A Revolution That Failed

Rizal in Ghent

from Brussels Rizal

left for Ghent on
July 5, 1891
 GHENT
 the famous university city of Belgium

Reasons for moving to Ghent:

 cost of printing in Ghent is cheaper than in Brussels

 to escape from the enticing attraction of Petite Suzanne

Filipinos in Ghent:
 Jose Alejandrino (Pampanga)

 Edilberto Evangelista (Manila)

 both studying engineering in the world-famed University of

Ghent
 Owing to his limited funds, Rizal lived in a cheap
boarding house, with Jose Alejandrino as room-mate.
Theirs was a very frugal life, subsisting of the barest
necessities. To economize further, they prepared their own
daily breakfast in their room.
Years later Alejandrino who became a general during
the Filipino-American War of 1899-1902 and an engineer
recounted in his memoirs their hard life in Ghent.
Rizal’s Unfinished Third Novel
Even before Lopez Jaena suggested the writing of another
novel, Rizal had already in mind to pen a third novel.
September 22, 1891 – four days after the Fili came off the
press, he wrote to Blumentritt:
“I am thinking of writing a third novel, a novel in the modern sense
of the word, but this time politics will not find much space in it, but
ethics will play the principal role. I shall deal mainly with the habits
and customs of Filipinos, and only two Spaniards, the friar curate
and the lieutenant of the Guardia Civil will be there. I wish to be
there. I wish to be humorous, satirical and witty, to weep and to
laugh, to laugh amidst the tears, that is to cry bitterly.”
October 18, 1891 – boarded the steamer Melbourne in

Marseilles bound for Hong Kong. During the voyage he

began writing the third novel in Tagalog which he
intended for Tagalog readers. In Hong Kong he continued
it, but for some reason or another he did not finish it.
Unfinished third novel – no title

- consists of 44 pages in his handwriting, still in

manuscript form
The story of the unfinished novel begins with the solemn burial
of Prince Tagulima, son of Sultan Zaide of Ternate, on Mapalad-
na-Bato, a big rock on the bank of Pasig river. Sultan Zaide, with
his royal family and retainers, was taken prisoner by the
Spaniards during the wars in the Moluccas and brought to
Manila. The old sultan, his children, and followers were promised
good treatment, but the Spaniards forgot their promise and let
them die one by one in misery.
The hero of the novel was Kamandagan, a descendant of Lakan-
Dula, last king of Tondo. He plotted to regain the lost freedom of
his fathers. One day he saved his 2 beautiful granddaughters,
Maligaya and Sinagtala, from the lustful Spaniards – the cura and
the encomendero of Bay, Laguna.
Unfinished Third Novel
It is said that Rizal was fortunate not to have finished

this novel because it would have caused greater

scandal and more Spanish vengeance on him
He was not afraid to show the evils that took part in

the Philippines
Rizal’s Other Unfinished Novels
Makamisa
 Novel in Tagalog

 Written in the light of sarcastic style and is incomplete for

only 2 chapters finished

Dapitan
 Written in ironic Spanish

 Wrote during his exile in Dapitan to depict the town life

and customs
Untitled
 Novel in Spanish

 About the life in Pili, a town in Laguna

Untitled
 About Cristobal, a youthful Filipino student who has

returned from Europe

Rizal based his novels in his own experiences and in

what he witnessed in the Philippines

 The Publication of El Filibusterismo
 Rizal had to define the word filibustero to his
German friend Ferdinand Blumentritt
 Searched for printing house with lowest quotation
 F. Meyer-Van Loo Press- *66 Viaanderen St.
 Installment basis
 Pawned jewels
 Expected funds from friends didn’t arrived
 The Publication of El Filibusterismo

•Jose Maria Basa in Hongkong

•"I am not sailing at once, because I
am now printing the second part of the
Noli here, as you may see from the
enclosed pages. I prefer to publish it in
some other way before leaving
Europe, for it seemed to me a pity not
to do so. For the past three months I have not received a single
centavo, so I have pawned all that I have in order to publish
this book. I will continue publishing it as long as I can; and
when there is nothing to pawn I will stop and return to be at
your side."
The Publication of El Filibusterismo

