Textual Analysis of Noli Me

Tangere
The Author and the Novel’s style, Title,
Cover, Preface, Theme, Characters, Plot,
Point of Conflict and Denouement
Technique refers to the method and devices that the author uses; style
refers to language.

THE AUTHOR AND THE NOVEL’S

STYLE
• The Noli me tángere can be regarded as a
historical novel, as it has mostly fictional
characters but also historical persons like Father
Burgos who lived in actual places within a social
system that was then typical of a colonized land.

• Admittedly, Rizal exaggerated a bit, as in his

portrayal of characters like the friars Damaso,
Salvi, and Sibyla; the two women who were
preoccupied with prayers and novenas, and, the
Espadañas but, on the whole, the novel follows
the basic rules of realism.
• Humor worked best where a more
serious presentation of the general
practices of religion during that time
(and even up to present time) would
have given the novel a darker and
pessimistic tone.

• Rizal’s description of the lavish fiesta

showed the comic antics at church and
the ridiculous expense for one day of
festivities.
TITLE
 Noli me tángere
• Literally translated, the Latin words “noli me
tángere” means, “touch me not”
• Taken from John 20:17 when Mary Magdalene
holds on to Jesus and he tells her not to touch
him.

John 20:17
Jesus said to her: “Stop clinging to me. For I have
not yet ascended to the Father . But be on your
way to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am
ascending to my Father and to your Father and
to my God and your God.”
COVER
CROSS- sufferings

POMELO BLOSSOMS AND LAUREL LEAVES-

honor and fidelity

SILHOUETTE OF A FILIPINA- Maria Clara

BURNING TORCH- rage and passion

SUNFLOWERS- enlightenment

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

WHIPS- cruelties

HELMET OF THE GUARDIA CIVIL-

arrogance of those in authority
At the top, all that is best in Philippine life: woman, symbolizing
constancy, religious faith symbolized by the tombstone, with a laurel
(courage) and the flower of the pomelo, worn by bride and groom at
a wedding and symbolizing purity.
The words partly covered by the title are the secret, inner dedication
by Rizal to his parents, the complete text being probably:
‘A mis P(adres.) al escribir e(sta obra he estado) pensando
continuamente e(n vosotros que me) habeis
infundido los (primeros pensamientos) y las primeras ideas; a
(vosotros os dedi)co este manuscrito de me (joventud com p)rueba
de amor.
Berlin, (21 de Febrero de) 1887.
To the left of the title, the flower mirasol, representing youth
seeking the sun.
The author's name, meaning the green of renewal, mounting up into
the green of the most enduring of all Philippine trees, the bamboo.
At the bottom, all that is worst in Philippine life: the helmet of the
Civil Guard, the whip and instruments of torture, and the foot of a
friar.
 Preface
• In the preface of his novel Rizal promises “to
reproduce the condition (of the country)
faithfully, without discrimination”. He wants to
sacrifice “to truth everything”.
• Rizal wrote in his dedication page in the Noli me
tángere, “I will strive to reproduce thy condition
faithfully, without discriminations; I will raise a
part of the veil that covers the evil…”
• He clearly stated his intention of giving an
accurate picture of the conditions in the
Philippines at the time, and this gives the reader
a good idea what the main theme would be.
Theme as an element of fiction is the idea that runs through the whole
novel, repeated again and again in various forms and ways.

