CHAPTER 8

NOLI ME TANGERE PUBLISHED IN BERLIN (1887)

BLEAK WINTER
 memorable in the life of Jose Rizal for two reasons:
o it was painful episode for he was hungry, sick, and despondent in a strange
city;
o it brought him great joy, after enduring so much sufferings, because his
first novel Noli Me Tangere came off the press in March, 1887.

LEGENDARY SANTA CLAUS

 Dr. Maximo Viola
o Rizal’s friend from Bulacan, arrived in Berlin at the height of his
despondency and loaned him the needed funds to publish the novel.

IDEA OF WRITING A NOVEL ON THE PHILIPPINES

 His reading of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (which portrays the
brutalities of American slave-owners and the pathetic conditions of the
unfortunate Negro slaves), inspired Dr. Rizal to prepare a novel that would depict
the miseries of his people under the lash of Spanish tyrants.

MADRID ON JANUARY 2, 1884

 Rizal proposed the writing of a novel about the Philippines.
 Approved by:
o The Paternos (Pedro, Maximino, and Antonio)
o Graciano Lopez Jaena
o Evaristo Aguirre
o Eduardo de Lete
o Julio Llorente
o Melecio Figueroa
o Valentin Ventura
 Rizal’s project did not materialize due to:
o Compatriots who were expected to collaborate on the novel did not write
anything.
o Almost everybody wanted to write on women.
o Wasted their time gambling or flirting with Spanish señoritas.
 Undaunted by his friends’ indifference, he determined to write the novel – alone.
THE WRITING OF THE NOLI
 Paris, in 1885 - completed his studies at the Central University of Madrid and
continued writing the novel, finishing one-half of the second half.
 He finished the last fourth of the novel in Germany. Wrote the last few chapters of
the Noli in Wilhelmsfeld in April-June 1886.

VIOLA, SAVIOR OF THE NOLI

 Maximo Viola
o a scion of a rich family of San Miguel, Bulacan.
o Arrived in Berlin before Christmas day of 1887.
o He was shocked when he found Rizal living in poverty and deplorably
sickly due to lack of proper nourishment.
o Upon seeing his talented friend’s predicament, he gladly agreed to finance
the printing cost of the Noli. He also loaned Rizal some cash money for
living expenses.
 After the Christmas season, Rizal put the finishing touches on his novel. To save
printing expenses, he deleted certain pages in his manuscript, including a whole
chapter – “Elias and Salome”.
 February 21, 1887 – the Noli was finally finished and ready for printing.
 They managed to find a cheap printing shop: Berliner Buchdruckrei-Action-
Gesselschaft. Charging them with only 300 pesos for 2,000 copies of the novel.

RIZAL SUSPECTED AS FRENCH SPY

 In the old days of travel, it was possible to travel from another country without
having a passport.
 Immediately, Rizal, accompanied by Viola went to the Spanish embassy to seek
the help of Spanish Ambassador, the Count of Benomar. But the ambassador
failed to keep his promise for he had no power to issue the required passport.
 Rizal, in fluent German language, explained to the police chief he was not a
French spy, but was a Filipino physician and scientist, particularly an ethnologist.
As an ethnologist, he visited to observe the customs and lifestyles of their simple
inhabitants.
 Favorably impressed with Rizal’s explanation and fascinated by his mastery of the
German language and personal charisma, the police chief was satisfied and
allowed him to stay freely in Germany.
PRINTING OF THE NOLI FINISHED
 March 21, 1887 – the Noli Me Tangere came off the press. Immediately, Rizal
sent the first copies of the printed novel to his intimate friends:
o Bluementritt
o Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor
 o G. Lopez Jaena
o Mariano Ponce
o Felix R. Hidalgo
 March 29, 1887 – Rizal, 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 the
novel and a complimentary copy.

THE TITLE OF THE NOVEL

 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.
 March 5, 1887 – Rizal, wrote to Felix R. Hidalgo in French and said: “Noli Me
Tangere, words taken from the Gospel of Saint Luke, signify “do not touch me.”
 Rizal made a mistake in citing the Biblical source. It should be the Gospel of St.
John (Chapter 20, Verses 13 to 17).

THE AUTHOR’S DEDICATION

 Rizal dedicated his Noli Me Tangere to the Philippines – “To My Fatherland.”

