The young and idealistic Juan Crisostomo Ibarra returns home after seven years

in Europe. The wealthy meztizo, like his father Don Rafael endeavors for reform
primarily in the area of education in order to eliminate poverty and improve the
lives of his countrymen. Upon learning about his father’s demise and the denial
of a Catholic burial for his father Ibarra was provoked to hit Padre Damaso which
eventually lead to his excommunication. The excommunication was later
rescinded upon the intervention of the Governor General.

Padre Salvi, Ibarra’s mortal enemy accused Ibarra of insurrection. Ibarra’s letter
to his beloved Maria Clara was used against him. Later in the story, Maria Clara
will tell Ibarra that she did not conspire to indict him. She was compelled to give
Ibarra’s letter in exchange for the letters of her mother before she was born.
Maria Clara found out that the letters of her mother were addressed to Padre
Damaso about their unborn child which means that she is the biological daughter
of the priest and not of her father, Capitan Tiago.

Meanwhile, Ibarra was able to escape the prison with Elias, who also
experienced injustice with the authorities. Ibarra was able to speak with Maria
Clara about the letters and thereafter forgave her. Ibarra and Elias flee to the
lake and were chased by the Guardia Civil. One was shot and the other survives.
Upon hearing the news, Maria Clara believed that Ibarra was dead; she entered
the nunnery instead of marrying Alfonso Linares.

The fatally wounded Elias found the child Basilio and his dead mother Sisa. The
latter was driven to insanity when she learned that her children were implicated
for theft by the sacristan mayor. Elias instructed Basilio to dig for his and Sisa’s
graves and there is a buried treasure which he can use for his education.

Noli Me Tangere brilliantly described Philippine society with its memorable

characters. The melancholic fate of Maria Clara and the insanity of Sisa
characterized the country’s pitiful state, which was once beautiful, turned
miserable. Reading Noli Me Tangere will open one’s mind about oppression and
tyranny.

REFLECTION

The title of this novel “Noli Me Tangere” means in Filipino “Huwag Mo Akong
Salingin”. Jose Rizal, our national hero wrote this novel in the year 1884; he was
in Madrid taking up medicine when he wrote this novel. When he finished his
course (Medicine), he went to Paris and continued writing this novel. In Berlin,
Jose Rizal finished the last part of the Noli. This novel was written to remind us
the bad things that Jose Rizal experienced during his time with the Spanish.
From the very start of this novel, the first plan of our national hero was to write
this novel with the help of his countrymen who were suffering from the hands of
the Spanish, but suddenly he failed to do it with the help of his countrymen,
because his countrymen lose their hope in fulfilling their dreams to have freedom
in the hands of the Spanish colonizers. Jose Rizal didn’t give up and continued to
write this novel without the help of his fellow Filipinos and he decided to write it
by himself only.

The first chapter of this novel was entitled “Ang Paging”. In this chapter, the
lifestyle of Don Santiago de los Santos also known as Kapitan Tiago was stated.
He was from Binondo and the step father of Maria Clara according to this
chapter. Also, the other characters were Padre Sibyla, Padre Damaso, and
Tenyente Guevarra. According to this chapter, Kapitan Tiago invited the said
characters to go to his house and have a simple gathering, but suddenly it came
to a fight between Padre Damaso and Tenyente Guevarra. Padre Sibyla stopped
the rivalry between the two. The second chapter was entitled “Ang binatang si
Crisostomo”. And in this chapter, Kapitan Tiago presented Don Crisostomo
Ibarra to the priest, the son of his deceased friend named Don Rafael Ibarra. The
next chapters were also fantastic as it antagonize the essence of the novel. I was
amazed by the poeticism of every term and phrases of the story that Rizal did.
The overall impact of the story is all about the love, not only for romance, but also
for the love of country and family.