THEME
• The theme of ‘Noli me Tangere’ comes from
the Gospel of John. John tells that when Jesus
showed himself after the Resurrection, it was
first to Mary Magdalene.
• Jesus called her and she turned round and
saw him. But Jesus did not want her to touch
him. He said literally to her, “Do not cling to
me, because I have not yet ascended to the
Father.
• But go to the brothers and tell them: I am
ascending to my father and your Father, my
God and your God.”
• The ‘Noli me Tangere’ or ‘Touch me not’ is a symbol
of the need for distance.
• The ‘Noli me Tangere’ is a similar theme of longing
and unfulfilment.
• There is no more tragic love and of course no
greater love than of two beings unable to reach
each other, since such a love eternally remains
unblemished.
• Rizal's book persistently unmasks contemporary
Spaniards in the Philippines of every kind.
• He exposes corruption and brutality of the civil
guards which drive good men to crime and banditry.
Within the plot are episodes and images, which may not have
improved the unity and sequence of the story, but effectively carry
out Rizal's purposes in writing it.
The scene in the cockpit sarcastically portrays the humiliating
effects of the Filipinos' passion for gambling.
The vivid All Soul's Day dialogue of the Tertiaries on the gaining of
indulgence is a condemnation of fanaticism and superstition.
The fiesta sermon of Father Dámaso eloquently protests against
the alleged hypocrisies and tyranny of the friars. In these episodes
perhaps, rather than in the novel as a whole, lie the book's power.
The discussions of Elias and Ibarra disclose possible solutions, and
though Rizal is against a bloody revolution, he states that it is
inevitable if radical reforms are not forthcoming.
• He focuses on an administration crawling with self-
seekers, out to make their fortune at the expense of the
Filipinos, so that the few officials who are honest and
sincere are unable to overcome the treacherous
workings of the system, and their efforts to help the
country often end up in frustration or in self-ruin.
• The Noli is Rizal's exposé of corrupt friars who have
made the Catholic religion an instrument for enriching
and perpetuating themselves in power by seeking to
mire ignorant Filipinos in fanaticism and superstition.
• According to Rizal, instead of teaching Filipinos true
Catholicism, they control the government by opposing
all progress and persecuting members of the ilustrado
unless they make themselves their servile flatterers.
 Rizal does not, however, spare his fellow
countrymen.

The 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 and disclosed.
• Rizal nevertheless balances the national portrait by
highlighting the virtues and good qualities of his
unspoiled countryman:
– the modesty and devotion of the Filipina, the unstinting
hospitality of the Filipino family,
– the devotion of parents to their children and children to
their parents,
– the deep sense of gratitude, and
– the solid common sense of the untutored peasant.
• It calls on the Filipino to recover his self-confidence, to
appreciate his own worth, to return to the heritage of
his ancestors, and to assert himself as the equal of the
Spaniard.
• It insists on the need of education, of dedication to
the country, and of absorbing aspects of foreign
cultures that would enhance the native traditions."
 Major characters

CHARACTERS
• Ibarra (Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin)
Son of a Filipino businessman, Don Rafael Ibarra, he
studied in Europe for seven years. Ibarra is also María
Clara's fiancé. Upon his return, Ibarra requested the
local government of San Diego to construct a public
school to promote education in the town.

• María Clara (María Clara de los Santos y Alba)

She was raised by Capitán Tiago, San Diego's cabeza de
barangay and is the most beautiful and widely
celebrated girl in San Diego.
In the later parts of the novel, María Clara's identity was
revealed as an illegitimate daughter of Father Dámaso,
former parish curate of the town, and Doña Pía Alba,
wife of Capitán Tiago. In the end she entered local
covenant for nuns Beaterio de Santa Clara.
• Capitán Tiago (Don Santiago de los Santos)
is a Filipino businessman and the cabeza de barangay or head of
barangay of the town of San Diego. He is also the known father of
María Clara. He is also said to be a good Catholic, friend of the Spanish
government and was considered as a Spanish by colonialists. Capitán
Tiago never attended school, so he became a domestic helper of a
Dominican friar who taught him informal education. He married Pía
Alba from Santa Cruz.
• Padre Dámaso (Dámaso Verdolagas)
is a Franciscan friar and the former parish curate of San Diego. He is
best known as a notorious character who speaks with harsh words and
has been a cruel priest during his stay in the town.
He is the real father of María Clara and an enemy of Crisóstomo's
father, Rafael Ibarra. Later, he and María Clara had bitter arguments
whether she would marry Alfonso Linares or go to a convent. At the
end of the novel, he is again re-assigned to a distant town and is found
dead one day.
• Elías
is Ibarra's mysterious friend and ally. Elías made his first appearance
as a pilot during a picnic of Ibarra and María Clara and her friends.
He wants to revolutionize the country and to be freed from Spanish
oppression.

