Life and Works of Rizal
Chapter 9 The novel was published the following year in Germany.
NOLI ME TANGERE, CONTEXT AND CONTENT
José Rizal's first novel, Noli Me Tángere, is considered one of the most important written outputs by the national
hero at the height of his intellectual endeavors in Europe.
In this novel, 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.
Many appreciate the Noli for its narrative that takes the readers, through the eyes of its characters, on a journey
of love and deception, struggles and triumphs; and in the process, presents pressing questions about power and
social inequalities.
This chapter will explore the context of the publication of the Noli.
The novel's major elements will also be appraised from its main characters and settings and its plot and major
conflicts will be tackled.
Vocabulary
novel - a long written story most often about fictional events and characters
setting (n a novel) - the context in which the events take place; covers geographical areas in particular periods
of time
plot - the flow of the narrative in a story
The Publication of the Noli
As a sojourner in Europe, Rizal participated in the movement of the ilustrados to utilize propaganda to campaign
for reforms in the Philippines.
Utilizing their intellectual prowess, ilustrados released various written outputs from news bits, to feature articles,
and commentaries.
They also produced creative outputs from satirical pieces to world-class paintings. Within this artistic and literary
collection, Rizal's exemplary mastery of words was evident in one of his most celebrated works, his first novel,
Noli Me Tángere.
The idea of publishing a book was not alien to Rizal. In a meeting of the ilustrados in 1884, he proposed to write
a book project to be done collaboratively with his fellow writers.
Unfortunately, the project did not materialize. He eventually decided to write a novel on his own.
He started working on the project in 1884 and completed it in 1887.
Many of his biographers cite several works that influenced Rizal in the writing of the Noli.
One of these is Juan Luna's painting, Spoliarium, which depicted the sufferings faced by humanity in the face of
inequalities.
Another is Uncle Tom's Cabin, a novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that dealt with slavery in America.
Rizal finished the first half of the novel in Spain, supposedly the other half in France, then completed the draft in
1886.
Lack of funds delayed the book's publication until a fellow ilustrado, Maximo Viola, insisted on lending him 300
pesos for the printing of the first 2,000 copies. By 1887, Rizal was already sending out copies of the Noli to his
friends and the book began to take flight.
Motivations behind Writing the Noli
The title, Noli Me Tángere, had Biblical reference to the Gospel of John in which Jesus appeared to Mary
Magdalene and uttered these words: "Touch me not, for I have not yet ascended to my Father."
The choice of title according to Rizal was fitting because he intended to write about themes that were taboo in
the Philippines for centuries; things that people dared not to touch.
According to his biographers, Rizal first planned to write his novel in French, considered to be the language of
the intellectuals in Europe at that time.
He, however, shifted to Spanish because he intended to reach out to his countrymen in the Philippines, Rizal
explained: "I must wake from its slumber the spirit of my country... I must first propose to my countrymen an
example with which they can struggle against their bad qualities, and afterwards, when they have reformed,
many writers would rise up to present my country to proud Europe" (qtd. in Schumacher, 1991, p. 93).
In the initial pages of the Noli, the dedication titled "A Mi Patria” clearly articulated Rizal's purpose for writing the
novel:
To my Motherland
In the annals of human adversity, there is etched a cancer, of a breed so malignant that the least contact
exacerbates it, and stirs in it the sharpest of pains.
An thus, many times amidst modern cultures I have wanted to evoke you, sometimes for memories of
you to keep me company, other times, to compare you with other nations-many times your beloved
image appears to me afflicted with a social cancer of similar malignancy.
Desiring your well-being, which is our own and searching for the best cure, I will do with you as the
ancients of old did with their afflicted, expose them on the steps of the temple so that each one who
would come to invoke the Divine would propose a cure for them.
And to this end, I will attempt to faithfully reproduce your condition without much ado. I will lift part of the
shroud that conceals your illness, sacrificing to the truth everything, even my own self-respect, for, as
your son, I also suffer in your defects and failings.
Jose Rizal, 1886
Sources: Rizal, José (Translated by Ma. Soledad Lacson-Locsin). 1996. Noli me tangere. Makati: Bookmark.
The project of writing the Noli, as stated, was geared towards exposing the ills of Philippine colonial society
under Spain.
Thus, through the passages within the Noli, readers also get glimpses of how Rizal saw his country.
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Plot
The story of the Noli Me Tángere followed the life of Juan Crisostomo Ibarra after he returned to the Philippines
from studying in Europe.
The novel opened with Capitan Tiago preparing a homecoming gathering for the young ilustrado.
Throughout the pages of the novel, the characters could be seen navigating the complex realities of colonial
Philippines.