As a Filipino, I’ve learned about the love for the family and love for the country.
Paternal love, example for this is the love of Crisostomo Ibarra to his Father.
When he found out that the burial of his father was unjust. Well, if I was in the
side of Crisostomo, I will give the blessings of what my father deserved, a decent
burial for the last time. Another is the love of Sisa to his sons, Basilio and Crispin,
until the last breath of her life, she was still thinking to his sons. I realized that
love for the family is really unconditional. Additional issues on our political
framework are as dingy as a man who never admitted in his life. I feel sorry for
our political pioneers that the reason that they are our pioneers is on the grounds
that they are for the general population, and trusted by the general population. In
any case, sadly, when all is said in done, our pioneers need to audit their Rizal
Course there are wiped away by the enticement that cash is the foundation of all
underhanded.

These issues should be reacted as quickly as time permits in light of the fact that
on the off chance that it is not replied, we can’t offer a brilliant new morning to all
future Filipinos and even to future individuals. The issues of the past up to the
present must arrive at an end.

As an understudy, I immovably trust that “Enormous things come in little

bundles.” If just that each understudy that take-up Rizal course won’t overlook
every one of the lessons learned, I clearly guarantee the Philippines will soon
open that entryway, the shut entryway in a path to a whole new nation, the
Philippines.

1. Noli Me Tangere Summary: Noli Me Tangere, by Dr. Jose Rizal, starts off
at the house of the wealthy man Capitan Tiago. Here we find Padre
Damaso speaking ill-y of Filipinos. A few moments later, the story‟s
protagonist makes his first appearance. He is Crisostomo Ibarra, a rich
young man who has just returned from Europe after 7 years of studying
there. He is the son of the late Don Rafael Ibarra, whose death is later
revealed to be because of him protecting a young Filipino boy from a
Spanish tax collector. Padre Damaso, being an adversary of Don Ibarra,
starts to both indirectly and directly insult Crisostomo. Ibarra, instead of
retorting, excuses himself and says that he has business matters to attend
to. In the following days, Ibarra talks to his sweetheart Maria Clara--
daughter of Capitan Tiago, and tries to visit his father‟s grave. And to
Ibarra‟s shock, the place where his father‟s body should be seems to have
been recently dug up. He talks to a gravedigger to find out that a fat friar
asked that the body be transferred to a Chinese cemetery. Who could this
friar be? Yes, you‟ve got it right, Padre Damaso. But only to add insult to
the injury, Ibarra finds out the corpse was thrown in to the lake because
there was a storm on the supposed day of transfer. On the other hand, a
whole other story was taking place. The story of Sisa, Basilio and Crispin.
The two were accused of being thieves. Basilio was locked up in the
church by the Sacristan-Mayor for his “crimes”. Basilio escapes from the
church and runs away. Sisa, not knowing this, goes to church to get him
only to find out that he is gone. She runs home to be arrested and Crispin
nowhere to be found. After being released from jail, she tries to find her
children only to find a bloody garment of Basilio. Due to the horrifying sight,
she loses her mind. Going back to Senor Ibarra, he tried to put up a school
wherein he was almost killed when during the laying of the cornerstone. It
was a planned attempt. At a party, Padre Damaso insults Ibarra‟s father
which causes the Crisostomo to leap to his feet and pose a knife at the
priest‟s neck. He did not go on with act because of Maria Clara‟s
persuasion. Due to the event, Ibarra was excommunicated. Because of
this, he cannot be with Maria Clara and she is set up with another man.
Ibarra finds out about this and is deeply saddened. Elias, Ibarra‟s
supporter/friend, breaks Ibarra out of jail, gets him on a „banca‟, and they
plan to go abroad first. Before this, Ibarra talks to Maria Clara to find that
she does not want to marry her new suitor and that her true father is not
Capitan Tiago but Padre Damaso. He leaves her with a hug. While rowing
 in the river, Ibarra and Elias realize that a few Spaniards saw them from a
far. Elias tells Ibarra to hide under the „zacate‟ and Elias jumps off the
banca, pretending to be Ibarra, and gets shot. On the other side of the
river, Basilio
2. 2. is grieving the death of his mother, Elias comes to him, shot and bloody,
and tells him that he is going to die and that the young Basilio should burn
the bodies. He tells the boy that there is gold under the land that they are
standing on. Young Basilio does so. Ibarra is left alone to escape. And the
story ends Review/Reflection: Rizal wrote the novel to open the eyes of
our countrymen, to let them truly see all the oppression our country was
going through and that it was time to fight back. And he did such act
fantastically. The novel was not heavy or dreading nor was it sugar coated.
It was raw and real. It showcased abuse of power, sorrow and greed. It
showcased the truth. It showed us how the Spaniards twisted and turned
the truth into something that would benefit them. It showed the inner
clockworks of their selfishness and abuse. But despite the dark themes, it
described love, not entirely romantic love, but more importantly love of
country and family. Despite all the hardships and pain Ibarra went through,
he kept on knocking down doors, he kept on trying to help. And in the
sense of family love, we can all point to the commonly parodied Sisa. She
did everything in her power to find her children, and despite the fact that
she did not live to see the day where she finds her boys, she loved them
until the last inch of her heart. Senor Ibarra also had a deep love for his
father. This is supported by the fact that he let Padre Damaso‟s insults
pass but when the priest tried to pick on his father, it took less than a beat
for Ibarra to rise to his father‟s defense. The story also presented
forgiveness. Ibarra was a very forgiving man. He forgave the man who
tried to kill him at the placing of the cornerstone of the school he wanted to
build. And since the man who attempted to murder him died in the placing
of the cornerstone, Ibarra even offered to pay for the burial of the man.
Sacrifice also was an important theme in the novel. If Elias did not sacrifice
himself, then Ibarra would not have lived and the uprisings in the sequel of
Noli Me Tangere would most likely not take place. For me there are 2
overall themes (themes that are carried on in to El Filibusterismo) is that
war does not necessarily have to end through means of violence, it could
always be ended peacefully, through words and maybe even forgiveness.
And the second being that there will always be evil people in this world, but
there will always be good people as well. And that when you think all the
world is left to is violence and hatred, you are very much wrong because 1)
Words are far stronger than any gun and 2) Good will always prevail.
NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL
FILIBUSTERISMO: SUMMARY
AND REFLECTION
March 1, 2016

