Noli Me Tangere:

A Proposal on Writing a Novel about the Philippines

During the course of Rizal’s stay in several European cities, he noted
that Filipinos were practically an unknown nation (Guerrero, 1998). They were
mistaken for Chinese in Spain and Japanese in Paris. Thus, during Paris
Exposition of 1889, Rizal encouraged his fellow expatriates to call
themselves Indios Bravos for them to have a sense of national identity.
Realizing the need for the Filipinos and the country to be known in
Europe, Rizal presented a proposal on writing a novel about the Philippines to
the Circulo-Hispano Filipino on January 2, 1884. The members of the
association unanimously approved this proposal. Unfortunately, however, the
project did not materialize because those who were expected to collaborate
with Rizal did not write anything on the subject. In addition to this, many of his
fellow expatriates were indifferent to the project since they were more
interested to write about women. The project died a natural death owing to the
foregoing reasons.
One year after, Pedro Paterno published his novel entitled Ninay, with
its subtitle Costumbres Filipinas (Philippine Customs). Rizal was very happy,
considering that his purpose was partly fulfilled. Inasmuch as Paterno’s novel
delved only on one particular aspect of Filipino culture, Rizal became more
determined to write his own novel about the Philippines.
Ideas on Writing a Novel About the Philippines
One of the ideas that provided Rizal the motivation to write novel
about the Philippines was Luna’s Spolarium. For Rizal, Luna’s canvass
conveyed the plight of the vanquished and the pathetic suffering of the human
race. Moreover, the Spolarium was perceived by Rizal as a refelction of the
spirit of the social, moral, and political life of his time because it clearly
showed mankind under severe ordeal, mankind unredeemed, and reason and
aspiration in an open struggle with fanaticism and injustice. This made Rizal
write a novel depicting the country to be redeemed from bondage and
repression. The Noli Me Tangere can, therefore, be considered as Rizal’s
Spolarium.
Another source of idea for writing a novel about the Philippines was
the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (Zaide & Zaide, 1999).
This novel portrayed the brutalities committed by American slave-owners
against their Negro slaves. Owing to the beauty and literary style of this novel,
Rizal was able to fully comprehend the pathetic conditions of the Negro slaves.
Just like Luna’s Spolarium, this novel provided Rizal the springboard to write a
novel portraying vividly the miseries f the Filipinos under the oppressive rule
of the Spanish tyrants.
A third source of idea for a novel, Rizal was then conceptualizing was
the anti-electrical novel authored by Eugene Sue – The Wandering Dew
(Quirino, 1940). This novel made a great impression on Rizal. According to
Quirino, the literary form of the Wandering Jew could had probably been used
by Rizal as his model to arouse the feeling against the existing Philippine
situation and, at the same time, communicate to the Filipinos the ideas he
wanted them to embrace.
The Writing of the Noli Me Tangere
Rizal started writing the Noli Me Tangere in 1884, while he was
studying in Europe. He completed one half of the novel in Madrid. One-fourth
of the novel was written when he was at Paris, while the remaining one-fourth
was completed in Berlin, Germany on February 21, 1887. The novel came off
the press on March 21, 1877, with the financial assistance of Maximo Viola.
At the outset, the novel was untitled. Later on, he decided to call his
first literary masterpiece Noli Me Tangere. (Capino et al, 1977). The title can
be translated into English as “Touch Me Not.” The aforementioned label this
novel has a biblical basis, as those words were the ones uttered by Jesus
Christ to Mary Magdalene when the latter visited His tomb before sunrise of
Easter Sunday. Rizal deemed it appropriate to use the said title as his novel
contained delicate things nobody wanted to talk about or touch during his time.
He, therefore, trod where angels fear to tread by exposing the evils of the
Church and the State, which were hazardous to touch.
Why Rizal finally wrote the Noli Me Tangere can be gleaned from the
dedication of his novel, which runs as follows (Rizal, 1887):
TO MY FATHERLAND
Recorded in the history of sufferings is a cancer so malignant, a
character that the least touch irritates it and awakens in it the sharpest pains.
Thus, how many times, when in the midst of modern civilizations I have
wished to call thee before me, now to accompany me in memories, now to
compare thee with other countries, hath thy dear image presented itself
showing a cancer like to that other!
Desiring thy welfare, which is our own, and seeking the best treatment,
I will do with thee what the ancients did with their sick, exposing them on the
steps of the temple so that everyone who came to invoke the Divinity might
offer them a remedy.
And to this end, I will strive to reproduce thy condition faithfully,
without discriminations; I will raise a part of the veil that covers the evil,
sacrificing to truth everything, even vanity itself, since, as thy son I am
conscious that also suffer from thy defects and weaknesses.
In his letter to Hidalgo, Rizal pointed out his reasons for writing the
Noli (Schumacher, 1997). Part of this letter is reproduced below:
I have tried to do what no one has been willing to do; I have had to
reply to the calumnies, which for century have been shipped upon us, and our
country; I have described the state of our society; our life, our beliefs, our
hopes, our desires, our laments, and our grievances. I have unmasked the
hypocrisy, which, under the cloaked of religion, came among us to
impoverished us, to brutalize us; I have distinguished the true religion from the
false, from the superstitious, from what which traffics from the sacred word to
extract money, to make us believe in foolishness, which Catholicism would
blush at if it had knowledge of it. I have unveiled what lay hidden behind the
deceptive and brilliant words of our government; I have told our compatriots of
our faults, our vices, our culpable and shameful complacence with these
miseries.....The facts which I have related are all true and real; I can give
proof of them.
In the complementary copy Rizal sent Ferdinand Blumentritt, he again
started he’s reason for coming up with the Noli (National Centinial
Commission, 1961). A shown below.
I send you a book to that...It is the first impartial and bold book on the
life of the Tagalogs. The Filipinos will find in it History of the last ten years
(1877-1887)...Here I answer all the false concepts which have been formed
against us and all the insults which has been intended to belittle us.
He even revealed his purpose in writing the novel in his letter to
Marcelo Del Pilar (National Heroes Commission, 1963). Portion of this
correspondence is presented below.
I wrote my Noli Me Tangere to stir the patriotism of my countrymen, I
would be happy if among those I have stirred, I shall find notable
companions....
It can be drawn from the foregoing primary sources that Rizal was
very certain as to why he wrote the Noli Me Tangere, notable among his
purposes for writing this novel were the following: (1) to picture the past and
the reality in the Philippines; (2) to reply to insults heaped on the Filipinos and
their country; (3) to unmasked the hypocrisy that have impoverished and
brutalized the Filipino people; and (4) to stir the patriotism of the Filipino
people.
The Characters in the Noli Me Tangere
Although the novel is a work of fiction, the novel can be considered a
true story of the Philippines during the last decades of Spanish rule. The
characters used by Rizal in the Noli were persons who actually existed during
those times (Zaide & Zaide, 1999). Maria Clara was Leonor Rovera. Tasyo
was his older brother Paciano. Padre Salvi was Fr. Antonio Piernavieja of the
Augustinian Order. Captain Tiago was Captain Hilario Sunico of San Nicolas.
Doña Victorina was Doña Agustina Medel. Basilio and Crispin were
Crisostomo brother of Hagonoy, Bulacan. Padre Damaso, however, was the
typical abusive friar during Rizal’s time.
Through the characters in the Noli, Rizal depicted the different pictures
of Filipino society during his time (Capino et al, 1977).