 Valentin Ventura – Paris

 Publication is completed on September
1891
 *1 for Jose Basa and 1 for Sixto Lopez
 Shipped all Ghent edition copies to
Hongkong
 *Original copy – Valentin Ventura
 Smuggled into Philippines
 *El Nuevo Regimen – serialized in its
issues
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
 “The Reign of Greed”
 “Paghahari ng Kasakiman”
 October, 1887
 practicing medicine in Calamba
 London (1888)
- made some changes in the plot and corrected
some chapters already written
- told Mariano Ponce
- heard the news about his family being penalized
by the friars in the hacienda in Calamba
- Leonor Rivera married Henry Kipping
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
 He wrote more chapters in Paris and Madrid
 March 29, 1891
- finished the manuscript in Biarritz, France
 Rodriguez Arias
– P200
– bought Los Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas(revised)
THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT
 Filipiana Division – Bureau of Public Libraries,
Mla.
 Bought from Valentin Ventura for P10000
 Consists of 279 pages
 FOREWORD and WARNING – not put into
printing to save printing cost
 Dedication
 Rizal’s historical
inaccuracies
 "To the memory of the
priests, Don Mariano
Gomez (85 years old),
Don Jose Burgos (30
years old), and Don
Jacinto Zamora (35 years
old). Executed in the
Bagumbayan Field on the
28th of February, 1872."
Comparison of Noli and Fili

NOLI FILI
 Comparison of Noli and Fili
NOLI FILI
•Romantic Novel •Political Novel
•Work of heart •Work of head
•Book of feeling •A book of thought
•Dedicated to motherland •Dedicated in memory of
•64 chapters GOMBURZA
•Peaceful reforms •38 chapters
•Crisostomo Ibarra •Revolution
•Simoun
 Comparison of Noli and Fili
Noli and Fili
•Awakening of Filipinos to the idea that they belong to one
nation

•To make them realize that they have a motherland to love

•Welfare is their paramount concern

•Seeking of reforms in society

•Depicted the actual conditions of Philippines

•Awakened Filipino nationalism

THE SYNOPSIS OF THE EL FILIBUSTERISMO
SYMBOLICAL INTERPRETATION
OF THE EL FILIBUSTERISMO
SIMOUN - represents the portion of Filipino society which, tired of the
oppressor’s rule wanted that rule to be overthrown at all cost, but had no
systematic plan for the new society, if the old is overthrown.
MARIA CLARA – suffered untold physical and spiritual abuse for at least 13
years, at last dies, can still be made to symbolize in the Fili, the friar
dominated culture, which is now ripe for revolution. That there is no eventual
union between Simoun and Maria Clara, not even meeting between the two
since they parted 13 years ago is significant. Although Simoun wanted very
much to see and possess her, he was not permitted to do so. This is
indicative, symbolically speaking, of Rizal’s refusal to recognize that the
friar-dominated Filipino culture could still be reinvigorated through the
infusion of new elements into its anemic bloodstream.
SEÑOR PASTA – the idealist turned mercenary, could be made to represent
that portion of the Filipino society who have abandoned their noble social
ideals and have become thoroughly self-seeking opportunist, serving only
the interest of those who have hired them.

ISAGANI – a young student who is inspired by high ideals for his country
but at critical moment apparently and unwittingly forgets those ideals for
selfish reasons, could be made to symbolize the untested and unreliable
idealism of a segment of the educated Filipino youths of the time.

PAULITA GOMEZ – the hapless object of Isagani’s affection, a girl who is

more free from the fetters of convention than Maria Clara, can be made to
represent that portion of Filipino womanhood – still half breed like Maria
Clara- which is relatively enlightened but which is itself almost thoroughly
bereft of love of our country and of a desire for the social good.
BASILIO – the medical student who, despite the extreme sufferings undergone by
his family as a result of clerical perfidy and cruelty, refuses to entertain any
revolution though even in the face of rampant social injustices, could be made to
symbolize that segment of the educated Filipino society which has been so
brutalized that it has become insensible to the social welfare.

PLACIDO PENITENTE – a young man who has been so disillusioned by the state
of affairs he finds himself in as a student, entertains the desire to go abroad. When
shown by Simoun some signs of a possible uprising, he becomes so frightened
that he could not make up his mind whether to join or not. He persuasively could
be made to symbolize those elements of Philippine society, which had not yet
been infused with a national sentiment or social conscience.

DON CUSTODIO – a typical Spanish official in the country, who occupies several
positions despite the absence of qualification, believes that any idea that does not
come from him deserves no consideration. Rizal portrayed in the novel as
someone who finds pleasure in developing a feeling of inferiority among the
people.
The pattern of suffering in the El filibusterismo is depicted in the story of
Cabesang Tales, Juli, and the school master

CABESANG TALES – a victim of land grabbing by the friars, became

desperate and joined the outlaws for personal revenge. He died of fever and
found no justice in the courts.

JULI – innocent looking and unaffected daughter of Cabesang Tales and

sweetheart of BASILIO, took her own life because of her love for honor and
chastity rather than surrender her womanhood to the mundane desire of Fr.
Camorra.