NOLI ME TANGERE: SUMMARY

The young and idealistic Juan Crisostomo Ibarra returns home after seven
years in Europe. The wealthy meztizo, like his father Don Rafael endeavors
for reform primarily in the area of education in order to eliminate poverty and
improve the lives of his countrymen. Upon learning about his father’s demise
and the denial of a Catholic burial for his father Ibarra was provoked to hit
Padre Damaso which eventually lead to his excommunication. The
excommunication was later rescinded upon the intervention of the Governor
General.

Padre Salvi, Ibarra’s mortal enemy accused Ibarra of insurrection. Ibarra’s

letter to his beloved Maria Clara was used against him. Later in the story,
Maria Clara will tell Ibarra that she did not conspire to indict him. She was
compelled to give Ibarra’s letter in exchange for the letters of her mother
before she was born. Maria Clara found out that the letters of her mother
were addressed to Padre Damaso about their unborn child which means that
she is the biological daughter of the priest and not of her father, Capitan
Tiago.

Meanwhile, Ibarra was able to escape the prison with Elias, who also
experienced injustice with the authorities. Ibarra was able to speak with
Maria Clara about the letters and thereafter forgave her. Ibarra and Elias flee
to the lake and were chased by the Guardia Civil. One was shot and the other
survives. Upon hearing the news, Maria Clara believed that Ibarra was dead;
she entered the nunnery instead of marrying Alfonso Linares.
The fatally wounded Elias found the child Basilio and his dead mother Sisa.
The latter was driven to insanity when she learned that her children were
implicated for theft by the sacristan mayor. Elias instructed Basilio to dig for
his and Sisa’s graves and there is a buried treasure which he can use for his
education.

Noli Me Tangere brilliantly described Philippine society with its memorable

characters. The melancholic fate of Maria Clara and the insanity of Sisa
characterized the country’s pitiful state, which was once beautiful, turned
miserable. Reading Noli Me Tangere will open one’s mind about oppression
and tyranny.

