Noli Me Tangere

At the end of the lesson you must be able to:

Appreciate the importance of Rizal as a thinker; and
Relate the issues raised in the novel to the changing landscape of the contemporary world.

Jose Rizal’s first novel, Noli Me Tangere, is considered one of the most important written outputs
by the national hero at the height of his intellectual endeavors in Europe.
Rizal mustered his academic acumens as he tapped his knowledge of various fields and wove a
narrative that aimed to represent, if not expose, the realities of nineteenth-century colonial life in
the Philippines
Through the eyes of its characters, one journey of love and deception, struggles and triumphs;
and in the process, presents pressing questions about power and social inequalities.
In a meeting with the Ilustrados in 1884, he proposed to write a book project to be done
collaboratively with his fellow writers, the project did not materialize
He decided to write a novel on his own
Rizal finished the first half of the novel in Spain. It was published the following year in
Germany.
Maximo Viola insisted on lending him 300 pesos for the printing of the first 2,000m copies.
Rizal, in token of his appreciation and gratitude, gave Viola the galley proofs of the Noli
carefully rolled around the pen that he used in writing it and a complimentary copy.
The title Noli Me Tangere is a Latin phrase that means “Touch Me Not”.
It was taken from the Gospel of St. John (Chapter 20 Verses 13 to 17).
He dedicated this novel to his fatherland
It contains 63 chapters and an epilogue
Through the eyes of its characters, one journey of love and deception, struggles and triumphs;
and in the process, presents pressing questions about power and social inequalities.
Rizal’s influences in the writing of the Noli
Juan Luna’s painting Spolarium which depicted the sufferings faced by humanity in the
face of inequalities
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that dealt with slavery in America

Remembering the Characters of Noli

IBARRA - Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin, commonly referred to the novel as Ibarra
or Crisóstomo, is the protagonist in the story. Son of a Filipino businessman, Don Rafael
Ibarra, he studied in Europe for seven years. Ibarra is also María Clara’s fiancé. Several
sources claim that Ibarra is also Rizal’s reflection: both studied in Europe and both
persons believe in the same ideas. Upon his return, Ibarra requested the local government
of San Diego to construct a public school to promote education in the town.
Maria Clara - María Clara de los Santos y Alba, commonly referred to as María Clara, is
Ibarra’s fiancée. She was raised by Capitán Tiago, Binundok’s Cabeza de barangay, and is
the most beautiful and widely celebrated girl in San Diego.
Pilosopo Tasyo - He is another major character in the story. Seeking reforms from the
government, he expresses his ideals in a paper written in a cryptographic alphabet similar
to hieroglyphs and Coptic figures hoping “that the future generations may be able to
decipher it” and realize the abuse and oppression done by the conquerors.
Kapitan Tiago - He is a Filipino businessman and the cabeza de barangay or head of
barangay of the town of Binundok. He is also the known father of María Clara.
Elias - He was a fugitive living in San Diego. Enduring one tragedy after another, he began
working to improve society. After his life was saved by Crisostomo Ibarra, he began aiding
the young man, saving him on numerous occasions.
Sisa - A caring but submissive woman. Unable to stand up to her abusive husband, and
later the Guardia Civil, Sisa went from one traumatic event to another, causing her to
eventually lose her sanity due to the mental burden.
Basilio - Son of Sisa and another character from Noli Me Tángere. He is the older brother
of Crispin. Basilio served as one of the church sacristans in San Diego.
Lieutenant Guevara - He was an elderly lieutenant of the Guardia Civil and a close friend
of Don Rafael Ibarra. Holding a deep respect for the man, he later made efforts to protect
Don Rafael's son Crisostomo after the latter came home from Europe.
Padre Damaso - A Spanish friar living in the Philippines, this friar is an arrogant and
pedantic priest who, despite having lived amongst Filipinos and hearing their confessions
for over twenty years, is barely able to speak or understand Tagalog, the country's native
language.
Padre Salvi- He has a secret admiration to Maria Clara. On the later part of the Noli, he
conspired with another friar to break Ibarra and Maria Clara apart.
The Plot of Noli
Upon the the return of young Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin after completing his
studies in Europe. What happened to the party?
Revenge was not in Ibarra’s plans, instead he carried through his father’s plan, what was
his father’s plan?
During the inauguration of his school, Ibarra would have been killed in a sabotage. Who
saved him?
After the inauguration of his school, Ibarra hosted a luncheon during which Dámaso, gate-
crashing the luncheon, again insulted him. Reaching his boiling point, what did Ibarra do?
After the nullification of his excommunication, Ibarra was again in trouble. He was about
to be acquitted when his letter to María Clara somehow got into the hands of the jury and
is manipulated such that it then became evidence against him by the parish priest, Fray
Salví. What was Fray Salvi’s real intention to Maria Clara?
Ibarra, with the help of Elías, escaped prison and soon after confronted Maria Clara.
María Clara explained that she would never conspire against him, but that she was forced
to surrender Ibarra’s letter to Father Salvi, in exchange for the letters written by her
mother even before she, María Clara, was born. In the letter, what was revealed about
Maria Clara’s true identity?
During their escape, Ibarra and Elias were spotted by their enemies. María Clara, thinking
that Ibarra had been killed in the shooting incident, was greatly overcome with grief.
Robbed of hope and severely disillusioned, what did she asked from Damaso?
It was Christmas Eve when Elías woke up in the forest fatally wounded, as it is here where
he instructed Ibarra to meet him. Instead, Elías found the altar boy Basilio cradling his
already-dead mother, Sisa. The latter lost her mind when she learned that her two sons,
Crispín and Basilio, were chased out of the convent by the sacristan mayor. Why?
Elías, convinced that he would die soon, instructs Basilio to build a funeral pyre and burn
his and Sisa’s bodies to ashes. He tells Basilio that, if nobody reaches the place, he come
back later on and dig for he will find gold. He also tells him (Basilio) to take the gold he
finds and go to school. In his dying breath, he instructed Basilio to continue doing what?
Elías died thereafter. In the epilogue, it was explained that Tiago became addicted to opium
and was seen to frequent the opium house in Binondo to satiate his addiction. María Clara
became a nun. What did Salvi do to her during her stay in the convent?
Noli Me Tangere reflects the socio-political realities of Rizal’s time. Does the novel still
represent the present society Explain.