EL FILIBUSTERISMO

Intentions to Write the Second Novel

 Based on the analysis of the

writer, the main intention of the
El Filibusterismo is to fulfill the
revenge of the main character,
Ibarra (Simoun in El Fili). Rizal
also discussed the political
defects of the evil Spanish
administration where there was
discrimination, hatred, revenge
which continued to destroy the
society at that time. The novel
also discussed the defects of the
Church that triggered the
struggle of Filipinos against the
Spanish tyranny.
Title of the Novel and Its Dedication

 The title of the novel,

El Filibusterismo or
known as “The Rebel”
and in other translations
it was called, “The
Reign of Creed”. Rizal
dedicated the novel to
the three martyrs of
Cavite Mutiny namely
– Gomez, Burgos and
Zamora.
 Sypnosis
The book narrates the return of the protagonist of Noli Me Tangere, Crisostomo Ibarra,
under the disguise of a wealthy jeweller named Simoun. Dillusioned by the abuses of the
Spanish, Ibarra abandons his pacifist beliefs in order to return to the Philippines and start a
violent revolution. Noli Me Tangere’s Basilio, now a young man and a skilled medical student, is
recruited by Ibarra to aid him in detoning a bomb at a social gathering, signaling the beginning
of the revolution.However, Basilio warns his friend Isagani. Realizing that the woman he loves
is in the building, Isagani throws the bomb into the river, averting the explosion and the
revolution. Implicated in these matters, Simoun commits suicide by taking poison and finds
resting place at the home of a priest, Father Florentino, who hears his last confession and
assures him that not all hope is lost. The priest (Father Florentino), upon Simoun’s death,
commends the jewels into the sea, remarking that the jewels once used to bribe and corrupt
people, would one day be hopefully found to be used for a meaningful purpose.
Plot of the Novel

El Filibusterismo, being the second novel of Rizal, the sequel

of Noli Me Tangere, is a political novel which tackles the
political upheavals in the Philippines at that time.
The novel, aside from being the continuation of Noli Me
Tangere, gives political relevance to the character, particularly
when Simoun was planning the assassination of the Spanish
Captain-General.
In this novel, Rizal had thoughts of the Philippine Revolution
but not in a drastic manner.
In the novel, Simoun dies which will trigger the revolution
against the Spaniards.
The tragic scenario in the second novel was the Filipino losing
in the hands of their enemies.
 Which shall prevail: Noli or El Fili?

 There are several distinctions of the two novels, a

comparative summary is as follows:

Noli Me Tangere El Filibusterismo

It is a social novel. It is a political and revolutionary novel

The novel is centered on the primary Though it is a sequel of Noli, there are
characters, Ibarra, Maria Clara and Padre several characters which give real color to
Damaso. the story such as the struggle of Placido
Penitente, the fate of Basilio
and the revolutionary Simoun.
There are many sequences that are not related The dramatic revenge of Simoun was the very
to the novel itself such as the love story of climax of the 2 novels but was aborted when
Elias and Basilio revealed the explosion of the gas
Salome (though it was deleted by Jose Rizal). lamp.
 Based on the table, their strengths and weaknesses
of the 2 novels.
 Noli Me Tangere may be compared to the “Old
Testament” that talks about the Spanish hegemony
while El Filibusterismo is the “New Testament”
which tackled “political changes” in the
bureaucracy.
 On the other hand, the author made the main
character, Simoun die in the hands of the Spanish
authorities which had a negative effect on the voice
of Philippine Revolution against Spain because it
depicted defeat.
Rizal’s Mind about Revolution

There are series of debates questioning whether Rizal is a

reformist or a revolutionist.
Being a calm, quiet and highly educated person, Rizal used
the pen instead of the sword to liberate the Philippines from
the hands of the Spanish conquistadores.
Pugay (2013) made an analysis of the writings of Renato
Constantino’s “Veneration Without Understand”, wherein he
stressed the making of Rizal as a demi-god.
However, the findings on Pio de Valenzuela’s account that
Rizal made certain plans in continuing the armed struggle as
the scholars believed Pio’s “reverse psychology”.
It may be concluded that Rizal had the knowledge of the
revolution as his name was one of the codes of the secret
organization called ‘Katipunan’.
Simoun
Crisóstomo Ibarra in disguise, presumed dead at the
end of Noli me tangere. Ibarra has returned as the
wealthy jeweler Simoun. His appearance is described
as being tanned, having a sparse beard, long white
hair, and large blue-tinted glasses. In manners he was
crude and confrontational. He was derisively described
by Custodio and Ben Zayb as an American mulatto or
a British Indian. While presenting as the arrogant
elitist on the outside, he secretly plans a violent
revolution in order to avenge himself for his
misfortunes as Crisóstomo Ibarra, as well as hasten
Elias' reformist goals.
Basilio
 