EL FILIBUSTERISMO: SUMMARY
This novel is a sequel to the Noli. It has a little humor, less idealism, and less
romance than the Noli Me Tangere. It is more revolutionary and more tragic
than the first novel.

The hero of El Filibusterismo is a rich jeweler named Simoun. He was

Crisostomo Ibarra of the Noli, who, with Elias’ help, escaped from the
pursuing soldiers at Laguna de Bay, dug up his buried treasure, and fled to
Cuba where he became rich and befriended many Spanish officials. After
many years he returned to the Philippines, where he freely moved around. He
is a powerful figure not only because he is a rich jeweler but also because he
is a good friend and adviser of the governor general.

Outwardly, Simoun is a friend of Spain. However deep in his heart, he is

secretly cherishing a terrible revenge against the Spanish authorities. His two
magnificent obsessions are to rescue Maria Clara from the nunnery of Santa
Clara and to foment a revolution against the hated Spanish masters.
The story of El Filibusterismo begins on board the clumsy, roundish shaped
steamer Tabo, so appropriately named. This steamer is sailing upstream the
Pasig from Manila to Laguna de Bay. Among the passengers are Simoun, the
rich jeweler; Doña Victorina, the ridiculously pro-Spanish native woman who
is going to Laguna in search of her henpecked husband, Tiburcio de
Espadaña, who has deserted her; Paulita Gomez, her beautiful niece; Ben-
Zayb (anagram of Ibañez), a Spanish journalist who writes silly articles about
the Filipinos; Padre Sibyla, vice-rector of the University of Santo Tomas;
Padre Camorra, the parish priest of the town of Tiani; Don Custodio, a pro-
spanish Filipino holding a position in the government; Padre Salvi, thin
Franciscan friar and former cura of San Diego; Padre Irene, a kind friar who
was a friend of the Filipino students; Padre Florentino, a retired scholarly and
patriotic Filipino priest; Isagani, a poet-nephew of Padre Florentino and a
lover of Paulita; and Basilio, son of Sisa and promising medical student,
whose medical education is financed by his patron, Capitan Tiago.

Simoun, a man of wealth and mystery, is a very close friend and confidante
of the Spanish governor general. Because of his great influence in
Malacañang, he was called the “Brown Cardinal” or the “Black Eminence”.
By using his wealth and political influence, he encourages corruption in the
government, promotes the oppression of the masses, and hastens the moral
degradation of the country so that the people may become desperate and
fight. He smuggles arms into the country with the help of a rich Chinese
merchant, Quiroga, who wants very much to be Chinese consul of Manila.
His first attempt to begin the armed uprising did not materialize because at
the last hour he hears the sad news that Maria Clara died in the nunnery. In
his agonizing moment of bereavement, he did not give the signal for the
outbreak of hostilities.

After a long time of illness brought about by the bitter loss of Maria Clara,
Simoun perfects his plan to overthrow the government. On the occasion of
the wedding of Paulita Gomez and Juanito Pelaez, he gives a wedding gift to
them a beautiful lamp. Only he and his confidential associates, Basilio (Sisa’s
son who joined his revolutionary cause), know that when the wick of his
lamp burns lower the nitroglycerine, hidden in its secret compartment, will
explode, destroying the house where the wedding feast is going to be held
killing all the guests, including the governor general, the friars, and the
government officials. Simultaneously, all the government buildings in Manila
will be blown by Simoun’s followers.

As the wedding feast begins, the poet Isagani, who has been rejected by
Paulita because of his liberal ideas, is standing outside the house, watching
sorrowfully the merriment inside. Basilio, his friend, warns him to go away
because the lightened lamp will soon explode.

Upon hearing the horrible secret of the lamp, Isagani realizes that his beloved
Paulita was in grave danger. To save her life, he rushes into the house, seizes
the lightened lamp, and hurls it into the river, where it explodes.

The revolutionary plot was thus discovered. Simoun was cornered by the
soldiers, but he escaped. Mortally wounded, and carrying his treasure chest,
he sought refuge in the home of Padre Florentino by the sea.

