CHAPTER 7

NOLI ME TANGERE
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Appraise important characters in the novel and what they represent.
2. Examine the present Philippine situation through the examples mentioned in the Noli.

Class Activity:
1. Present a skit showcasing a theme presented in the Noli (some examples: comparison of
women in the 19th century and in the present; social change: colonization; church ministers;
social hierarchy; patriotism; social reform).
2. Divide the class into groups and have each group draw the family tree of Crisostomo
Ibarra. Have each group present in class and discuss: ( l) What were the changes from one
generation to the next; and (2) What do these changes suggest about the creoles in the Philippines?

Brief Background
The Noli, one of the two famous novels of our National Hero, Jose Protacio Mercado Rizal y
Realonda or simply known as the great Dr. Jose Rizal, came up into writing The Book as inspired and
motivated by the scene in a novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe -- Uncle Tom's Cabin, which describes and
illustrates the slavery and the harsh situation of the African Americans.

Jose Rizal, also known as Pepe, proposed the writing of his first novel in a meeting on January 2,
1884 which was held at the Paterno's Residence in Madrid. The novel would contain or show the current
situation of the Philippines during that time. Perdo Maximo, Antonio Paterno, Graciano Lopez Jaena,
Evaristo Aguire, Eduardo de Lete, Julio Lorente, Melacio Giguerora and, Valentin Ventura all agreed in
writing the novel together with Pepe. However, these people, as history tells, had vices on gambling and
women, hence, Rizal decide to write the novel on his own.

The Novel's Origin

The title of the book is a Latin phrase taken by Pepe from the Bible himself, meaning "Touch me not". It
is particularly found in John 20:13-17, as the newly-risen Christ says to Mary Magdalene: "Touch me not;
I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren, and say unto them I ascended unto my
Father, and to my God and your God."
 Although a much technical transition of the title is a
particularly painful type of cancer. Jose intended to
show through his novel the Filipino society cancers that
the oppressed felt too much pain too much.

Further earlier translations led to use English titles such

as An Eagle Flight (1990) and The Social Cancer (1912)
however, disregarding the true symbolism of the Novel's
title.

The Writing of the Novel and its Publication

Jose Rizal wrote the first half of the Noli from

1884-1885 while he was in Madrid, Spain
studying Medicine. From time--to-time, while
in Paris, Pepe is completing the book.

A well-known political activist and

writer/journalist agreed to proofread the novel
in the person of Vicente Blasco Ibanez, who
also became the consultant of Rizal. Vicente Blasco
Ibanez (29 January
Rizal finally completed his first novel in December of 1886 in Berlin, Germany. However,1867 he - 28 January
feared that he might not be able to print the book since he is having
1928) was a
financial difficulties, according to the National Hero's biographers.journalist,
politician and best-
One Maximo Viola, appeared in the scene who offered help selling
in Spanish
financing the publication of the book of Rizal. Viola is understood novelist
to in various
genres
be the best friend of Pepe. Hesitant at first, Rizal turned the offer of whose
his friend down. However, Viola was insistent and ended up tending most widespread
and lasting fame in
Jose P300 for 2,000 copies. The printing was finished earlier than the
the English-
expected five month period of printing.
Maximo Viola speaking world is
Hollywood films
adapted from his
works.
The Noli Me Tangere was eventually published on March 21, 1887 by the cheapest publisher Rizal found
in Berlin, the BERLINER - ACTIEN -GESSELSCHAFT, SETZERINNEN - SCHULE DE LETTE VEREINES.

The Noli and its Goals

The Noli me Tangere, "Touch me not" or as translated in Filipino, "Huwag mo akong Salingin"
reveals the current situation of the Filipinos during the Spanish colonization. It is also understood that
the book was made to awaken the feelings of the people from oppression. It also depicts a series of
Filipino scenes such as 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 in the novel. Nevertheless, Rizal clearly
implies that many of these failings are traceable to association with the Spaniard, or to the misguided
policy of the government and the questionable practices of the friars.