• Filosofo Tacio(Pilosopo Tasyo)

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 Anastacio.
The educated inhabitants of San Diego labeled him as Filosofo Tacio
(Tacio the Sage) while others called him as Tacio el Loco (Insane
Tacio) due to his exceptional talent for reasoning.
 Sisa, Crispín, and Basilio

Sisa, Crispín, and Basilio represent a Filipino family persecuted by

the Spanish authorities.

• Narcisa or Sisa is the deranged mother of Basilio and Crispín.

Described as beautiful and young, although she loves her
children very much, she can not protect them from the
beatings of her husband, Pedro.
• Crispín is Sisa's 7-year-old son. An altar boy, he was unjustly
accused of stealing money from the church.
After failing to force Crispín to return the money he allegedly
stole, Father Salví and the head sacristan killed him.
• Basilio is Sisa's 10-year-old son. An acolyte tasked to ring the
church bells for the Angelus, he faced the dread of losing his
younger brother and falling of his mother into insanity.
OTHER CHARACTERS
• Padre Hernando 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 Crisóstomo Ibarra.
• Padre Bernardo Salví – the Franciscan curate of San Diego, secretly
harboring lust for María Clara. He is described to be very thin and sickly.
It is also hinted that his last name, "Salvi" is the shorter form of "Salvi"
meaning Salvation, or "Salvi" is short for "Salvaje" meaning bad hinting
to the fact that he is willing to kill an innocent child, Crispin, just to get
his money back, though there was not enough evidence that it was
Crispin who has stolen his 2 onzas.
• El Alférez or Alperes – chief of the Guardia Civil. Mortal enemy of the
priests for power in San Diego and husband of Doña Consolacion.
• Doña Consolacíon – wife of the Alférez, nicknamed as la musa de los
guardias civiles (The muse of the Civil Guards) or la Alféreza, was a
former laundrywoman who passes herself as a Peninsular; best
remembered for her abusive treatment of Sisa.
• Doña Victorina (Doña Victorina de los Reyes de Espadaña)
is an ambitious Filipina who classifies herself as a Spanish and
mimics Spanish ladies by putting on heavy make-up.
• Don Tiburcio de Espadaña – Spanish Quack Doctor who is limp
and submissive to his wife, Doña Victorina.
• Teniente Guevara - a close friend of Don Rafael Ibarra. He
reveals to Crisóstomo how Don Rafael Ibarra's death came
about.
• Alfonso Linares – A distant nephew of Tiburcio de Espanada,
the would-be fiancé of María Clara. Although he presented
himself as a practitioner of law, it was later revealed that he,
just like Don Tiburcio, is a fraud. He later died due to given
medications of Don Tiburcio.
• Tía Isabel - Capitán Tiago's cousin, who raised Maria Clara.
• Governor General (Gobernador Heneral) – Unnamed person in
the novel, he is the most powerful official in the Philippines.
He has great disdains against the friars and corrupt officials,
and sympathizes Ibarra.
• Don Filipo Lino – vice mayor of the town
of San Diego, leader of the liberals.
• Padre Manuel Martín - he is the linguistic
curate of a nearby town, who says the
sermon during San Diego's fiesta.
• Don Rafael Ibarra - father of Crisóstomo
Ibarra. Though he is the richest man in San
Diego, he is also the most virtuous and
generous.
• Dona Pía Alba - wife of Capitan Tiago and
mother of María Clara. She died giving
These characters were mentioned in the novel, appeared once,
mentioned many times or have no major contribution to the storyline.