The Spanish authorities, however, learns of his presence in the house of

Padre Florentino. Lieutenant Perez of the Guardia Civil informs the priest by
letter that he would come at eight o’clock that night to arrest Simoun.

Simoun eluded arrest by taking poison. As he is dying, he confesses to Padre

Florentino, revealing his true identity, his dastardly plan to use his wealth to
avenge himself, and his sinister aim to destroy his friends and enemies.

The confession of the dying Simoun is long and painful. It is already night
when Padre Florentino, wiping the sweat from his wrinkled brow, rises and
begins to meditate. He consoles the dying man saying: “God will forgive you
Señor Simoun. He knows that we are fallible. He has seen that you have
suffered, and in ordaining that the chastisement for your faults should come
as death from the very ones you have instigated to crime, we can see His
infinite mercy. He has frustrated your plans one by one, the best conceived,
first by the death of Maria Clara, then by a lack of preparation, then in some
mysterious way. Let us bow to His will and render Him thanks!”

Watching Simoun die peacefully with a clear conscience and at peace with
God. Padre Florentino falls upon his knees and prays for the dead jeweler. He
takes the treasure chest and throws it into the sea; as the waves close over the
sinking chest.

REFLECTION:
Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) is not merely an attack on the Spanish
colonial regime. It is a charter nationalism. It calls on the Filipino to recover
his self-confidence, to appreciate his own worth, to return to the heritage of
his ancestors, to assert himself as the equal of the Spaniard. It is a romantic
novel, book of feeling, work of the heart, and contains freshness, color,
humor, lightness and wit despite that it depicts the sufferings of the Filipino
people under the Spanish rule.
El Filibusterismo (The Reign of Greed) was written in dedication of the three
martyred priests namely Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora
popularly known as GOMBURZA, whose tragic execution left unforgettable
imprint in his mind. It is a political novel, book of the thought, work of the
head and comprise bitterness, hatred, pain, sorrow and violence. Like Noli
Me Tangere, El Fili aims at enlightening the society, and at bringing the
Filipinos closer to the truth. In this novel, the society is urged to open its eyes
to reality and rebel against the Spanish government for its oppression and
abuse.
These two novels helped awaken the Filipinos to fought for their freedom and
stand with their right. It had made me realized that war does not necessarily
have to end through means of violence, it could always be ended peacefully,
through words and maybe even forgiveness. Words are far stronger than any
gun. Vengeance is not ours, it’s God. Evilness is at every corner but thou
shall not fear because good will always prevail.

Synopsis of "Noli Me Tangere"