But the real reason or purpose of Pepe in writing the- Novel is to disprove wrong accusations of
Spaniards to Filipinos and the Philippines. He also expresses the sad conditions of the society, beliefs,
hopes, dreams and the cry of the Filipino people. Rizal wants to expose everything about the wrong use
of religion or the exploitation of the word of God which friars used for them to benefit and corrupt
people. He added to portray the cruelties, graft and corruption of the false government.

Yet, Rizal controlled and balanced the national likeness through giving highlights to the virtues
and good traits of the uninfluenced Filipinos: the women's modesty and devotion, the openhanded
hospitality of Filipino families, the commitment the parents to their children and vice versa, the deep
sense of gratitude, and the undeniable common sense of the uneducated Filipino peasants.

The Novel's Social Impact and Controversies

The Noli Me Tangere was
considered to be one of the instruments
that initiated Filipino nationalism that led to the
1896 Philippine Revolution.
Noli was originally written in Spanish so the
likelihood that the Spanish authorities will
read it first is high which our National Hero
really intended to happen.
Copies of books were redirected to
churches, many have been destroyed, many
anti-Noli writers came into the picture and the Catholic leaders in the Philippines during that time
regarded the book as heretical, while Spanish colonial authorities declared.
The Book as Subversive and against the Government.

The impact of the Novel also includes the expulsion of Jose in Clamba, laguna.
Extradition cases were filed against Rizal which led to writing his sequel of the Noli me
Tangere, the El Filibusterismo.

Rizal received a letter of summons to the Malaccan Palace by the Governor-General Emilio
Torrero. He defended himself and his book from the governor-general. Terrero go interested on the
controversial book and requested a copy of it from Jose to find out if there are really any subversive
ideas in the novel. He didn't see anything wrong in the novel but thought that Rizal's enemies were
powerful and far more superior that what he had anticipated.

The Novel's importation, reproduction and circulation were prohibited and publicized through
the newspapers. Though this only made people more likely to read the novel even more despite of the
strictness and security of the guardia civils. Many Filipinos were still able to Governor-General Emilio
Torrero secure a copy of the Noli and read it in
Governor-General Emilio Torrero
secret. The price of the book even raised from a
peso to thirty pesos per copy.

The anti-Noli

• Many Spanish Officials, friars and church

persons were against the Noli me Tangere

• Father Salvador Font was the one responsible

for prohibiting the Noli me Tangere's
reproduction and circulation

 Father Jose Rodriguez, Superior of

Guadalupe, published a writing entitled “Cuestiones de Sumo Interes" (Katanungan ng Dakilang
lnteres) to confront Rizal's Noli. His copies of the book were sold
and distributed in the church after the mass. Many Filipinos were
forced to by though they do not believe what the author said in
his writings.
 The pro-Noli

 Many Filipinos were convinced and accepted the Noli, even great historians, doctors, poets
and church persons or clergies.
• Reverent Vicente Garcia, a Filipino priest who defended Jose Rizal and a
Catholic scholar at the Manila Cathedral, wrote a book, using the penname Justo
Desiderio Magalang, in response to the statement of Father Rodriguez about the Noli me
Tangere that contains something like these:
1. '"Hindi masasabing 'ignoranteng tao' si Riza, gaya ng sabi ni Padre
Rodriguez, dahil siya ay nagtapos sa mga unibersidad sa Espanya at
nakatanggap pa ng mga karangalang iskolastiko;"
2. "Hindi tinutuligsa ni Rizal ang Sirnbahan at Espanya, gaya ng sinasabi ni Padre
Rodriguez, dahil pinupuna ni Rizal sa Noli ay yaong masasamang opisyal at
tiwaling prayle, hindi ang Simbahan;"
3. "Sinabi ni Padre Rodriguez na yaong bumabasa ng Noli ay gumagawa ng
kasalanang mortal dahil nabasa nya ang Nobela."