1. Juan Crisostomo Ibarra. As the main character in the novel, Ibarra

represented the affluent and liberal European/educated Filipino. Civic-
minded, liberty-minded and patriotic, he desired the education of the
people. His plan of establishing the school house at San Diego was
opposed by Fr. Damaso, representing conservatism in Filipino society
then. This conflict between liberalism and conservatism is reflected in
 many episodes in the Noli, which culminated in Ibarra’s leaving the country
and Maria Clara’s entering the nunnery.
2. Elias. Rizal represented the Filipino masses in the novel through Elias.
As the symbol of the common people, Elias did everything to vindicate
them from the injustices suffered from the Spaniards. Although Ibarra’s
family had brought misfortunes to his own family, he extended help to
Crisostomo in many occasions in the novel. This might had been due to
his belief that the redemption of the country depends on the ilustrados.
Just like Ibarra, he is mouthpiece of Riza;’s contradictory thoughts and
purposes.
3. Maria Clara. As the object of Ibarra’s love and affection, Rizal
represented Filipino womanhood trained in a convent and immersed in
education basically religious in orientation. She symbolizes the Filipino
womanhood in their fidelity, coyness, and modesty.
4. Don Rafael Ibarra. In the novel, Don Rafael was Crisostomo’s father.
He was jailed for helping a young bong being harmed by an ignorant
Spanish tax collector. Father Damaso considered him a heretic and a
filibuster owing to his liberal and independent views. Rizal used Don
Rafael in the Noli to symbolize an affluent landlord with a social
conscience.
5. Sisa. Sisa was the mother of Basilio and Crispin in the Noli. She
symbolized a lot of things in Filipino society during Rizal’s time. In the
novel, she lost her mental balance upon learning what happened to Basilio
and Crispin, her two sons. Through her, Rizal was able to illustrate lack of
concern in facing and resolving problems confronting Filipino society. She
was also used by Rizal in the Noli to illustrate the typical characteristics of
Filipino mothers – fully cognizant of the attributes of their sons and
daughters; and willing to defend them from all forms of injustice or
accusations.
6. Captian Tiago. To the people of San Diego, he was Don Anastacio
delos Santos. Just like Don Rafael Ibarra, he was a rich landlord. His
wealth was derived from his involvement in the illegal opium trade. To the
common people, he was a symbol of the cacique mentalit. Professing to
be religious, never did he pray to God even in the face of difficulties.
Instead, he let his money pray for him. Moreover, Rizal employed Capitan
Tiago in the novel to represent the subservient Filipino to the authorities to
protect his personal and business interest.
7. Doña Victorina. As a social climber she married Don Tiburcio de
Espadaña to support her claim of being a Spaniard. She despised
everything Filipino and imitated what was Spanish. Thus, Rizal used her in
the novel to symbolize colonial mentality among some Filipinos during his
time.
8. Doña Patrocino. As the mistress of the Alferez, she was noted to be
imprudent, vulgar, cruel, and quarrelsome. As such, she symbolized the
mentality of the Guardia Civil. Being the only competitor of Capitan Tiago
in godliness, she did everything to pretend that she was really religious by
showing off to the public what she could contribute for the Church.
9. Pilosopo Tasyo. He represented Rizal’s epitome of the philosopher. He
was perceived to be a sage by the educated and a weird or lunatic by
those who did not know him.
10. The School Master of San Diego. He symbolized intellectual
dissatisfaction in Filipino society during Rizal’s time. As an educated
individual, he dreamed of changing the methods of teaching to facilitate
grater learning on the part of the pupils then.

The Filipino Society as Pictured in the Noli

The novel uncompromisingly exposes Spaniards in the Philippines.
The government was administered by self-seekers, motivated by the desire to
enrich themselves at the expense of the people. Honest and sincere officials
were quite few. Corruption became so rampant, as a consequence.