The novel Noli Me Tangere contains 63 chapters and epilogue. It begins with a
reception given by Capitan Tiago (Santiago de los Santos) at his house in Calle
Analogue (now Juan Luna Street) on the last day of October. The reception or
dinner is given in honor of Crisostomo Ibarra, a young and rich Filipino who had
just returned after seven years of study in Europe. Ibarra was the only son of Don
Rafael Ibarra, friend of Capitan Tiago, and a fiancé of beautiful Maria Clara,
supposed daughter of Capitan Tiago.
Among the guests during the reception were Padre Damaso, a fat Franciscan
friar who had been parish priest for 20 years of San Diego (Calamba), Ibarra’s
native town; Padre Sybila, a young Dominican parish priest of Binondo; Señor
Guevara, as elderly and kind lieutenant of the Guardia Civil; Don Tiburcio de
Espadaña, a bogus Spanish physician, lame, and henpecked husband of Doña
Victorina; and several ladies.
Ibarra, upon his arrival, produced a favorable impression among the guests,
except Padre Damaso, who has rude to him. In accordance with a German
custom, he introduced himself to the ladies.
During the dinner the conversation centered on Ibarra’s studies and travels
abroad. Padre Damaso was in bad mood because he got a bony neck and a
hard wing of the chicken tinola. He tried to discredit Ibarra’s remarks.
After dinner, Ibarra left Capitan Tiago’s house to return to his hotel. On the way,
the kind Lieutenant Guevara told him the sad story of his father’s death in San
Diego. Don Rafael, his father, was a rich and brave man. He defended a helpless
boy from the brutality of an illiterate Spanish tax collector, pushing the latter and
accidentally killing him. Don Rafael was thrown in prison, where he died
unhappily. He was buried in consecrated ground, but his enemies, accusing him
being a heretic, had his body removed from the cemetery.
On hearing about his father’s sad story, Ibarra thanked the kind Spanish
lieutenant and vowed to find out the truth about his father’s death.
The following morning, he visited Maria Clara, his childhood sweetheart. Maria
Clara teasingly said that he had forgotten her because the girls in Germany were
beautiful. Ibarra replied that he had never forgotten her.
After the romantic reunion with Maria Clara, Ibarra went to San Diego to visit his
father’s grave. It was All Saint’s Day. At the cemetery, the grave digger told
Ibarra that the corpse of Don Rafael was removed by order of the parish priest to
be, buried in the Chinese cemetery; but the corpse was heavy and it was a dark
and rainy night so that he (the grave-digger) simply threw the corpse into the
lake.
Ibarra was angered by the grave-digger’s story. He left the cemetery. On the
way, he met Padre Salvi, Franciscan parish priest of San Diego. In a flash, Ibarra
pounced on the priest, demanding redress for desecrating his father’s mortal
remains. Padre told him that he had nothing to do with it, for he was not the
parish priest at the time of Don Rafael’s death. It was Padre Damaso, his
predecessor, who was responsible for it. Convinced for Padre Salvi’s innocence,
Ibarra went away.
In his town Ibarra met several interesting people, such as the wise old man,
Tasio the philosopher, whose ideas were too advanced for his times so that the
people, who could not understand him, called him “Tasio the Lunatic;” the
progressive school teacher, who complained to Ibarra that the children were
losing interest to their studies because of the lack proper school house and the
discouraging attitude of the parish friar towards both the teaching of Spanish and
of the use of modern methods of pedagogy; the spineless gobernadorcillo, who
catered to the wishes of the Spanish parish friars; Don Filipo Lino, the teniente-
mayor and leader of the cuardrilleros (town police); and the former
gobernadorcillos who were prominent citizens Don Basilio and Don Valentin.
A most tragic story in the novel is the tale of Sisa, who was formerly a rich girl but
became poor because she married a gambler, and a wastrel at that. She became
crazy because she lost her two boys, Basilio and Crispin, the joy of her wretched
life. These boys were sacristanes (sextons) in the church, working for a small
wage to support their poor mother. Crispin the younger of the two brothers was
accused by the brutal sacristan mayor (chief sexton) of stealing the money of the
priest. He was tortured in the convent and died. Basilio, with his brother’s dying
cries ringing in his ears, escaped. When the two boys did not return home, Sisa
looked for them everywhere and, in her great sorrow, she became insane.
Capitan Tiago, Maria Clara, and Aunt Isabel (Capitan Tiago’s cousin who took
care of Maria Clara, after his mother’s death) arrived in San Diego. Ibarra and his
friends give picnic at the lake. Among those present in this picnic, were Maria
Clara and her four girl friends the merry Siñang, the grave Victoria, the beautiful
Iday, and the thoughtful Neneng; Aunt Isabel, chaperon of Maria Clara; Capitana
Tika, mother of Siñang; Andeng, foster sister of Maria Clara; Albino, the ex-
theological student who was in love with Siñang; and Ibarra and his friends. One
of the boatmen was a strong and silent peasant youth named Elias.
An incident of the picnic was the saving of Elias’ life by Ibarra. Elias bravely
grappled with a crocodile which was caught in the fish corral. But the crocodile
struggled furiously so that Elias could not subdue it. Ibarra jumped into the water
and killed the crocodile, thereby saving Elias. After the crocodile incident, was
the rendering of a beautiful song by Maria Clara who had a sweet voice and they
went ashore. They made merry in the cool, wooded meadow. Padre Salvi,
Capitan Basilio (former gobernadorcillo and Siñang’s father) the alferez
(lieutenant of the Guardia Civil) and the town officials were present. The
luncheon was served, and everybody enjoyed eating.
The meal over, Ibarra and Capitan Basilio played chess, while Maria Clara and
her friends played the “Wheel of Chance”, a game based on a fortune-telling
book. As the girls were enjoying their fortune-telling game, Padre Salvi came and
tore to pieces the book, saying that it was a sin to play such game. Shortly
thereafter, a sergent and four soldiers of the Guardia Civil suddenly arrived,
looking for Elias, who was hunted for assaulting Padre Damaso and throwing the
alferez into a mud hole. Fortunately Elias had disappeared, and the Guardia Civil
went away empty-handed. During the picnic also, Ibarra received a telegram
from the Spanish authorities notifying him the approval of his donation of a
schoolhouse for the children of San Diego.
The next day Ibarra visited old Tasio to consult him on his pet project about the
schoolhouse. He saw the old man’s writings were written in hieroglyphics. Tasio
explained to him that he wrote in hieroglyphics because he was writing for the
future generations who would understand them and say, “Not all were asleep in
the night of our ancestors!”
Meanwhile San Diego was merrily preparing for its annual fiesta, in honor of its
patron saint San Diego de Alcala, whose feast day is the 11th of November. On
the eve of the fiesta, hundreds of visitors arrived from the nearby towns, and
there were laughter, music, exploding bombs, feasting and moro-moro. The
music was furnished by five brass bands (including the famous Pagsanjan Band
owned by the escribano Miguel Guevara) and three orchestras.
In the morning of the fiesta there was a high mass in the church, officiated by
Padre Salvi. Padre Damaso gave the long sermon, in which he expatiated on the
evils of the times that were caused by certain men, who having tasted some
education spread pernicious ideas among the people.
After Padre Damaso’s sermon, the mass was continued by Padre Salve. Elias
quietly moved to Ibarra, who was kneeling and praying by Maria Clara’s side, and
warned him to be careful during the ceremony of the laying of the cornerstone of
the schoolhouse because there was a plot to kill him.
Elias suspected that the yellowish man, who built the derrick, was a paid stooge
of Ibarra’s enemies. True to his suspicion, later in the day, when Ibarra, in the
presence of a big crowd, went down into the trench to cement the cornerstone,
the derrick collapsed. Elias, quick as a flash, pushed him aside, thereby saving
his life. The yellowish man was the one crushed to death by the shattered
derrick.
At the sumptuous dinner that night under a decorated kiosk, a sad incident
occurred. The arrogant Padre Damaso, speaking in the presence of many
guests, insulted the memory of Ibarra’s father. Ibarra jumped to his seat, knocked
down the fat friar with his fist, and then seized a sharp knife. He would have killed
the friar, were it not for the timely intervention of Maria Clara.