 Marcelo H. Del Pilar, with the penname "Dolores Manapat", praises Rizal's Noli through
writing another book entitled, "Caiingat Cayo" (Maging Madulas katulad ng Igat). He used the
same technique as how Padre Rodriguez did in confronting the Noli, but this time, del Pilar
made the act in a church in his hometown in Bulacan.

The Characters and the Summary

Major Characters

 Crisostomo Ibarramedia y Magsalin,

 Or commonly referred to as Crisostomo or
Ibarra. He is the protagonist in this novel. Son of
Don Rafael Ibarra, a Filipino businessman, who
has recently returned to the Philippines from
Europe after spending seven years studying
abroad. Ibarra is well-educated and respected,
though the friars in his hometown are suspicious
of him because his father was imprisoned just
recently and labeled as a subversive and heretic
which even eventually causes his father's death
in jail.
  In the story, Ibarra insists on reforming the Philippines from the inside
out, and working with government officials and especially the friars
without dismantling the system. However, by the end of the novel,
branded as heretical subversive, his ideas about reform and
revolution begun to align with
Visual interpretation of the Elias's more radical theories.
Character Ibarra

 Maria Clara de los Santos y Alba

 Also known as, Maria Clara. She is a well-
recognized woman in their hometown, San
Diego, for her high social standing. She was
raised by Captain Tiago, San Diego's cabeza de
barangay, however, a spineless socialite who
disavows Ibarra to stay in the good graces of
friars like Father Damaso. Maria Clara is the
most beautiful and widely celebrated
woman in town. Maria Clara and Ibarra are
bound to get married, although Father
Damaso - her godfather – is displeased with Visual interpretation of the
this arrangement and does what he can to Character Maria Clara
Torrero
make sure the marriage do not push
through and marry a certain Linares instead. She doesn't speak up against this
idea because she doesn't want to cross her father, Captain Tiago. Later in the
novel. Maria Clara found out that Captain Tiago isn't her biological father -
rather, Father Damaso impregnated her mother, who died during childbirth.
Maria Clara, blackmailed in the story, provided letters from Ibarra to the courts -
letters his prosecutors unfairly use as evidence of malfeasance. She feels intense
remorse at having sold Ibarra out.

 Father Damaso Verdolagas,

 Or just Padre Damaso, is a Franciscan friar in the Philippines

and a former curate of San Diego. Father Damaso is an arrogant
and dull priest who is best known as a notorious character that
speaks harsh words and a cruel priest whilst his stay in the town.
 Only because Rafael refused to go to confession and supported secular means of
empowering Filipino citizens, Damaso jumped at the opportunity to cast Rafael as a heretic
and a subversive.

In the story, Darnaso is Ibarra's rival who seems to leverage

Visual interpretation of the by provoking the young man during dinner at their house
Character Maria Clara
making loud mentions of Rafael's death. Ibarra is unable to
Torrero
ignore these provocations, and his violent response leads to
his own excommunication. To make matters worse for Ibarra, Father Damaso is very well-
connected in San Diego, he gets away with his corruption.

 Don Santiago de los Santos,

 Or more known as Capitan Tiago. A Filipino
socialite and well-respected member of the
country's wealthy elite.