NON-RECURRING CHARACTERS
• Don Pedro Eibarramendia - the great-grandfather of
Crisóstomo Ibarra who came from the Basque area of Spain.
He started the misfortunes of Elias' family.
His descendants abbreviated their surname to Ibarra. He
died of unknown reasons, but was seen as a decaying corpse
on a Balite Tree.
• Don Saturnino Ibarra - the son of Don Pedro, father of Don
Rafael and grandfather of Crisóstomo Ibarra. He was the one
who developed the town of San Diego. He was described as
a cruel man but was very clever.
• Salomé - Elías' sweetheart. She lives in a little house by the
lake, and though Elías 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.
• Sinang - Maria Clara's friend. Because Crisóstomo Ibarra
offered half of the school he was building to Sinang, he
gained Capitan Basilio's support.
• Iday, Andeng and Victoria - Maria Clara's other friends.
• Capitán Basilio - Sinang's father, leader of the conservatives.
• Pedro – the abusive husband of Sisa who loves cockfighting.
• Tandáng Pablo – The leader of the tulisanes (bandits), whose family
was destroyed because of the Spaniards.
• El hombre amarillo (apparently means "yellowish person", named as
Taong Madilaw) - One of Crisostomo Ibarra's would-be assassins. He
is not named in the novel, and only described as such. In the novel, he
carved the cornerstone for Ibarra's school. Instead of killing Ibarra, he
was killed by his cornerstone.
• Lucas - the brother of the taong madilaw. He planned a revolution
against the government with Ibarra as the leader after he was turned
down by Ibarra. He was said to have a scar on his left cheek. He would
later be killed by the Sakristan Mayor.
• Bruno and Tarsilo – a pair of brothers whose father was killed by the
Spaniards.
• Ñor Juan (Ñol Juan) - appointed as foreman of
the school to be built by Ibarra
• Capitana Tika - Sinang's mother and wife of
Capitan Basilio.
• Albino - a former seminarian who joined the
picnic with Ibarra and María Clara. Was later
captured during the revolution.
• Capitana María Elena - a nationalist woman who
defends Ibarra of the memory of his father.
• Capitán Tinong and Capitán Valentín - other
known people from the town of San Diego.
• Sacristán Mayor - The one who governs the altar
boys and killed Crispín for his accusation.
PLOT
• 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 death of Ibarra’s 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 feelings—one paternal, the other
carnal—for Maria Clara, Ibarra’s sweetheart
and rich Capitan Tiago’s beautiful daughter,
steel their determination to spoil Ibarra’s
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.
• Using satire brilliantly, Rizal creates other memorable
characters whose lives manifest the poisonous effects
of religious and colonial oppression.
• Capitan Tiago; the social climber Doña Victorina de
Espadaña 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.
POINT OF CONFLICT
• 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.
• Ibarra’s 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 Elias’s 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 Ibarra’s 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 country’s condition, at once
beautiful and miserable.
 Crisostomo Ibarra
• As the protagonist of the novel, Crisostomo Ibarra is
the character in whose character the main conflict
resides. It is easy enough to identify the external
conflicts:
Ibarra versus the society of his time -- its values and
its prejudices;
Ibarra versus Father Damaso and, indirectly, with the
other friars;
Ibarra versus Kapitan Tiago whose very strong sense
of self-preservation puts him in direct conflict with
the love between Maria Clara and Ibarra.
 Maria clara
• Maria Clara did not really resolve the conflicts
within her; she chose to escape, by entering the
convent as a nun.
• Rightly or wrongly, Maria Clara has been held as the
ideal Filipina which, perhaps, is the reason why
many Filipinas prefer to be or pretend to prefer
being a Maria Clara type with all its dubious
virtues.
• Many had used the convent as an escape from a
world that could not give them happiness or the
fulfilment they crave.
 Other confilicts
• Other conflicts, mostly internal reside in other
characters such as Sisa, Doña Victorina, Doña
Consolacion, and Elias. However, the more
internal conflict within Ibarra is the more
interesting one, as it expresses the dilemma of
present-day Filipinos: the conflict between
traditional values and one’s personal values
that had been developed through time.
the final part of a play, film, etc. in which matters are explained or
resolved.

DENOUEMENT
• Interestingly, Maria Clara’s escapism was revealed in
the Epilogue when two patrolmen who sought
shelter from a storm under the eaves near the
nunnery.
• They saw “a white figure standing almost on the
ridge of the roof with arms and face raised toward
the sky as if praying to it”. She escaped a problem
through religion that was itself a part of that
problem.
• Ibarra’s 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 Elias’s
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 Ibarra’s 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 country’s
condition, at once beautiful and
miserable.