Sangguyo, Esmeralda R.

Serrano, Rheymond Rhoy M.

Noli Me Tangere
I.

Context
Noli Me Tangere is the first novel that Jose Rizal wrote. Noli Me Tangere in
English is Touch Me Not. The novel was written in Spanish language. Rizal
started writing Noli in Madrid and before he left Madrid, he already finished half of
it. He finished of the novel in Paris. He finished the novel when he is in
Wilhelmsfeld. He published Noli Me Tangere in Berliner Buchdruckrei-AkteinGesselschaft. He paid 300 pesos for 200 copies. The novel created many
controversies. The Church took action against Rizal and banned the book in the
Philippines. The novel exposes corruption and abuse of the government and
church. The novel became an instrument to help the Filipinos realize the abuse
and discover their love for their own country.

II.

Plot Overview

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was later rescinded upon the intervention of the Governor General.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.
III.

List of Characters
Juan Crisostomo Ibarra y Magsalin
- Commonly referred to the novel as Ibarra or Crisostomo.
- He is the protagonist in the story.
- Young and rich Filipino who had return after seven years of study in Europe.
Maria Clara de los Santos y Alba
- Commonly referred to the novel as Maria Clara
- Ibarras fianc and the most beautiful and widely celebrated girl in San Diego.
Don Santiago de los Santos
- Known as Capitan Tiago.
- He is the known father of Maria Clara.
Doa Pia Alba
- Mother of Maria Clara, was raped by Padre Damaso.
Damaso Verdolagas
- Known as Padre Damaso
- Franciscan friar who speaks with harsh words and has been a cruel parish
priest for 20 years at San Diego (Calamba).
Padre Sybila
- Young Dominican parish priest of Binondo.
Padre Salvi
- Franciscan parish priest of San Diego when Juan Crisostomo Ibarra arived
from Europe.
Elias
- Ibarras mysterious friend.
- Wants to revolutionize the country and freed from Spanish oppression.
Pilosopo Tasyo
- His full name is only known as Don Anastacio.
- The educated people of San Diego called him Pilosopo Tasyo while others
called him Tacio el Loco (Insane Tacio) due to his exceptional talent for
reasoning.
Doa Victorina de Espadaa
- Ambitious Filipina who classifies herself as Spanish.

IV.

Don Tiburcio de Espadaa

- Fake Spanish physician, lame and henpecked husband of Doa Victorina de
Espadaa.
Don Alfonso Linares de Espadaa
- Cousin of Don Tiburcio and godson of Padre Damasos brother-in-law.
- Doa Victorina and Padre Damaso sponsored his wooing of Maria Clara but
he didnt succeed.
Sisa
- Formerly a rich girl but became poor when she married a gambler.
- She became insane when she looked for her two sons, Basilio and Crispin.
Crispin
- Sisas 7-year-old son.
- An altar boy, who was unjustly accused of stealing money from the church.
Basilio
- Sisas 10-year-old son.
- An acolyte tasked to ring the church bells for the Angelus.
Pedro
- Husband of Sisa who is a gambler.
Don Rafael Ibarra
- Father of Juan Crisostomo Ibarra
- He was imprisoned when he defended a helpless boy from brutality of an
illiterate Spanish tax collector.
Doa Consolacion
- Vulgar mistress of Spanish alferez.
Aunt Isabel
- Cousin of Capitan Tiago who took care of Maria Clara, after the death of
Doa Pia.
Siang, Victoria, Iday, Neneng
- Friends of Maria Clara.
Capitan Basilio
- Former gobernadorcillo and Siangs father.
Nor Juan
- Architect who supervise the construction of a schoolhouse which is a project
of Ibarra.
Balat
- Uncle of Elias
- Dreaded tulisan who terrorized the provinces but he was caught by the
authorities and his head was cut-off.
Analysis of Major Character
Juan Crisostomo Ibarra
Ibarra is Rizals reflection because Ibarra in the story studied in Europe as
Jose Rizal did. He also believes in the same ideas as of Rizal, that education is

very important. Upon his return from Europe, Ibarra requested the local
government of San Diego to construct a public school to promote education in
the town.

Maria Clara de los Santos y Alba

He was raised by Capitan Tiago but in the latter parts of the novel, the
letters of her mother Doa Pia Alba, revealed that Padre Damaso is her real
father. In the end, she entered Santa Clara nunnery.
Maria Clara was patterned to Leonor Rivera, Rizals first cousin and
childhood sweetheart; although in real life she became unfaithful, unlike the
heroine of the novel, and married an Englishman.

Don Santiago de los Santos

Capitan Tiago is the richest man in the region of Binondo and he
possessed real properties in Pampanga and Laguna de Bay. He is the known
father of Maria Clara and he is a good Catholic and a friend of Spanish
government.
Capitan Tiago in real life was Capitan Hilario Sunico of San Nicolas.

Damaso Verdolagas
Padre Damaso is best known as a notorious character who speaks with
harsh words and has been a cruel priest during his stay in San Diego. He is the
real father of Maria Clara and an enemy of Crisostomos father.
Padre Damaso portrays the domineering friar during the days of Rizal,
who was arrogant, immoral and anti-Filipino.