 In the novel, Capitan Tiago is the richest man in

the region of Binondo and he possesses real
properties in Pampanga and Laguna de Bay. He
is also said to be a good Catholic, friend of
the government and was considered as
Spanish by the colonialists. Tiago never
attended school, so he became a domestic
helper of a Dominican friar who taught him Visual interpretation of the
informal education. He is concerned with Character Capitan Tiago
making sure his daughter, Maria Clara,
marries an affluent man with sufficient social capital, which one of the reason he
quickly abandons his support of Ibarra when the friars disgrace the young man's
name. When they present their nephew Linares (nephew of Doctor de Espadana,
a fraudulent doctor for rich people, and his wife, Dona Victorina, an obvious
social climber) as a possible new match for Maria Clara, Captain Tiago is quick to
assent, thinking that such a pairing will ensure respectability.
 Elias
 He is Ibarra 's mysterious friend and ally. Elias
made his first appearance a pilot during a picnic of
Ibarra and Maria Clara and her friends. He wants to
revolutionize the country and to be freed from
 Spanish oppressions. After Ibarra _saves his life from a vicious crocodile, Elias
swears to protect the young man from his enemies. Elias discovers plots against
Ibarra as he lurks in the town in the disguise of a day laborer. He also tries to
persuade Ibarra to join him and some other groups of revolutionaries who want
to strike back against the abusive guardia sibil that empowers the church and
coerces the people it claims to govern. Elias desires his friend to understand that
nothing good will come within the existing power, since the government and the
church are both corrupt and unconcerned when it comes to actually improving
the Philippines society.
 The 50th Chapter of the novel explores the past of Elias and history of his family.
In the past, Ibarra's great condemned Elias' grandfather of burning a warehouse
which led into misfortune of Elias' family. His father was refused to be married
by her mother because his father's past and family lineage was discovered by his
mother's family. In the long run, Elias and his twin sister were raised by their
maternal grandfather. When they were teenagers their distant relatives called
them hijos de bastardos or illegitimate children. One day, his sister disappeared
which led him to search for her. His search led him to places, families, and finally,
he became a fugitive and subversive.

 Pilosopong Tacio, old Tacio

 Don Anastasio, or commonly known as
Pilosopong Tacio, is another major
character in the novel. Tasio respects
Tharra and hopes dearly that Ibarra will
succeed in building a school that is
independent of the church. Seeking for
reforms from the government, he expresses his
ideals in paper written in cryptographic
alphabet similar from hieroglyphs and
Coptic figures hoping "that the future
generations may be able to decipher" it and
realize the abuse and oppression done by Visual interpretation of the
the conquerors. Character Pilosopong Tacio

 Sisa, Crispin, and Basilio

Visual interpretation of the  Narcisa or simple Sisa, is the deranged mother
Characters Sisa, Crispin and Basilio of Basilio and Crispin. Described ,1s young and
 beautiful. Although she loves her children so much, she cannot protect them from the
beatings of her husband, Pedro.
 Crispin is Sisa's seven-year old son. A very young child learning to be a sexton, or
a warden of the church. Unfornmately, the chief sexton falsely alleges Crispin of
thieving money from the church. Father Salvi and the head of the sacristan killed
him after the allegation of stealing money. Though it was not directly told in the
story, it was dreamt by Basilio of the possible incident against the life of Crispin.
 Basilio is Crispin's ten-year old brother who also trains to be a sexton. His Task is
to ring the church bell during Angelus. At the end of the novel, Elias wished
Basilio to bury him by burning in exchange of a chest full of gold located in his
death ground.

 La Doctora Victorina de los Reyes de Espadaña Visual interpretation of the

 Dofia Victorina is an ambitious Filipina character Dona Victorina
who classifies herself as Spanish and
mimics Spanish ladies by putting heavy
make-up. The novel narrates Dona
Victorina's younger days: she had lots of
admirers, but she did not choose from
any of them because nobody was a
Spaniard. Later on, she met and married
Don Tiburcio de Espadana, an official of
the customs bureau. However, the
marriage is childless. Her husband
assumes the title of Medical Doctor
even though he never attended medical
school; using fake documents and
certificates. He practices illegal medicine.

Other Characters

• Padre Bernardo Salvi, a Franciscan curate of San Diego who is described as a very thin and
sickly priest who is secretly harboring lust for Maria Clara. It is also implied that his last name,
"Salvi" is a shorter term for "Salvation" or be a short term for the word "Salvaje" meaning a bad
character who is willing to kill a child merely because of an alleged stealing of money.
• El Alferez or Alperes, chief of the Guardia Cibil, and mortal enemy of the priests in San
Diego. He is the husband of Dona Consolacion.