The fiesta over, Maria Clara became ill. She was treated by the quack Spanish
physician, Tiburcio de Espadaña, whose wife, a vain and vulgar native woman,
was a frequent visitor in Capitan Tiago’s house. This woman had hallucinations
of being a superior Castillan, and, although a native herself, she looked down on
her own people as inferior beings. She added another “de” to her husband’s
surname in order to more Spanish. Thus she wanted to be called “Doctora Doña
Victorina de los Reyes de De Espadaña.” She introduced to Capitan Tiago’s
young Spaniards, Don Alfonso Linares de Espadaña, cousin of Don Tiburcio de
Espadaña and godson of Padre Damaso’s brother in law. Linares was a
penniless and jobless, fortune hunter who came to the Philippines in search of a
rich Filipino heiress. Both Doña Victorina and Padre Damaso sponsored his
wooing of Maria Clara, but the latter did not respond because she loved Ibarra.

The story of Elias like that of Sisa, was a tale of pathos and tragedy. He related it
to Ibarra. Some 60 years ago, his grandfather, who was then a young
bookkeeper in a Spanish commercial firm in Manila, was wrongly accused of
burning the firm’s warehouse. He was flogged in public and was left in the street,
crippled and almost died. His was pregnant, beg for alms and became a
prostitute in order to support her sick husband and their son. After giving birth to
her second son and the death of her husband, she fled, with her to sons to the
mountains.

