PLOT

Written in Spanish and published in 1887, Jos Rizals Noli Me Tangere played a
crucial role in the political history of the Philippines. Drawing from experience, the
conventions of the nineteenth-century novel, and the ideals of European liberalism,
Rizal offered up a devastating critique of a society under Spanish colonial rule.
The plot revolves around Crisostomo Ibarra, mixed-race heir of a wealthy clan, returning
home after seven years in Europe and filled with ideas on how to better the lot of his
countrymen. Striving for reforms, he is confronted by an abusive ecclesiastical hierarchy
and a Spanish civil administration by turns indifferent and cruel. The novel suggests,
through plot developments, that meaningful change in this context is exceedingly
difficult, if not impossible.
The death of Ibarras father, Don Rafael, prior to his homecoming, and the refusal of a
Catholic burial by Padre Damaso, the parish priest, provokes Ibarra into hitting the
priest, for which Ibarra is excommunicated. The decree is rescinded, however, when the
governor general intervenes. The friar and his successor, Padre Salvi, embody the
rotten state of the clergy. Their tangled feelingsone paternal, the other carnalfor
Maria Clara, Ibarras sweetheart and rich Capitan Tiagos beautiful daughter, steel their
determination to spoil Ibarras plans for a school. The town philosopher Tasio wryly
notes similar past attempts have failed, and his sage commentary makes clear that all
colonial masters fear that an enlightened people will throw off the yoke of oppression.
Precisely how to accomplish this is the novels central question, and one which Ibarra
debates with the mysterious Elias, with whose life his is intertwined. The privileged
Ibarra favors peaceful means, while Elias, who has suffered injustice at the hands of the
authorities, believes violence is the only option.
Ibarras enemies, particularly Salvi, implicate him in a fake insurrection, though the
evidence against him is weak. Then Maria Clara betrays him to protect a dark family
secret, public exposure of which would be ruinous. Ibarra escapes from prison with
Eliass help and confronts her. She explains why, Ibarra forgives her, and he and Elias
flee to the lake. But chased by the Guardia Civil, one dies while the other survives.
Convinced Ibarras dead, Maria Clara enters the nunnery, refusing a marriage arranged
by Padre Damaso. Her unhappy fate and that of the more memorable Sisa, driven mad
by the fate of her sons, symbolize the countrys condition, at once beautiful and
miserable.
Using satire brilliantly, Rizal creates other memorable characters whose lives manifest
the poisonous effects of religious and colonial oppression. Capitan Tiago; the social
climber Doa Victorina de Espadaa and her toothless Spanish husband; the Guardia
Civil head and his harridan of a wife; the sorority of devout women; the disaffected
peasants forced to become outlaws: in sum, a microcosm of Philippine society. In the
afflictions that plague them, Rizal paints a harrowing picture of his beloved but suffering
country in a work that speaks eloquently not just to Filipinos but to all who have endured
or witnessed oppression.

SETTING
The setting is 19th century Philippines, during the latter years of the country as Spains
only colony in Asia.
CHARACTERS
Crisstomo Ibarra
Juan Crisstomo Ibarra y Magsalin, commonly referred to the novel
as Ibarra orCrisstomo, is the novel's protagonist. The mestizo (mixedrace) son of Filipino businessman Don Rafael Ibarra, he studied in
Europe for seven years. Ibarra is also Mara Clara's fianc.
Several sources claim that Ibarra is also Rizal's reflection: both studied
in Europe and both persons believe in the same ideas. Upon his return, Ibarra
requested the local government of San Diego to construct a public school to promote
education in the town.
Mara Clara
A crayon sketch of Leonor RiveraKipping by Rizal. Rivera, who was
Rizal's cousin and longtime love interest, is the commonly accepted
basis for the Mara Clara character.
Mara Clara de los Santos y Alba, commonly referred to as Mara
Clara, is Ibarra's fiance and the most beautiful and widely celebrated
girl in San Diego. She was raised by Capitn Tiago de los Santos, San
Diego's cabeza de barangay (town head), and his cousin, Isabel. In
the later parts of the novel, she was revealed to be an illegitimate daughter of Father
Dmaso, the comer curate of the town, and Doa Pa Alba, Capitn Tiago's wife, who
had died giving birth to Mara Clara.
At the novel's end, a heartbroken yet resolved Mara Clara entered the Beaterio de
Santa Clara (a nunnery) after learning the truth of her parentage and mistakenly
believing her lover Crisstomo to have been killed. In the epilogue, Rizal stated that it is
unknown if Mara Clara is still living within the walls of the convent or she is already
dead.
Capitn Tiago
Don Santiago de los San tos, known by his nickname Tiago and political
title Capit
nTiago is it is said that Kapitn Tiago is the richest man in the region
of Binon
do and he possessed real properties in Pampanga and Laguna de Bay.
He is also said to be a good Catholic, a friend of the Spanish
government and thus was considered a Spaniard by the colonial elite.
Capitn
Tiago never attended school, so he became the domestic helper of
aDominican friar who gave him an informal education. He later married Pa Alba
from Santa Cruz.
Padre Dmaso