 Dona Consolacion, wife of Alperes, nicknamed as la musa de los guardius civiles (The muse
of the Civil Guards) or la Alrereza, was a former laundrywoman who passes herself as a
peninsular; best remembered for her abusive treatment of Sisa.

 Don Tiburcio de Espadana, Spanish quack doctor who is limp and submissive to his wife,
Dofia Victorina.

 Teniente Guevara, a close friend of Don Rafael Ibarra. He reveals to Crisostomo how Den
Rafael Ibarra's death came about.

 Alfonso Linares, a distant nephew Tiburcio de Espadana, the future fiancé of Maria Clara.
Although he presented himself as a practitioner of law, tit was later revealed that he, just
like Don Tiburcio, is a fraud. He later died due to given medications of Don Tiburcio.

 Tia Isabel, Capitan Tiago's cousin, who raised Maria Clara.

 Governor-General, unnamed person in the novel, he is the most powerful official in the
Philippines. He has great disdain for the friars and corrupt officials, and sympathizes with
Ibarra.

 Don Filipo Lino, Vice-mayor of the town of San Diego, leader of the liberals.

 Padre Manuel Martin, he is the linguist curate of a nearby town who delivers sermons
during San Diego's fiesta.

 Don Rafael Ibarra, father of Crisostomo Ibarra, though he is the richest man in San Diego,
he is also the most virtuous and generous.

 Dona Pia Alba, wife of Capitan Tiago and mother of Maria Clara. She died of giving birth to
her daughter. In reality, she was raped by Damaso so she could bear a child.

Summary of the Noli

 A lot of summaries of the Noli me Tangere by Jose Rizal was made and out for the
public for a better and easier understanding of the novel. Anyone could use any author's plot
summary of the Noli, however, in this textbook we would use the Plot Summary of Lannamann,
Taylor (2017).

"Noli Me Tangere takes place in the Philippines during the time of Spanish
colonization. In the opening scene, a wealthy and in influential Filipino man named
Captain Tiago hosts a dinner party to welcome Juan Crisostomo lbarra y Magsalin back to the
Philippines. Ibarra has spent the last seven years studying in Europe. In talking to the various
guests at Captain Tiago's dinner party, he discovers that his father, Don Rafael, recently died,
though he doesn't know why or how. During the dinner, Father Damaso, a loud-
mouthed friar Ibarra has known since childhood, stands up and insults Ibarra, disparaging
him for having traveled to Europe to pursue an education he could have obtained in the
Philippines. In response, Ibarra swallows his pride and refrains from directing
insults at the half-drunk friar. Instead, he leaves the dinner early, ignoring
Captain Tiago 's plea that he stay a little longer in order to see his fiancé (and
Captain Tiago's daughter), Marfa Clara.

On his way home, Ibarra walks with Senor Guevara, a lieutenant of the Civil
Guard, Spain's colonial armed forces that police the Philippines. The lieutenant explains
that a few months after Ibarra left, Father Damaso accused Don Rafael of not going to
confession. Don Rafael was a very powerful man, which meant he had many enemies in both
the Spanish government and in the church. The lieutenant tells Ibarra that one day Don
Rafael came upon a government tax collector beating a boy in the street. When Rafael
interfered, he accidentally pushed the man too hard, causing the tax collector to hit his
head on a rock. This injury eventually led to the man's death, and Ibarra’s father was
thrown in jail and accused of subversion and heresy. At this point, Father Damaso
heaped new accusations on him and everybody abandoned him. By the time he was finally
proven innocent, Guevara explains, Don Rafael had already died in prison.

Ibarra goes to his hometown, San Diego, where the unfortunate events of his
father's death took place. Since Captain Tiago owns multiple properties there, Maria Clara
also relocates to San Diego. November is approaching, a time the town celebrates with a
large festival. This festival is surrounded by various religious holidays, such as All Souls'
Day, which commemorates dead people in purgatory waiting for their souls to be
cleansed before ascending to heaven. Taking advantage of this, San Diego’s priests
implore the villagers to purchase indulgences, which they claim shorten the length of time a
soul must languish in purgatory. Ibarra quickly sees the power of the Catholic friars in the
Philippines has greatly increased since he left for Europe, a fact made clear by their control
over even governmental officials. For instance, Father Salvi, San Diego's new priest, is
constantly at odds with the military ensign in charge of the village's faction of
the Civil Guard. Salvi uses his important religious position to spite the ensign,
fining the man for missing church services and delivering purposefully boring
sermons when he does attend.