THE SCHOOL MASTER – rusticated as a rebel for having experimented

teaching the Spanish language to young children against the wishes of the
Spanish friars was pardoned due to the influence wielded by Simoun. Later
on, he became Simoun’s gunpowder expert.
 Message of the Fili
Rizal’s message in El Filibusterismo is very clear; that the present system of
government in the Philippines through corrupt officials, dominated by the friars
can lead to the downfall of Spain. This point was stressed by Simoun in the
novel, when he said, “what is a man to do when he is denied justice? Take the
law into his own hands or wait for Spain to give him rights…” From the
foregoing, Rizal was very certain that because of the nature and operation of
the government, those who are intelligent, generous, hard-working,
courageous and loyal citizens were driven into opposition, crime and
subversion.
The Spanish colonial government for Rizal was arbitrary, cruel, lacking in a
sense of justice and responsibility, without interest in the people under its
tutelage. While Rizal described the government in a very negaticve way, his
picture of the friars in the Fili was harsher. In this novel, Rizal painted them as
abusing their power for the following reasons; to satisfy their evil desires; to
preserve their control of education; to rob men of their land; and to seek their
own interests.
 Rizal did not spare his fellow Filipinos from his criticism of the regime. He
condemned them for their greed, corruption, hypocrisy and cowardice, which
contributed so much to the abuses of the civil officials and friars
Another message communicated by Rizal was on the course of action
Filipinos should take if Spain would not listen to his warning. As Filipinos had
desired assimilation for a long time, Spain should grant it. Should Spain not
accede to the clamor for assimilation, the people may eventually prefer to die
rather than endure the miseries any longer. Violent means to effect change would
thus become inevitable to achieve their goal.
 THE RELUCTANT REVOLUTIONARY AND HIS
CONCEPT OF INDEPENDENCE

*El Filibusterismo is about a revolution that failed, which

was orchestrated by Simoun. Rizal made the revolution of
Simoun fail at the very moment it was supposed to start.
*Rizal, through Simoun, had come to realize that
independence was the solution to the miseries of people
under Spanish rule.
"Instead of aspiring to be a mere province, aspire to be a
nation, develop an independent, not colonial mentality.
There are no tyrants where there are no slaves."
*Simoun asked Fr. Florentino why God denied him His
help.
 THE RELUCTANT REVOLUTIONARY AND HIS
CONCEPT OF INDEPENDENCE

"Because you have chosen a means that He could not

approve… The glory of saving a country shall not be
attributed to him who has contributed to its ruin…
Hate does not create anything but monsters; crimes,
criminals; only love produces marvelous works;
only virtue can save. No, if our country has to be
free someday, it will not be freed by means of vice
and crime; not by corrupting her sons, deceiving
some, buying others. Redemption presupposes
virtue and sacrifice, and sacrifice presupposes love."
 THE RELUCTANT REVOLUTIONARY AND HIS
CONCEPT OF INDEPENDENCE

"We must win our freedom by deserving it, by

improving the mind and enhancing the dignity of
the individual loving what is just, what is good,
what is great to the point of dying for it. When a
people reach these heights, God provides the
weapon... Our misfortunes are our own fault, let us
blame nobody for them… With or without Spain,
they would be the same and perhaps worse. What is
the use of independence if the slaves of today will be
the tyrants of tomorrow? And no doubt, they will,
because whoever submits to tyranny loves it!"
 THE RELUCTANT REVOLUTIONARY AND HIS
CONCEPT OF INDEPENDENCE

*Rizal was a reluctant revolutionary because while

he was on the belief that assimilation is not possible
and that independence was the remedy to alleviate
the sufferings of the Filipinos under Spanish rule,
Rizal heistates and backs down.
Rizal After the Fili
After the publication of El Filibusterismo, Rizal gave up
the idea of gradual and peaceful emancipation of the
country which he clearly communicated to Blumentritt:
“...peaceful struggle will just remain a dream, considering
that Spain had not learned the lesson of her former
colonies in South America”
Rizal became a separatist (one who advocates political or
religious separation). He was quite unique considering
that he left to God the attainment of independence.
After the publication of the Fili, Rizal was bitterly attacked
and mocked by his fellow reformers in Madrid. This can be
accounted for by the very radical and subversive tone of the
novel, which renounced the propaganda campaign for
peaceful reforms and assimilation. This made him decide to
severe his connection with the propagandists in Madrid to
avert possible split in their unity. Totally free and detached
from the propagandists in Europe, Rizal opted to return to
the Philippines to share the misfortune of his family.