Aspect of Society Rizal’s Observations as Depicted in the Noli
Government and Officials
Church and Religion
Your Observations in the Present Context
• As observed in the Noli, the government
and its officials were filled with self-serving
people, to the detriment of the populace.
Because of this fact, honest officials were few
and far between, and with these kinds of
politicians, corruption became rampant. It is
also worth noting that with the position and
power government officials held, they had
the capacity to abuse people, they also had
the means to silence people whom they
believe as a threat to their rule and their
wrongdoings. As portrayed, the government
at that time really was cruel and capitalized
on their power to amass personal gain.
• Friars at that time had a tremendous
amount of power. They used that kind of
power and the Catholic Church in order to
accumulate wealth, through whatever means
and also accumulate more power aside from
being in the position of a friar. As depicted in
the Noli, they would control people using
atrocious means such as excommunication,
punishment, and accusations of heresy.
Despite government officials also having
considerable power, the church had more
control over the people, the church also had
control over them as well. It is an unfortunate
reality that throughout the history of
colonization, religion was used to control the
colonized and the same can be said in the
• In the present time, due to more
limitations, especially from the law, I can
concur that the percentage of government
officials that are corrupt are far lesser than
before but that does not mean that there is
no corruption and abuse that occur.
Corruption and abuse seem to be the
recurring theme of Philippine politics. May it
be elitism, the disregard of those that they
rule, kleptocracy, it still is a rampant issue in
society. It is also worth noting the silencing of
the people as depicted in the Noli, wherein
freedom of speech is sometimes
compromised, like the issue between Duterte
and Maria Ressa of Rappler sometime ago
and various other journalists or those that
criticize those in power.
• Overtime, the church has declined in
power, and such, to some degree, it cannot
be used to control or abuse people anymore,
and also the kinds of atrocious things the
church or the friars used to do, do not exist in
the present time or at least close to zero. And
as opposed from that time wherein the
church controlled the government, and one
could argue that they are the government
itself, Philippine law, specifically Article II,
Section 6 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution
says that “The separation of Church and State
shall be inviolable.” Meaning that the church
can have opinions and can sway people but it
cannot control the state and have the final
say and vice-versa.
 context of these times as well with regards to
Noli. The Spanish used religion to rule and
govern and to control, even using it for
plenary indulgence and simony.
Education • As depicted, in those times, education was
a privilege, more so than in the present as
the opportunities for acquiring one was
unequal and higher education was really
limited. And if one could have an education,
especially an indio, school life would be
marked with discrimination. And as such, due
to the various limitations that existed,
education was poor in the country. Buildings
for school were not enough because, as we
all know, friars embezzle funds for their
personal benefit.
Romantic Relationships • The novel portrays romantic relationships
in a traditional and conservative sense with
regards to gender roles. The traditional
Filipina was expected to play hard-to-get,
shyness, modesty, reserved, “mahinhin”. The
men were expected to gain the approval of
the family members of the girl first before
the two of them go out or get married.
During Rizal’s time on Noli, it is more on
arranged marriage, where social status was
put into great importance when choosing a
lover.
• In the present times, education is not as
limited as before. Even though one can be
hindered by their situation in life, especially
financially, schools do not discriminate in
accepting students from all walks of life, do
not discriminate in race, of course without
accounting the factor of intelligence.
Nowadays, there are schools even at remote
areas, albeit still lacking. Compared to the
education then, education nowadays has
progressed into a more accepting and
inclusive system.
• The Filipino customs of dating, just like the
times, have also changed. From traditional
gender roles to the mode of courtship. One
thing that has changed is that the “traditional
Filipina” has now practically vanished, I can
imagine that there are very few Filipinas that
fit the mold of the traditional Filipina, the
same as with the “traditional Filipino”. It can
be noted that the traditional Filipina would
play hard-to-get, while some do exist that do
that, some also go for the first move. And
also, if a man, as the novel portrays needed
to court the family first before going out on a
date, nowadays, people can date whenever
they like, but it is still appreciated for
courtship to be done within the volition of
the parents or at the house of the courted
out of respect for the parents. It is also

Pastimes/Hobbies • It can be noted in the novel that drinking
coffee, reading books, hanging out with
friends, chores, and etc. have been some of
the hobbies and pastimes that can be found.
It can also be added that the rich and the
privileged ones oftentimes throw parties and
social activities, mostly limited to their social
strata.
The Rich and the Poor • There exists, more prominent in this time
the social reality of the poor keep getting
poorer and the rich keep getting richer. It was
described in the novel of how the rich
conspire with the friars or the church in order
to get in on the atrocities committed by the
church like exploitation and abuse, with the
poor being on the other end of those
important to take account of the technology
nowadays, wherein people could meet up,
even date online, where arranged marriage is
rare and social status may be a factor, but it
is not truly a huge factor like in the past, and
the overall mindset has changed. That truly is
the main difference. Also, nowadays same-
sex couples have been mostly accepted by
society with regards to the traditional
conservative mindset of the abhorrence of
same-sex couples, which I can say is a great
thing.
• Hobbies nowadays can take on many forms,
many of which were not available in the past
in the context of the times of Rizal. The major
difference is the technology. Some people
center their hobbies and the things that they
enjoy using technology, like playing games,
watching movies or series, and etc. It can also
be said that the hobbies and pastimes are
more diverse than the past as more people
can learn about different hobbies due to the
plethora of information available, people can
also have access to hobbies that are in the
past only made for or available for people
within a certain social strata.
• It is truly tiring to hear the statement that
the poor keep getting poorer and the rich
keep getting richer. But we hear that all the
time because it is a social reality. One that
has also withstood the test of time just like
corruption. The rich have more opportunities.
Realistically, even if it is reduced to some
degree compared to the past, the rich still
 atrocities being committed. Power is
concentrated on the rich as they have money
and have connections with the friars and the
church, and the poor little to no power or
privilege at all.
Life in the City • The city that is referenced or mentioned in
the novel is Manila. . It is the trading center
of the country. It is presented in the novel
that life in the city was much better than in
the province. It was also portrayed that the
city is like the microcosm of the Philippine
society wherein the social and political
hierarchy exist.
have more power than the poor. While the
poor have more freedom, more rights, and
privilege, oftentimes, they get trampled by
the rich.
• Just like in the past in the context of the
novel where life in the city was glorified as
being better than in the province, nowadays,
the same mindset applies, too. Most people
want to live in cities because of the various
opportunities that can be found, as opposed
to the limited ones in the province. People
would always look for “greener pasture” and
most think they can find it in a city. While it
has its pros, it also has its cons. Life in the city
is hectic; it can be hard. One needs to be
prepared to live in a city. And just like in the
past, a city is a microcosm wherein social and
political hierarchy exist in one location.