The friars interfere with other elements of everyday life in San Diego too, which
Ibarra learns after speaking with the schoolmaster. The schoolmaster tells him that Father
Damaso actively meddles with his educational techniques by demanding that he teach only
in the country's native language, Tagalog, instead of instructing the children to speak
Spanish. Damaso also insists that the schoolmaster beat the children,
creating a hostile environment that doesn't send itself to productive learning.
Hearing this, Ibarra decides to build a secular school in San Diego, a project his father
dreamed about before his death. On the advice of the town's old
philosopher, Tasio, Ibarra presents his ideas to the town's religious and civic
leaders, making it seem as if he wants them to be involved with the school, even though
he plans to ignore their influence after it is built.

Meanwhile, two poor boys named Crispin and Basilio study to be sextons, or
people who take care of the church. They do so in order to financially help
their mother, Sisa, but Crispin is unfairly accused of theft and thus must work constantly
with his brother to pay off the absurd amounts the chief sexton claims that Crispin owes the
church. When he protests this injustice one night, Crispin is hauled away and severely
beaten. Scared for his brother's life, Basilio searches him out before running home during a
storm and waiting in vain with his mother for Crispin to appear. This never
materializes, and the next day Basilio goes back into town. Frightened, Sisa
looks for both her boys and is told that the Civil Guard has been ordered to arrest
them for theft, though nobody can find them. She herself is arrested and then
released, at which point she searches throughout the night for her boys, working
herself into permanent insanity and destitution as she wanders the town and the
surrounding woods.

Visiting the Catholic cemetery, Ibarra speaks to a gravedigger and learns that,
upon Father Damaso's orders, he dug up Don Rafael's body. Although the friar had
instructed the gravedigger to take Rafael's body to the Chinese cemetery - a less respected
cemetery - the gravedigger threw Don Rafael into the lake, thinking it a more honorable
resting place.
Ibarra and the town's influential religious and government leaders decide to
celebrate the new school on the same day as the town's fiesta. The church makes
plans to bless the new educational building (though it is not yet completed) directly
after a long sermon by Father Damaso. During this sermon, a mysterious figure
approaches Ibarra. His name is Elias, a man whose life Ibarra recently saved on an
eventful fishing trip. Elias tells Ibarra that there is a plan to kill him during the
school's benediction ceremony, warning him not to walk beneath a certain large
stone suspended by a pulley system. Ibarra ignores this advice, and sure enough,
the stone hurdles toward him. Luckily Elias takes action and covertly puts the
criminal - the man plot ring against Ibarra - in the way of the stone, killing him
instead of Ibarra. The festivities go on, but Ibarra how knows he has enemies.

That night, during a celebratory dinner hosted by Ibarra, Father Damaso arrives
uninvited. All of San Diego's most respected individuals are in attendance, including
the governor and the town's other friars. Damaso loudly insults the school and its
architecture while also making callous remarks about "indios," a racial slur for
native Filipinos. He flippantly speaks about how "indios" abandon their country
because they think they're superior, traveling to Europe instead. "In this life the
fathers of such vipers are punished," he says. "They die in jail, eh, eh, or rather, they
have no place ... " When Ibarra hears Damaso make this crude reference to his
father's unfair death, he jumps up and pins the priest down, holding a knife in his
free band and publicly accusing Damaso of exhuming his father's body. Ibarra says
he won't kill Damaso, but his actions say otherwise, and as he lifts the knife to bury
it in the friar"s body, Maria Clara snatches it from his hand.