Elias
It was revealed in the novel that the family of Elias has been a victim of
Spanish oppression; his grandfather was wrongly accused of burning the
warehouse of a Spanish commercial firm which led into misfortune for Elias
family.
Elias represents Filipinos who have been aware of the defects of Spanish
government and wanted to revolutionize the country and freed from Spanish
oppression. Elias also represented Rizal.

Pilosopo Tasyo
He seeks 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 realize the abuses done
by conquerors.
Pilosopo Tasyo was Rizals elder brother, Paciano. Paciano is the one
Rizal always asked for advice and in the novel Ibarra consults Pilosopo Tasyo for
advice.

Doa Victorina de Espadaa

She uses the whole name Doa Victorina de los Reyes de de Espadaa,
with double de to emphasize her marriage surname.
Doa Victorina represents Filipinos who are ashamed of their own race.
Although she is a native Filipino, she looked down on her own people as inferior
beings. It was said that in real life she is Doa Agustina Medel.

Sisa, Basilio and Crispin

Sisa is a loving mother but she cannot protect her children from the
beatings of her husband. She is compared to our country, our motherland that is
maltreated and abused.
Basilio and Crispin, represents Filipino chidren who became victims of
abuses. Crispin was accused of stealing money and was killed. Basilio faced the
dread of losing his younger brother and falling of his mother into insanity. They
represent the Crisostomo brothers of Hagonoy.
Sisa, Basilio and Crispin represent Filipino family persecuted by the
Spanish authorities.

V.

Padre Salvi
He was identified by Rizalists as Padre Antonio Piernavieja, the hated
Agustinian friar in Cavite who was killed by the patriots during the revolution.
Theme Motifs and Symbols
The main theme of Noli Me Tangere is to gain Freedom from Spain. In
his novel he exposed the greed and cruelty of the government and church and
also the ignorance of the Filipinos to these events. Rizal used the idea of Social
Climbers. Rizal used characters such as Doa Victorina and Kapitan Tiago to
represent the various classes of society during the late 1800s in the Philippines.
In his novel, he showed how people tend to socialize with the higher classes of
the society in order to be classified as one of them or gain a favor from them.
Rizal also depicts Filipinos suffering from the government officers, Guardia Civil

and friars with their abusive powers. Using their power to mistreat civilians, the
civil guards harass them because of simple causes, such as not rendering the
customary salute, not being able to show identification cards, etc. The same
goes with friars who commercialize religion through simony and plenary
indulgence. Government officials, likewise, make use of their power to control
those whom they believe would be detrimental to the Spanish rule. Rizal also
included in his novel the theme the love for the family. He showed this through
Crisostomo Ibarra and Maria Clara. Self-sacrifice is also one of the themes of
Noli. It is shown by Sisa and her sacrifices for her children, Crispin and Basilio.
Purity and Faithfulness is also included in the novel. It is portrayed by Maria
Clara as she stayed faithful to her true love Crisostomo Ibarra until the end.
Lastly, Rizal wanted the Filipinos to have Patriotism. Portrayed by Crisostomo
Ibarra and Elias, these two men earnestly desire for independence from the
oppressors. Although different in their means for seeking reform, they both
profess their goals.
COVER SYMBOLS:

VI.

Cross: Sufferings

Pomelo Blossoms and Laurel Leaves: Honor and Fidelity

Silhouette of a Filipina: Maria Clara

Burning Torch: Rage and Passion

Sunflowers: Enlightenment especially the youth

Bamboo stalks that were cut down but grew back: Resilience
A man in a cassock with hairy feet: Priests using religion in a dirty way

Chains: Slavery

Whip: Cruelty

Helmet of Guardia Civil: Arrogance of those in authority

Executive Summary and Analysis

Noli Me Tangere revolves around Crisostomo Ibarra who, after a sevenyear stay in Europe to study, comes home to his town of San Diego, brimming
with the desire to contribute to the development of the townspeople. More
specifically, as a reformist, he aims to make education accessible to more
people. His idealism, however, cannot bear fruit because of insidious forces bent
on destroying him. Ibarra learns that his father, Don Rafael, had been embroiled
in a conflict with Padre Damaso, who eventually causes his humiliation and
death. It is not only political power that the friar wields; he has also used
power to seduce the mother of Maria Clara, Ibarras sweetheart. Ibarra has

another enemy in the person of Padre Salvi, who lusts after Maria Clara. It is
also Padre Salvi who almost causes Ibarras death at the groundbreaking
ceremonies for the school. Things come to a head when Ibarra is implicated in a
failed uprising instigated by Padre Salvi. The young man is imprisoned but is
eventually rescued by Elias, whose life Ibarra has saved in the past. As
the novel ends, the thoroughly disillusioned Ibarra sees a bleak future.
Its generally realistic perspective offers the reader a panoramic view of a
conflicted and deeply divided colonial society. The characters in the novel stand
out as recognizable types of individuals, both from the ruling class and the
oppressed, and the struggles they undergo are indices to the turbulent conflicts
in the 19th century. The novel is also significant for the specific ways in which it
has shaped the trajectory of realistic novels in English and Filipino.