Ibarra was shown to be rekindling links with his betrothed Maria Clara. But not everything was fine and dandy for
Ibarra.
Upon his return, he learned about the ills that plagued his town as well as the abuses of the friars to which his
late father fell victim to.
Ibarra found an antagonist in Padre Damaso, the former curate of San Diego who ordered that the corpse of his
father be exhumed and reburied in the Chinese cemetery.
Despite these personal travails, Ibarra persevered to fulfill the plan of building a school in San Diego, staying
true to his belief that education was crucial for his nation's progress.
Ibarra almost got killed had it not for Elias, a boatman, who saved him.
Elias also previously cautioned Ibarra about his actions that could anger the friars.
After the incident, Ibarra organized a luncheon. Here, another confrontation occurred between Ibarra and
Damaso who attended the luncheon uninvited. In a fit of anger, Ibarra took a knife against Damaso's neck and
threatened to slit his throat as he told every one of the abuses committed by Damaso and the desecration he did
to Ibarra's father.
Maria Clara calmed Ibarra and prevented him from killing the friar.
Damaso, in an act of revenge, persuaded Capitan Tiago, the father of Maria Clara, to not allow his daughter to
marry Ibarra.
After some time, a revolt was blamed on Ibarra, which caused his incarceration.
With the help of Elias, he escaped and went to see Maria Clara who was soon marrying the man her father
chose for her.
In a heartbreaking confrontation, Ibarra and Maria Clara exchanged accusations and in the process, it was
revealed that Damaso was the true father of Maria Clara.
As turmoil and confusion engulfed the town, Maria Clara thought Ibarra had been killed.
This caused her endless grief. She asked to be confined to a nunnery lest she take her own life.
It was later revealed that Ibarra was not dead and that Elias was the one fatally shot. In the latter passages, the
dying Elias was waiting for Ibarra but instead, met and talked to the young Basilio.
He instructed the orphaned boy (his mother Sisa, who became insane looking for her young sons, had died) to
find the treasure of Ibarra buried in the cemetery and use it to get an education.
He reminded Basilio to never lose hope and if one day, freedom and progress would come to his country, to not
forget those who labored in the night.
Within this general contour of the narrative, Rizal wove a complex story and subplots. Reading through the
novel, different characters and their corresponding stories unfolded as told through the voice of an unseen
narrator.
Truly, the pages of the Noli reflected the lives of people living in the complicated world of colonial Philippines.
Life and Works of Rizal
Summary
This chapter discussed Noli Me Tángere, tracing its publication and Rizal's motivation behind its writing. Noli Me
Tàngere was part of a publication agenda conceived by Rizal in the hopes of awakening his countrymen and the
world about the colonial conditions in the Philippines.
On the pages of the Noli, Rizal's genius shone through as he assembled and harnessed his intellect to paint a
picture of nineteenth century Philippines.
The plot provided a story of hope and struggle against the backdrop of an elaborate setting filled with equally
complex characters.
Through the novel's characters, varied points of view were gleaned from colonial life, and through its plot, an
allegory of colonial society was created.
The next chapter will continue discussing the novel by examining its impact and continuing relevance.
Chapter 10
NOLI ME TÁNGERE, CONTINUING RELEVANCE
While the Noli Me Tángere triggered social conversations in the late nineteenth century Philippines, it is
important to note how the novel continues to resonate beyond its time.
The success of Rizal's novel also rests on its timelessness in terms of present-day social issues and
political/economic realities.
In this chapter, Noli's legacy and continuing relevance will be explained as a text not only in the field of literature
but also in the areas of history and the social sciences. The chapter will also look at Rizal as a social scientist
who espoused early articulations of a social-scientific manner of understanding and presenting the way of life, in
this case, within a colonial context.
The lesson will start with a discussion of the incarnations of the Noli as it was published after Rizal's time.
This will be followed by a section on the study of colonial society.
Vocabulary
censorship - the suppression of the release or publication of material deemed inappropriate, obscene, politically
unacceptable, or a threat to security
critique - an evaluation, analysis, or assessment of a literary, philosophical, or scientific work
sociology - the social science dealing with the study of the development, structures, and functioning of human
society
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Noli After Its First Publication
At present, Noli Me Tángere is considered by many as a landmark piece of literature. In his account of the
literary history of the Philippines, scholar Resil Mojares even went to the extent of naming Rizal as the father of
the Filipino novel (Testa-De Ocampo, 2011).
As already discussed in the previous chapter, the themes of the novel revolve around the societal issues
experienced in the Philippines under the Spanish colonial rule.