In the aftermath of this scandalous event, Ibarra is excommunicated from the

church. Captain Tiago proves himself a spineless socialite by calling off the wedding
between Ibarra and Maria Clara, instead betrothing his daughter to Linares, a young
man from Spain. Linares is the nephew of Don Tiburcio de Espadaña, a fraudulent
doctor who treats Maria Clara for a sudden illness that incapacitates her for several
days after the incident between Ibarra and Father Damaso. Meanwhile, the Captain
General the topmost government official representing Spain-visits San Diego. The
friars implore him to punish Ibarra, but because his priorities are more civic than
religious and because he supports Ibarra's mission to build a school, he pulls strings
to have the young man's excommunication lifted.
While Ibarra continues his project, Father Salvi makes arrangements with a man
named Lucas, the brother of the man hired to kill Ibarra with the large stone.
Because his brother died, Lucas wants revenge on Ibarra. Father Salvi - who secretly
loves Maria Clara and who believes Ibarra is a heretic - hatches a plot with Lucas to
frame Ibarra. With Lucas's help, he organizes a band of rebels to attack the Civil
Guard's military barracks, telling them that Ibarra is the ringleader. Hours before the
attack takes place, Father Salvi rushes to the ensign and warns him of the plan,
making sure to request that the ensign let it be known that he-Salvi-was the one to
save the town by discovering the plot and issuing a warning.

The attack goes according to Salvi and Lucas's plan, and Ibarra is arrested. He is
imprisoned and found guilty, a verdict based on an ambiguous line in a letter he
sent to Maria Clara. Once again Elias comes to the rescue, breaking him out of
prison and taking him away in a boat. Before they leave town, Ibarra stops at Maria
Clara's house, climbs onto her patio, and says goodbye to her. She explains that she
only parted with his letter - which led to his guilt sentencing - because she was
blackmailed. Apparently, a man came to her and told her that her real father is Fray
Damaso, not Captain Tiago. The man threatened to spread this information if she
didn't give him Ibarra's letter. Feeling that she must protect captain Tiago's honor
and the memory of her deceased mother, she handed over Ibarra's letter.
Nonetheless, she tells Ibarra that she will always love him and that she is deeply
sorry for having betrayed him.

After saying goodbye to Maria Clara, Ibarra gets into Elias's boat. As the two men
row into the night, they continue a heated discussion they've already begun about
the nature of revolution and reform, debating the merits of working within a
corrupt system to change it rather than overthrowing the system completely. As
they talk they realize they're being chased by another boat. Elias tries to out-row
their pursuers, but quickly realizes they'll eventually catch up. As bullets whip by, he
tells Ibarra to row, deciding to jump off the boat to confuse the people behind
them. Before diving, he tells Ibarra to meet him on Christmas Eve in the woods near
San Diego, where Ibarra's grandfather is buried with the family's riches. When Elias
plunges into the water, the boat follows him instead of Ibarra. Elias throws them off
by diving deep into the water, only surfacing periodically. Soon, though the people
chasing him don’t see him come back. They even think they see a bit of blood in the
water.
 Back in San Diego, Father Damaso visits Maria Clara, who tells him she can't marry
Linares because she doesn't love him. She references a newspaper, which falsely
reported that Ibarra was found dead on the banks of the lake. She tells the friar that
this news has given her no reason to live and, as such, she can't go through with the
wedding, instead deciding to enter a convent.

On Christmas Eve, the young Basilio wanders forth from a cabin in the woods,
where he's been living with a kind family ever since the Civil Guard started looking
for him. He goes into San Diego in search of Sisa, his mother. When he finds her, she
doesn't recognize him and runs away, leading him back to the woods, where she
goes to the old tomb that contains Ibarra's grandfather. Once he finally catches up
to his mother, though, Basilio faints. Seeing finally that he is her son, Sisa covers him
with kisses. When Basilio wakes up, he finds that she has died by his side. At that
moment, Elias appears. He is wounded, and seeing that Ibarra has not arrived he
tells Basilio he is about to die, instructing the boy to bum his and Sisa 's bodies on a
pyre. Looking up at the sky, he utters his final words: "I die without seeing dawn's
light shining on my country ... You, who will see it, welcome it for me ... don't forget
those who fell during the nighttime. The book ends without mention of Ibarra’s
fate.”

