Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Chapter 8
Noli Me Tangere Published in
Berlin (1887)
1
Idea of Writing a Novel on the Philippines
• Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin portrays the brutalities of American slave-
owners and the pathetic conditions of the unfortunate Negro slaves
- Uncle Tom’s Cabin inspired Jose to prepare a novel that would depict the miseries of
his people under the lash of Spanish Tyrants.
- By that time, Jose was only a student in the Central University of Madrid.
TIMELINE:
• By the end of 1884 – Jose began writing Noli in Madrid and finished one-half of it.
• April – June 1886 – Jose wrote the last few chapters of the Noli in Wilhemsfeld.
• In Berlin during the winter days of February 1886 - Jose made the final revisions on
the manuscript of Noli.
• Sick and penniless, Jose saw no hope of having Noli 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 classmate, 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.”
• After the Christmas season, due to Viola, Jose put the finishing touches on his novel.
• To save printing expenses, he deleted certain chapters, such as a whole chapter about
Elias and Salome.
• In the midst of his despondency and misery, Jose received a telegram from Dr. Maximo
Viola who was coming to Berlin.
• Jose went to different printing shops in Berlin to survey the cost of printing. Eventually,
they decided to print with Berliner Buchdruckrei-Action-Gesselscchaft [Eng.] who charged
the lowest rate – 300 pesos for 2, 000 copies of the novel.
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
SAINT MICHAEL COLLEGE OF CARAGA
5
Rizal Suspected as French Spy
• One morning, while the printing of the Noli is ongoing, the Chief of Police of Berlin
paid a sudden visit to Jose’s boarding house and requested to see Jose’s passport.
- Unfortunately, Jose had no passport by that time—by that time it was possible to
travel without a passport.
- The police chief told him to secure a passport within four days, otherwise Jose
would be deported.
• Jose, accompanied by Viola went to the Spanish embassy to seek help from the
Spanish ambassador, the Count of Benomar. He promised Jose he will help, albeit
the ambassador failed to keep his promise because he had no power to issue the
required passport.
• Because Jose could not be helped by the Spanish ambassador, Jose presented himself at the
office of the German Police Chief. He apologized for his failure to obtain a passport and asked
why he was to be deported.
• The German explained that Jose made frequent visits to the villages and little towns in the
rural areas, thereby arousing the German government’s suspicion that he was a French spy,
inasmuch as he entered Germany from Paris, where he resided for some years and was
apparently a lover of France, whose language and culture he knew so much. At that time the
relations between France and Germany were strained on account of Alsace-Loraine.
• Jose explained he was not a French spy, but was a Filipino physician, scientist, and ethnologist,
and that he needed to visit these areas to observe the customs and life-styles of their
inhabitants.
• The German police was impressed and allowed Jose to stay in Germany freely.
• Jose immediately sent the first copies of the printed novel to his intimate friends,
including Blumentritt, Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor, G. Lopez Jaena, Mariano Ponce,
and Felix R. Hidalgo.
• On March 29, 1887, Jose, in token of his appreciation and gratitude, gave Viola the
galley proofs of the Noli carefully rolled around the pen that he used in writing it
and complimentary copy.
Rizal is a brilliant author and a great writer. He fought for peaceful reforms through his
writings. "Rizal's fame as a novelist rests on his two published novels -- Noli Me Tangere
and El Filibusterismo.” The novel Noli Me Tangere clearly depicts the current socio-
political setting and struggle in the Philippines before and during his time.
José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda {Our Nationa Hero}
“The youth is the hope of our future.”
Purpose of Noli Me Tangere
• Rizal write the novels not just for entertainment but for
noble purpose of redeeming Filipinos from their miserable
condition.
Consciousness
the malady and develop the
a disease, a problem the awareness of
national-
affecting our within a system or national communality
Jose Rizal as the Father of consciousness
Nationalism. organization. of a group of people, or
country. of the people.
“There can be no tyrants where there are no slaves.” nation.
NOLI ME TANGERE (TOUCH ME NOT)
Jesus saith to her, Touch me not; Latin phrase for "Touch me not“
for I am not yet ascended. The technical name of a particularly
to my Father; but go to my brethren, painful type of cancer
and say to them, I ascend He proposed to probe all the cancers
to my Father and your Father, and of Filipino society that everyone else
to my God and your God. (KJV) felt too painful to touch.
Cover page of the first Philippine Followed by: El filibusterismo Chapters: 63 and an epilogue
edition published in 1899.6 7
Jose Rizal is a prolific poet, essayist, and novelist.
“He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination.”
CHARACTERS IN THE NOLI ME
TANGERE The characters represent the real situation during the
Spanish-colonial period in the 19 century. th
Juan Crisóstomo Don Santiago de los Elías is Ibarra's Doña Victorina de Crispín is Sisa's
Ibarra y Magsalin, the Santos, known by his mysterious friend and los Reyes de de seven-year-old son.
novel's protagonist. The nickname Tiago and ally. Espadaña, commonly An altar-boy, he was
mestizo son of Filipino
political known as Doña unjustly accused of
businessman who studied
in Europe for seven title Kapitán Tiago, Salomé is Elías' Victorina, is an stealing money from
years. sweetheart ambitious Filipina. the church.
María Clara de los Dámaso Verdolagas, Filósofo Tasio known Narcisa, or Sisa, is the Basilio is Sisa's 10-
Santos, commonly better known as Pilosopo deranged mother of year-old son. An
referred to as María as Padre Dámaso, is a Tasyo was enrolled in Basilio and Crispín. acolyte tasked to ring
Franciscan friar, and the
Clara, is Ibarra's a philosophy course the church's bells for
former parish curate of
fiancée. San Diego. and was a talented theAngelus.
student.
"Noli Me Tángere" was a name used for cancer of the eyelids; by the Austro-Hungarian writer Ferdinand Blumentritt
“He who does not love his own language is worse than an animal and smelly fish.”
Crisostomo Ibarra Maria Clara
Exemplified the vision that Symbolizes the purity and
Characters and their
“It is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great ideal. It is like a stone wasted on the field
without becoming a part of any edifice.”
Padre Damaso Verdolagas Tasio
THEIR SYMBOLISM
CHARACTERS AND
Symbolizes the Spanish friars Symbolizes the learned
of Rizal’s time and is a Filipinos who Had once
comment on the Spanish embrace the culture of the
control in the country. Spanish regime.
Elias
Represents The common filipino who is not only aware of
the injustices done to their countrymen but would also like to
deliver Them from their oppressor. He is said to be the
personification of Andres bonifacio.
At the age of 26, Rizal published his first novel “Noli Me Tangere” in Belgium in 1887.
The undesirables
• The characters who portrays the parading social cancer in the Philippines.
CHARACTERS
SYMBOLISM • Capitan Tiago- symbolizes The rich Filipinos who oppress Their fellow
countrymen in exchange for their influence and riches.
AND THEIR
• Doña Consolacion- symbolizes the Filipinos in society Who are ashamed of
their race and nationality.
CROSS Sufferings
Pomelo Blossoms and Laurel Leaves Honor and fedility
Silhouette of a Filipina Maria Clara
Burning Torch Rage and passion
Sunflowers Enlightenment
Bamboo Stalks Resilience
Man with hairy feet Priest using Religion in a dirty way
Chains Slavery
Whips Cruelties
Helmet of the Guardia Civil Arrogance of those in authority
The novel exposed the symptoms of
the cancer eroding our society
It depicts the current socio-political setting
and struggle in the Philippines before and
during his time. The characters of the novel
are greatly associated with those who exist in
our incumbent society.