CHAPTER 61

"The Chase on the Lake"

PERSONAL REFLECTION

My Personal Reflection about this Chapter 61 of Noli Me Tangere is this

novel has a lot of symbolic and actual events, which opened the Filipinos' eyes to
begin the revolution and overthrow the Spanish colonizers during the Spanish
Colonization. I noticed that every individual in the Noli Me Tangere position
represents various roles of fighting for the country's freedom in the Philippine Society.
The characters that showed in this chapter that has various roles and have symbolic
meaning are Crisostomo Ibarra, Elias, and all Filipinos.

Dr. Jose Rizal represented his personality as a wealthy individual, but a

rebellious one. In this Chapter, he is also known as Crisostomo Ibarra who fought for
the independence of the Spaniards when Elias was poor and oppressed by the
Spaniards but had given his life to escape from Chrisostomo as Crisostomo felt he had
a better opportunity to fight against the Spanish. I noticed the Crisostomo ibarra 's
change of heart and his readiness to die for his country confirm his rightness. He now
knows how high the stakes are, that he suffered from the hands of the ruling powers
of the Philippines.

When Elias shows his willingness to endanger himself for Ibarra, I find it
revealing that he is truly good and loyal to his friend. When contemplating this
fidelity, it is important to note that Ibarra's great-grandfather dishonored the family of
Elias and forced them to live in poverty for generations to come. In the same way that
Elias has a complicated relationship with his country, feeling that he must struggle for
it despite the fact that he can not "love" or "be happy" in it. He has a strained
relationship with Ibarra, whom he both resents and respects. As for me, Elias refusal
to leave the country demonstrates that, at least at some stage, he knows the futility of
isolation. Indeed, he knows that it is better to "suffer and die" in the war against
injustice than to distance oneself permanently from one's own country. My heart was
touched when Elias say this line to Ibarra "It’s true that I cannot love or be happy in
my country, but I can suffer and die in it, and perhaps for it—that is always something.
May the misfortunes of my native land be my own misfortunes and, although no
noble sentiment unites us, although our hearts do not beat to a single name, at least
may the common calamity bind me to my countrymen, at least may I weep over our
sorrows with them, may the same hard fate oppress all our hearts alike!" and when
Ibarra asked Elias "Then why you advice me to go away?" Elias answered it "Because
in some other country you could be happy while I could not, because you are not
made to suffer, and because you would hate your country if some day you should see
yourself ruined in its cause, and to hate one’s native land is the greatest of calamities."
In that moment, it become remarkable to me.