Years later the first boy became a dreaded tulisan named Balat. He terrorized the
provinces. One day he was caught by the authorities. His head was cut off and
was hung from a tree branch in the forest. On seeing this gory object, the poor
mother (Elias’ grandmother) died.

Balat’s younger brother, who was by nature kindhearted, fled and became a
trusted laborer in the house of rich man in Tayabas. He fell in love with the
master’s daughter. The girl’s father, enraged by the romance, investigated his
past and found out the truth. The unfortunate lover (Elias’ father) was sent to jail,
while the girl gave birth to twins, a boy (Elias) and a girl. Their rich grandfather
took care of them, keeping secret their scandalous origin, and reared them as
rich children. Elias was educated in the JesuitCollege in Manila, while his sister
studied in La Concordia College. They lived happily, until one day, owing to
certain dispute over money matters, a distant relative exposed their shameful
birth. They were disgraced. An old male servant, whom they used to abuse, was
forced to testify in court and the truth came out that he was their real father.

>
Elias and his sister left Tayabas to hide their shame in another place. One day
the sister disappeared. Elias roamed from place to place, looking for her. He
heard later that a girl answering to his sister’s description, was found died on the
beach of San Diego. Since then, Elias lived a vagabond life, wandering from
province to province – until he met Ibarra.

Elias, learning of Ibarra’s arrest, burned all the papers that might incriminate his
friend and set Ibarra’s house on fire. Then he went to prison and helped Ibarra
escape. He and Ibarra jumped into a banca loaded with sacate (grass). Ibarra
stopped at the house of Capitan Tiago to say goodbye to Maria Clara. In the
tearful last scene between the two lovers, Ibarra forgave Maria Clara for giving
up his letter to her to the Spanish authorities who utilized them as evidence
against him. On her part, Maria Clara revealed that those letters were exchanged
with a letter from her late mother, Pia Alba which Padre Salvi gave her. From his
letter, she learned that her real father was Padre Damaso.

After bidding Maria Clara farewell, Ibarra returned to the banca. He and Elias
paddled up the PasigRiver toward Laguna de Bay. A police boat, with the
Guardia Civil on board, pursued them as their banca reached the lake. Elias told
Ibarra to hide under the zacate. As the police boat was overtaking the banca,
Elias jumped into the water and swam swiftly toward the shore. In this way, he
diverted the attention of the soldiers on his person, thereby giving Ibarra a
chance to escape. The soldier fired at the swimming Elias, who was hit and sank.
The water turned red because of his blood. The soldiers, thinking that they had
killed the fleeing Ibarra returned to Manila. Thus Ibarra was able to escape.

>
Elias seriously wounded, reached the shore and staggered into the forest. He
met a boy, Basilio, who was weeping over his mother’s dead body. He told
Basilio to make a pyre on which their bodies (his and Sisa) were to be burned to
ashes. It was Christmas eve, and the moon gleamed softly in the sky. Basilio
prepared the funeral pyre. As life’s breath slowly left his body. Elias looked
toward the east and murmured: “I die without seeing the dawn brighten over my
native land.” You, who have it to see, welcome it! And forget not those who have
fallen during the night.

The novel has an epilogue which recounts what happened to the other
characters. Maria Clara, out of her loyalty to the memory of Ibarra, the man she
truly loved, entered the Santa Clara nunnery. Padre Salvi left the parish of San
Diego and became a chaplain of the nunnery. Padre Damaso was transferred to
a remote province, but the next morning he was found dead in his bedroom.
Capitan Tiago the former genial host and generous patron of the church became
an opium addict and a human wreck. Doña Victorina, still henpecking poor Don
Tiburcio, had taken to wearing eye-glasses because of weakening eyesight.
Linares, who failed to win Maria Clara’s affection, died of dysentery and was
buried in Paco cemetery.

>
The alferez, who successfully repulsed the abortive attack on the barracks, was
promoted major. He returned to Spain, leaving behind his shabby mistress, Doña
Consolacion.

The novel ends with Maria Clara, an unhappy nun in Santa Clara nunnery –
forever lost to the world.