As such, the novel did not go unnoticed and became a subject of discussion and debate.
In the immediate months and years after its release in 1887, the Noli generated reactions from readers, Filipinos
and foreigners alike.
Responses ranged from praise to outright ridicule.
One sector that espoused utmost disdain for the novel was the Spanish clergy as well as some Spanish colonial
officials.
It is thus understandable that Spanish friars vehemently prohibited the circulation of the novel in 1887 when Fray
Salvador Font, chair of the censorship commission, outlawed the reading and possession of Rizal's novel.
Many other friars assessed and judged the book as pernicious.
They enjoined devout Catholics not to read the novel to avoid committing capital sins.
Not only confined in the Philippines, critiques of the novel coming from Spanish officials and academics also
circulated in Spain.
One staunch critic of the novel was the Spanish academic Vicente Barrantes who wrote several articles in
Spanish newspapers ridiculing Rizal as a "man of contradictions."
Barrantes lamented that Rizal's lambasting of the friars and the Spaniards was reflective of the author and telling
more about the Filipinos.
As much as Rizal's critics came from various sectors, his novel also found ardent defenders among his peers.
Many of his colleagues in the Propaganda Movement praised his novel.
One example is Marcelo H. del Pilar who even wrote essays in response to critics of the Noli.
Rizal's friend, Ferdinand Blumentritt, also an academic, also expressed support for the novel.
As the Noli stirred controversy in social circles in nineteenth century Philippines, it is remarkable to realize that
even beyond its time, the novel continued to be a subject of debate and discussion.
In the immediate years after its publication, the Noli was translated into several languages.
One of the earliest translations of the novel was done in French.
Many scholars posit that there were early attempts to translate the novel into German (by Blumentritt) and even
Tagalog (by Rizal's brother, Paciano) but these plans never came to fruition.
At the turn of the twentieth century, during the American colonial period, several other translations and editions
of the novel came out.
Arguably the most circulated versions were the English translations of Charles Derbyshire.
By the 1930s, Rizal's Noli had several Spanish editions, translations into English, French, Japanese, and also
into several languages in the Philippines including Tagalog, Cebuano, Waray, Iloko, and Bikol (Testa-De
Ocampo, 2011).
Life and Works of Rizal
The very controversy that surrounded the passage of the Rizal Law indicated the relevance of the text in the
1950s and even beyond.
In academia, many scholars have also made it a point to discuss the politics of translation and the nuances of
transforming the text in several forms.
As Testa- De Ocampo points out, as much as the novel is elevated in the highest echelons of Philippine literary
history, seldom do we find Filipinos reading it in the original Spanish.
Versions and translations of the Noli also did not go without scrutiny from academics like Benedict Anderson.
Truly, be it about its content, context, or the way it is read or used, the value of Rizal's novel is definitely felt in
the Philippines.
Noli and the Study of a Colonial Society
A remarkable aspect of Rizal's Noli lies in its text which espoused the national hero's articulations of a social-
scientific view of the nineteenth century Philippines he was describing.
Sociologist Syed Fareed Alatas even went as far as describing Rizal as "probably the first systematic social
thinker in Southeast Asia."
Taken together with Rizal's other writings, the Noli makes an important contribution to the understanding of a
colonial society and of the workings of the Spanish empire in the Philippines.
The novel portrayed the lives of the characters of diverse positions from which people in nineteenth century
Philippines thought and acted in relation to others. Many scholars interpret the Noli as Rizal's diagnosis of the
ills of colonial society as he assessed the role played by the church, the state, and the people.
In the Noli, Rizal highlighted some of his ideas on how the Philippine society could be emancipated from the
bondage of colonial rule.
He underscored the importance of education as a powerful tool to achieve progress. However, he also exposed
the complexities and constraints wrought by the colonial condition not only on foreigners, but also on some
misguided Filipinos that contributed to the ills of society.
As Rizal exposed the vile realities of the context he wrote about, he also emphasized the good qualities of the
Filipinos, which needed to be harnessed in order to succeed in the struggle for emancipation.
Summary
In this chapter, the "afterlife" of Noli Me Tángere was discussed, highlighting its impact on Philippine society as
well as on disciplines such as literature, history, and the social sciences.
This way, the relevance of Rizal and his first novel was underscored.
The Noli, in the end, is not just a literary piece; it is a political, historical, and social scientific treatise about the
conditions in the Philippines during the late nineteenth century. As such, the novel continues to stimulate
discussions up to the present and its themes remain worthy of debate.
In the next chapters, the other major writings of Rizal will be tackled which, when taken together, will illustrate
further the brilliance and relevance of the national hero.
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