Lesson 12: The Novel: Noli Me Tangere

          As a man obsessed with freedom and liberty for the Filipino people, Rizal
proposed a book writing project to the Filipino members of the Circulo Hispano Filipino.
The book would deal on the   socio-cultural and political aspects of life in the
Philippines. When details were discussed during the meeting, most of the member
wanted to write about the characters and activities of the Filipino women. Most of them
were not interested in Rizal’s proposed project. With this Rizal decided to write the book
by himself. He did not lose hope, using his talent and writing skills he started to write his
masterpiece the, “Noli me Tangere”. He joined the brotherhood of Masons for more
mature contacts and enlightenment in complete the book.

         He managed to finish the first half of the Noli me Tangere in Madrid. He continued
writing in Paris where he was inspired through the immortal declaration of the rights of
man, that had been passed and being implemented. He finished it in Germany where
scientific research and philosophy were free from the church and state control.

         The Noli Me Tangere was printed in berlin because Rizal was short of funds. He
was charged P300.00 for 2000 copies. His friend Maximo Viola offered to pay the
amount and the book was finally released in March 1887.

          Rizal studied Hebrew to enable him to interpret the Bible in its original text and
be better prepared to defend any controversial religious issues that Noli Me Tangere
might arise. He had translated some passage from the Bible that he used in his book.

          “Noli Me Tangere” is a Latin phrase that Rizal took from the Bible, meaning
“Touch Me Not” In John 20:13-17, 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 ascend undo my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.”

          Noli Me Tangere (The Social Cancer as the alternative English title) is a Spanish-
language novel written by Dr. Jose P. Rizal that is credited with the awakening of
nationalism among the Filipinos of Rizal’s time. It was published in 1887 in Berlin. The
novel is commonly referred to by its shortened name Noli. The English translation of
Charles Derbyshire was titled The Social Cancer, although some other translation retains
the original Latin.

Summary of Noli Me Tangere

         Having completed his studies in Europe, young Juan Crisostomo Ibarra came back
to the Philippines after a 7-year absence. In his honor, Captain Tiago threw a get-
together party, which was attended by friars and other prominent figures. In an
unfortunate incident, former curate Father Damaso belittled and slandered Ibarra. But
Ibarra brushed off the insult and took no offense, he instead politely excused himself
and left the party because of an allegedly important task.

         The day after the humble party, Ibarra went to see Maria Clara, his love interest, a
beautiful daughter of Captain Tiago and an affluent resident of Binondo, Manila. Their
long-standing love was clearly manifested in this meeting, and Maria Clara cannot help
but reread the letters her sweetheart had written her before he went to Europe. Before
Ibarra left for San Diego, Liuetenant Guevarra, a Guardia Civil, revealed to him the
incidents preceding the death of his father, Don Rafael Ibarra, a rich haciendero of the
town.

          According to the Lieutenant, Don Rafael was unjustly accused of being a heretic.
In addition to being a filibuster-an allegation brought forth by Father Damaso because
of Don Rafael’s non-participation in the Sacraments, such as Confession and Mass.
Father Damaso’s animosity against Ibarra’s father was aggravated by another incident
when Don Rafael helped out on a fight between a tax collector and a student fighting,
and the former’s death was blamed on him, although it was not deliberate. Suddenly, all
of those who thought ill of him surfaced with additional complaints. He was imprisoned,
and just when the matter was almost settled, he got sick and died in jail. Still not content
with what he had done, Father Damaso arranged for Don Rafael’s corpse to be dug up
and transferred from the Catholic cemetery to the Chinese cemetery, because he
thought it inappropriate to allow a heretic such as Don Rafael a Catholic burial ground.
Unfortunately, it was raining and because of the bothersome weight of the cadaver, the
men in charge of the burial decided to throw the corpse into lake.

          Revenge was not in Ibarra’s plans; instead he carried thought his father’s plan of
putting up a school, since he believed that education would pave the way to his
country’s progress (all over the novel the author refers to both Spain and the Philippines
as two different countries which form part of a same nation or family, being Spain the
mother and the Philippines the daughter). During the inauguration of the school, Ibarra
would have been killed in a sabotage had Elias-a mysterious man who had warned
Ibarra earlier of a plot to assassinate him-not saved him. Instead the hired killer met an
unfortunate incident and died. The sequence of events proved to be too traumatic for
Maria Clara who got seriously ill but was luckily cured by the medicine Ibarra sent her.

