastrophe
Elias, learning of Ibarra's arrest, burned all the papers that
would incriminate him. He then helped him escape prison during
the wedding of Maria Clara and another man named Linares

Ibarra would drop by Capitan Tiago's house to bid goodbye to Maria Clara
and accuse her of betraying him. Maria Clara explained that she gave up
Ibarra's letters to the authorities in exchange of letters from her mother

Within those letters, Maria Clara discovered

that her real father was Padre Damaso.

After bidding farewell, Ibarra and Elias rode a banca and paddled
by the Pasig River where a police boat with the Guardia Civil
pursued them
Elias told Ibarra to hide under the zacate while he jumped into the water
thereby diverting their attention to him while allowing Ibarra to escape

The soldiers fired at Elias who was hit and sank and as they
witnessed the water turning red, they had mistakenly assumed that
they had killed Ibarra

Elias who was wounded, reached the forest where he met Basilio who was
weeping over his mother's death. Elias, whose breath was slowly leaving
him, told Basilio to burn both him and his mother's corpses

The novel contained an epilogue which recounts what happened to the

other characters. The novel ends when Maria Clara stood at the
convent and cursed the heavens for the fate it had handed her
 MISSING CHAPTER OF THE NOLI
Entitled "Elias and Salome" which was supposedly Chapter 25
in the original manuscript

It was deleted by Rizal due to financial constraints

The chapter talks about Salome wanting Elias to go with her to Mindoro
only to be rejected because Elias doesn't want Salome to be entangled
with the troubles of his past

However, Elias tells Salome to marry an honorable man

whom she truly deserves to be happy with