Dmaso Verdolagas, or Padre Dmaso is a Franciscan friar and the

former parish curate of San Diego. He is notorious for speaking with
harsh words, highhandedness, and his cruelty during his ministry in the
town. An enemy of Crisstomo's father, Don Rafael Ibarra, Dmaso is
revealed to be Mara Clara's biological father. Later, he and Mara
Clara had bitter arguments whether she would marry Alfonso Linares
de Espadaa (which he preferred) or to enter the nunnery (her
desperate alternative). At the end of the novel, he is again reassigned
to a distant town and later found dead in his bed.
Elas
Elas is Ibarra's mysterious friend and ally. Elas made his first appearance as a pilot
during a picnic of Ibarra and Mara Clara and her friends. He wants to revolutionize the
country and to be freed from Spanish oppression.
The 50th chapter of the novel explores the past of Elas and history of his family. In the
past, Ibarra's great-grandfather condemned Elas' grandfather of burning a warehouse
which led to misfortune for Elas' family. His father was refused the hand of his mother
as her family had discovered his past and lineage. In the long run, Elas and his twin
sister were raised by their maternal grandfather. When they were teenagers, their
distant relatives called them hijos de bastardo (illegitimate children). One day, his sister
disappeared which led him to search for her. His search led him into different places,
and finally, he became a fugitive and subversive.
Pilosopo Tacio
Filosofo Tacio, known by his Tagalized name Pilosopo Tasyo, is
another major character in the story. Seeking for reforms from the
government, he expresses his ideals in paper written in a
cryptographic alphabet similar from hieroglyphs and Coptic
figures hoping "that the future generations may be able to
decipher it" and realized the abuse and oppression done by the
conquerors.
His full name is only known as Don Anastasio. The educated
inhabitants of San Diego labeled him as Filosofo Tacio (Tacio the Sage) while others
called him as Tacio el Loco(Tacio the Insane) due to his exceptional talent for reasoning.
Doa Victorina
Doa Victorina de los Reyes de Espadaa, commonly known as
Doa Victorina, is an ambitious Filipina who classifies herself as a
Spanish and mimics Spanish ladies by putting on heavy make-up.
The novel narrates Doa Victorina's younger days: she had lots of
admirers, but she spurned them all because none of them were
Spaniards. Later on, she met and married Don Tiburcio de
Espadaa, an official of the customs bureau ten years her junior.
However, their marriage is childless.
Her husband assumes the title of medical "doctor" even though he never attended
medical school; using fake documents and certificates, Tiburcio illegally practices
medicine. Tiburcio's usage of the title Dr. consequently makes Victorina assume the
title Dra.(doctora, female doctor).[18] Apparently, she uses the whole name Doa
Victorina de los Reyes de de Espadaa, with double de to emphasize her marriage
surname. She seems to feel that this awkward titling makes her more "sophisticated."

Sisa, Crispn, and Basilio

Sisa, Crispn, and Basilio represent a Filipino family persecuted by the Spanish
authorities:

Narcisa or Sisa is the deranged mother of Basilio and Crispn. Described as

beautiful and young, although she loves her children very much, she can not protect
them from the beatings of her husband, Pedro.

Crispn is Sisa's 7-year-old son. An altar boy, he was unjustly accused of

stealing money from the church. After failing to force Crispn to return the money he
allegedly stole, Father Salv and the head sacristan killed him. It is not directly stated
that he was killed, but a dream of Basilio's suggests that Crispn died during his
encounter with Padre Salv and his minion.

Basilio is Sisa's 10-year-old son. An acolyte tasked with ring the church's bells
for theAngelus, he faced the dread of losing his younger brother and the descent of
his mother into insanity. At the end of the novel, a dying Elas requested Basilio to
cremate him and Sisa in the woods in exchange for a chest of gold located nearby.
He will later play a major role in El Filibusterismo.

Due to their tragic but endearing story, these characters are often parodied in modern
Filipino popular culture.

Salom is Elas' sweetheart. She lived in a little house by the lake, and though
Elas would like to marry her, he tells her that it would do her or their children no
good to be related to a fugitive like himself. In the original publication of Noli, the
chapter that explores the identity of Elas and Salom was omitted, classifying her
as a total non-existing character. This chapter, entitled Elas y Salom was probably
the 25th chapter of the novel. However, recent editions and translations
of Noli provides the inclusion of this chapter, either on the appendix or renamed
as Chapter X (Ex).

Other characters
There are a number of secondary and minor characters in Noli Me Tngere. Items
indicated inside the parenthesis are the standard Filipinization of the Spanish names in
the novel.

Padre Hernndo de la Sibyla a Dominican friar. He is described as short and

has fair skin. He is instructed by an old priest in his order to watch Crisstomo
Ibarra.

Padre Bernardo Salv the successor of Padre Dmaso as the Franciscan

curate of San Diego, and who secretly lusts after Mara Clara. He is described to be
very thin and sickly. It is also hinted that his surname, "Salvi" is the shorter form of
"Salvi" ("salvation"), or "Salvi" is short for "salvaje" ("savage", "wild") hinting at the
fact that he is willing to kill an innocent child, Crispn, who he accused of stealing
money worth 2onzas.