          After the inauguration, Ibarra hosted a luncheon during which Father Damaso,
uninvited and gate-crashing the luncheon, again insulted him. Ibarra ignored the priest’s
insolence, but when the latter slandered the memory of his dead father, he was no
longer able to restrain himself and lunged at Father Damaso, prepared to stab the latter
for his imprudence. As a consequence, Father Damaso excommunicated Ibarra. Father
Damaso took this opportunity to persuade the already-hesitant father of Maria Clara to
forbid his daughter from marrying Ibarra. The friar wished to marry a Peninsular named
Linares who has arrived from Spain.

          With the help of Captain-General, Ibarra’s excommunication was nullified and the
Archbishop decided to accept him as a member of the Church once again. But, as fate
would have it, some incident of which Ibarra had known nothing about nothing was
blamed on him, and he was wrongly arrested and imprisoned. But the accusation
against him was overruled because during the litigation that followed, nobody could
testify that he was indeed involved. Unfortunately, his letter to Maria Clara somehow got
into the hands of the jury and was manipulated such that it then became evidence
against him.

         Meanwhile, in Captain Tiago’s residence, a party was being held to announce the
upcoming wedding of Maria Clara and Linares. Ibarra, with the help of Elias, took this
opportunity and escaped from prison. But before leaving, Ibarra talked to Maria Clara
and accused her for betraying him, thinking that she gave the letter to wrote her to the
jury. Maria Clara explained to Ibarra that she will never conspire against him but that she
was forced to surrender Ibarra’s letter to her in exchange for the letters written by her
mother even before she, Maria Clara, was born. The child and that she, Maria Clara, was
therefore not the daughter of Captain Tiago, but of Father Damaso.

          Afterwards, Ibarra and Elias bounded a boat and left the palace. Elias instructed
Ibarra to lie down and the former covered the latter with grass to conceal the latter’s
presence. As luck would have it, they were spotted by their enemies. Elias thought he
could outsmart them and jumped into the water. The guards rain shots on the person in
the water, all the while not knowing that they were aiming at the wrong man.

          Maria Clara, thinking that Ibarra has been killed in the shooting incident, was
greatly overcome with grief. Robbed of hope and severe disillusion, she asked Father
Damaso to confine her into a nunnery. Father Damaso reluctantly agreed when Maria
Clara threatened to take her own life, demanding, “the nunnery or death!” Unbeknown
to her, Ibarra is still alive and able to escape. It was Elias who had taken the shots. It was
Christmas Eve when Elias woke up in the forest, gravely wounded and barely alive. It was
in the forest that Elias found Basilio and his lifeless mother, Sisa.

          Noli Me Tangere was Rizal’s first novel. He was 26 at its publication. This book was
historically significant and was instrumental in establishing the Filipino’s sense of
national identity. The book indirectly influenced a revolution although the author, Jose
Rizal, actually advocated for direct representation to the Spanish government and larger
role of the Philippines inside the Spanish political affairs. The novel was written in
Spanish, the language of the educated at a time when Filipinos were makedly
segregated by diverse native languages and regional.

          The novel created so much controversy that only a few days after his arrival,
Governor-General Emilio Terrero summoned him to the Macanang Palace and told him
of the charges saying that his Noli Me Tangere was full of subversive ideas. After a
discussion, the liberal Governor General was appeased; but he mentioned that he was
unable to offer resistance against the pressure of the Chruch to act against the book.
The persecution can be discerned from Rizal’s letter to Ferdinand Blumentritt in
Leitmeritz.

 “My book made a lot of noise: everywhere. I am asked about it. They wanted to
excommunicate me because of it… I am considered a German spy, an agent of Bismarck,
they say I am a Protestant, a freemason, a sorcerer, a denied soul and evil. It is whispered
that I want to draw plans, that I have a foreign reason and that I wander through the
streets by night…”

          The book was instrumental in creating a unified Filipino national identity and
consciousness, as many Filipinos previously identified with their respective regions to
the advantage of the Spanish authorities. It lampooned, caricatured and exposed various
elements in the colonial society.