Summative Assessment

l. Write an essay with the aim of answering the following: What is

freedom? How is the lack of freedom portrayed in the novel? How is the
situation in the novel different from today?
2. Write an essay with the aim of addressing the questions: (a)
What are the antimodern of colonial society portrayed in Noli Me Tangere?
(b) Can modernity be?

Exercise 1

Name: __________________________________ Date: _________________

Course & Year: ____________________________ Score: ________________
Introduce a friend or group of friends who helped you with a situation or circumstance which
you cannot do or accomplish on your own. State the circumstance (problem) and how your
friend/s assisted you in dealing with it.

Exercise 2

Name: __________________________________ Date: _________________

Course & Year: ____________________________ Score: ________________

Choose one (I) among the major characters of the Noli me Tangere. Why this character? Who is
this character in your life and what is his/her role in helping you grow as a person?

Exercise 3

Name: __________________________________ Date: _________________

Course & Year: ____________________________ Score: ________________

Why do you think Jose Rizal wrote the Noli me Tangere? What do you think is the moral lesson
of the novel?

Bibliography
th
Editorial, 11 Anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal’s Martyrdom. Manila: Manila Bulletin. December 2007.
Guerrero, Leon Ma., The Forest Filipino: A Bibliography of Jose Rizal. Manila: National Historical
Institute, 1963, 1965, 1969, 1971, 1974, 1977, 1979, 1987, 1991.
Rizal, Jose P. Historical Events of the Philippine Islands by Dr. Antonio de Morga. Manila: National
Historical Institute, 1990.
Bantug, Asuncion Lopez (1982). Lolo Jose: An intimate portrait of Rizal. Manila: Instramuros
Administration.

Capino, Diosdado C., Gonzales, Ma. Minerva A. and Pineda, Filipinas. (1977). Rizal: Life, Works and
Writings.  Quezon City. JMC Press.

Guerrero, Leon Ma. (1998). The First Filipino. Philippines: Guerrero Publishing.

Zaide, Gregorio and Zaide, Sonia. (1999). Jose Rizal: Life, Works and Writings. Manila: All-Nations
Publishing Co., Inc.

Zaide, Gregorio and Zaide, Sonia. (1997). Jose Rizal: Buhay, mga Ginawa at mga Sinulat. Quezon City. All-
Nations Publishing Co., Inc.

Capino, Diosdado G., Minerva A. Gonzalez, Ma., and Filipinas E. Pineda. Rizal's Life, Works & Writings.
Quezon City: Publishers Association of the Philippines, 1977.

References and Suggested Readings

1. Zaide, Gregorio and Zaide, Sonia M.:

Jose Rizal: Life, Works and Writings of a Genius, Writer, Scientist, and National Hero Second
Edition. All – Nations Publishing Co., Inc. Quezon City. 1999.

2. Purino, Anacoreta P.: Rizal, the Greatest Filipino Hero. Rex Book Store, Manila, Philippines. 2008

3. José Rizal (1997). Prophecies of Jose Rizal about the Philippines: From the Pen of the Visionary
National Hero, Phenomenal Revelations and Coded Messages about Events Past, Present and
Future: Destiny of the Philippines …. Rex Bookstore, Inc.

4. Valdez, Maria Stella S. (2007). Doctor Jose Rizal and the Writing of His Story. Rex Bookstore, Inc.

5. Rizal, José. 1996. Noli me tangere, trans. Ma. Soledad Lacson-Locsin. Makati: Bookmark.

6. Anderson, Benedict. 2008. Why counting counts: A study of forms of consciousness and problems of
language in Noli me tangere and El filibusterismo, pp. 1–37. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila
University Press.