El Alfrez (Alperes) the unnamed chief of the Guardia Civil and husband of
Doa Consolacin. He is the sworn enemy of the priests in the town's power
struggle.

Doa Consolacin wife of the Alfrez, nicknamed as la musa de los guardias

civiles(The muse of the Civil Guard) or la Alfreza. She was a
former laundrywoman who passes herself as a peninsular, and is best remembered
for her abusive treatment of Sisa.

Don Tiburcio de Espadaa A Spanish quack doctor who is weak and

submissive to his pretentious wife, Doa Victorina.

Teniente Guevara - a close friend of Don Rafael Ibarra. He reveals to

Crisstomo how Don Rafael Ibarra's death came about.

Alfonso Linares A distant nephew of Tiburcio de Espadaa, the would-be

fianc of Mara Clara. Although he presented himself as a practitioner of law, it was
later revealed that he is, like Don Tiburcio, a fraud. He later died from medications
Don Tiburcio had given him.

Ta Isabel Capitn Tiago's cousin, who helped raise Mara Clara and served as
a surrogate mother figure.

Governor-General (Gobernador-Heneral) Unnamed in the novel, he is the

most powerful colonial official in the Philippines. He harbours great disdain for the
friars and corrupt officials, and sympathises with Ibarra.

Don Filipo Lino vice mayor of the town of San Diego, leader of the liberals.

Padre Manuel Martn he is the linguist curate of a nearby town who delivers
the sermon during San Diego's fiesta.

Don Rafael Ibarra the deceased father of Crisstomo Ibarra. Though he was
the richest man in San Diego, he was also the most virtuous and generous.

Doa Pa Alba wife of Capitn Tiago and mother of Mara Clara, she had died
giving birth to her daughter. In reality, she was raped by Padre Dmaso.

Don Pedro Eibarramendia - Crisstomo Ibarra's Basque great-grandfather who

falsely accused Elias's grandfather and ruined his family. The surname was later
shortened to Ibarra, hence Elias does not realize the relationship at first.

SUMMARY
The young and idealistic Juan Crisostomo Ibarra returns home after seven years in
Europe. The wealthy meztizo, like his father Don Rafael endeavors for reform primarily
in the area of education in order to eliminate poverty and improve the lives of his
countrymen. Upon learning about his fathers demise and the denial of a Catholic burial
for his father Ibarra was provoked to hit Padre Damaso which eventually lead to his
excommunication. The excommunication was later rescinded upon the intervention of
the Governor General.

Padre Salvi, Ibarras mortal enemy accused Ibarra of insurrection. Ibarras letter to his
beloved Maria Clara was used against him. Later in the story, Maria Clara will tell Ibarra
that she did not conspire to indict him. She was compelled to give Ibarras letter in
exchange for the letters of her mother before she was born. Maria Clara found out that
the letters of her mother were addressed to Padre Damaso about their unborn child
which means that she is the biological daughter of the priest and not of her father,
Capitan Tiago.
Meanwhile, Ibarra was able to escape the prison with Elias, who also experienced
injustice with the authorities. Ibarra was able to speak with Maria Clara about the letters
and thereafter forgave her. Ibarra and Elias flee to the lake and were chased by the
Guardia Civil. One was shot and the other survives. Upon hearing the news, Maria
Clara believed that Ibarra was dead; she entered the nunnery instead of marrying
Alfonso Linares.
The fatally wounded Elias found the child Basilio and his dead mother Sisa. The latter
was driven to insanity when she learned that her children were implicated for theft by
the sacristan mayor. Elias instructed Basilio to dig for his and Sisas graves and there is
a buried treasure which he can use for his education.
Noli Me Tangere brilliantly described Philippine society with its memorable characters.
The melancholic fate of Maria Clara and the insanity of Sisa characterized the countrys
pitiful state, which was once beautiful, turned miserable. Reading Noli Me Tangere will
open ones mind about oppression and tyranny.
REFLECTION
Before, I thought that the hardship and misery experienced by the Filipinos in the
time of Jose Rizal was simply caused by the friars and Spanish officials. Its not as
simple as that in Noli Me Tangere. There was an interplay of the above factors: Yes,
many of the friars were corrupt, hypocritical, and abusive, but many of the common
people were not entirely blameless. Many of the latter were ignorant of their own
religion; they held superstitious beliefs alongside Catholic beliefs, even if the two are
incompatible. Many were also fond of gambling: For example, Sisas husband. His
addiction to cock-fighting left him and his family constantly in want of money, so that
Sisa had to compensate by working long hours and sending her two sons to the parish
house to work under extremely harsh and unjust circumstances. If her husband was
more decent and responsible, Sisas sons wouldve been spared and her sanity
unharmed. So, their family wouldve stayed intact. Many of the Filipinos were also
passive and cowardly. When they witnessed injustices done to their fellow indios, they
did nothing out of fear.
I think that the Noli does not really indict religion, or Catholicism, itself. It only
brings out as ugly, dangerous, and destructive corruption and hypocrisy.