SYNOPSIS OF THE NOLI

 The Characters:
o Capitan Tiago (Santiago de los Santos) – father of Maria Clara and a
friend of Ibarra.
o Crisostomo Ibarra – a young and rich Filipino who had just returned after
seven years of study in Europe. The only son of Don Rafael Ibarra. A
fiancé of Maria Clara.
o Padre Damaso – a fat Franciscan friar who had been parish priest for 20
years of San Diego (Calamba).
o Padre Sybila – a young Dominican parish priest of Binondo.
o Señor Guevara – an elderly and kind lieutenant of the Guardia Civil.
o Don Tiburcio de Espadaña – a bogus Spanish physician, lame, and
henpecked husband of Doña Victorina.
o Maria Clara – childhood faithful sweetheart of Crisostomo Ibarra, a good
friend and obedient daughter. She symbolizes purity and innocence of a
sheltered native woman.
o Padre Salvi – Franciscan parish priest of San Diego.
o Tasio the Philosopher (Pilosopo Tasio) – wise old man whose ideas were
to advance for his times so that the people, who could not understand him
and called him the “Tasio the Lunatic.”
o Don Filipo Lino – the teniente - mayor and leader of the liberal faction.
o Don Melchor – the captain of the cuadrilleros (town police).
 o Don Basilio and Don Valentin – former gobernadorcillos and were
prominent citizens.
o Sisa – the tale of sisa – formerly known a rich girl who married a gambler
and became poor. She’s also the deranged mother of Basilio and Crispin.
o Basilio – an acolyte (servant) tasked to ring the church bells for Angelus.
Accused of crimes he did not commit.
o Crispin – an altar boy and who was as well accused of stealing money from the
church.
o Doña Consolacion – the vulgar mistress of the Spanish Alferez.
o Doña Victorina – the flamboyantly dressed wife of a henpecked Spanish
quack doctor.
o Elias – distrusts human judgment and prefers God’s justice instead. He
prefers a revolution over reforms.
o Pia Alba – a young beautiful and spiritual woman. Maria Clara’s mother.
o Gobernador Heneral – occupies the second most powerful rank in the
colonial government, second only to the king. Supported Ibarra against
Padre Damaso.
o Alferez – lieutenant of the Guardia Civil.
o Alfonso Linares – cousin of Don Tiburcio and godson of Padre Damaso’s
brother – in – law.

THE “NOLI” BASED ON TRUTH

 A true story of Philippine conditions during the last decades of Spanish rule.
o The places, the characters, and the situations really existed.
o The characters were drawn by Rizal from persons who actually existed
during his times.
 Characters in reality:
o Maria Clara – Leonor Rivera
o Ibarra and Elias – represented by Rizal himself.
o Tasio the Philosopher – elder brother, Paciano.
o Padre Salvi – Padre Antonio Piernavieja
o Capitan Tiago – Capitan Hillario Sunico
o Doña Victorina – Doña Agustina Medel
o Basilio and Crispin – were the Crisostomo brothers of Hagonoy.
o Padre Damaso – typical domineering friar, arrogant, immoral, and anti-
Filipino during the days of Rizal.

MISSING CHAPTER OF THE NOLI

 In the original manuscript of Noli Me Tangere, there was a chapter entitled “Elias
and Salome” which follows Chapter XXIV – “In the Woods”.
 Deleted by Rizal so that it was not included in the printed novel. His reason for
doing so was economic:
 o By reducing the pages of the manuscript, the cost of printing would
correspondingly be reduced.

RIZAL’S FRIENDS PRAISE THE NOLI

 Friends of Rizal hailed the novel, praising it in glowing colors. As to be expected,
Rizal’s enemy condemned it.
 Rizal told Bluemintritt: “The government and the friars will probably attack the
work, refuting my statements, but I trust in the God of Truth and in the persons
who have actually seen our sufferings.”
 Bluemintritt read Rizal’s novel and praised and said, “As we Germans say –
written with the blood of the heart and so the heart also speaks.” Rizal being an
extraordinary person.
 Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor – a Filipino patriot and lawyer exiled due to his
complicity in the Cavite mutiny of 1872. Avid reader of Noli and was very much
impressed.