Son of Sisa and another character from Noli me tangere. In the
events of the El fili, he is an aspiring and so far successful
physician on his last year at University and was waiting for his
license to be released upon his graduation. After his mother's death
in the Noli, he applied as a servant in Captain Tiago's household in
exchange for food, lodging, and being allowed to study. Eventually
he took up medicine, and with Tiago having retired from society,
he also became the manager of Tiago's vast estate. He is a quiet,
contemplative man who is more aware of his immediate duties as a
servant, doctor, and member of the student association than he is of
politics or patriotic endeavors. His sweetheart is Juli, the daughter
of Kabesang Tales whose family took him in when he was a young
boy fleeing the Guardia Civil and his deranged mother.
Isagani

Basilio's friend. He is described as a poet, taller and more robust

than Basilio although younger. He is the nephew of Padre
Florentino, but is also rumored to be Florentino's son with his old
sweetheart before he was ordained as a priest. During the events of
the novel, Isagani is finishing his studies at the Ateneo Municipal
and is planning to take medicine. A member of the student
association, Isagani is proud and naive, and tends to put himself on
the spot when his ideals are affronted. His unrestrained idealism
and poeticism clash with the more practical and mundane concerns
of his girlfriend, Paulita Gomez. When Isagani allows himself to be
arrested after their association is outlawed, Paulita leaves him for
Juanito Peláez. In his final mention in the novel, he was bidding
goodbye to his landlords, the Orenda family, to stay with
Florentino permanently.
Macaraig
The Leader. He is described as wealthy,
with his own coach, driver, and set of
horses. He is said to own several houses,
and that he is lending one to serve as the
schoolhouse for their planned Spanish
language academy. After the outlawing of
the group, he was the first to post bail. He
then left the country after his release.
Kabesang Tales

Telesforo Juan de Dios, a former kabesa of Barrio Sagpang in Tiani.

He was a sugarcane planter who cleared lands he thought belonged to
no one, losing his wife and eldest daughter in the endeavor. When the
Dominicans took over his farm, he fought to his last money to have it
retained in his possession. While his suit against the Dominicans was
ongoing, he was kidnapped by bandits while he was out patrolling his
fields. Having no money to pay his captors, his daughter Juli was
forced to become a maid in exchange for her mistress paying his
ransom. When his son Tano was conscripted into the Guardia Civil,
again Tales had no money to pay for Tano's exclusion from the draft.
When in spite of all Tales lost the case, he not only lost his farm but
was also dealt with a heavy fine. He later joined the bandits and
became one of their fiercest commanders. Tandang Selo, his father,
would later on join his band after the death of Juli.
Father Florentino 

Isagani's uncle, a retired priest. Florentino was the son of a

wealthy and influential Manila family. He entered the
priesthood at the insistence of his mother. As a resul, he had to
break an affair with a woman he loved, and in despair devoted
himself instead to his parish. When the 1872 Cavite mutiny
broke out, he promptly resigned from the priesthood, fearful of
drawing unwanted attention. He was an Indio and a secular, or
a priest that was unaffiliated with the orders, and yet his parish
drew in a huge income. He retired to his family's large estate
along the shores of the Pacific. He is described as white-haired,
with a quiet, serene personality and a strong build. He did not
smoke or drink. He was well respected by his peers, even by
the Spanish friars and officials.
Don Custodio

Custodio de Salazar y Sánchez de Monteredondo, a famous

"contractor" who was tasked by the Captain-General to
develop the students association's proposal for an academy
for the teaching of Spanish, but was then also under
pressure from the priests not to compromise their
prerogatives as monopolizers of instruction. Some of the
novel's most scathing criticism is reserved for Custodio,
who is portrayed as an opportunist who married his way
into high society, who regularly criticized favored ideas that
did not come from him, but was ultimately, laughably
incompetent in spite of his scruples
 
Paulita Gómez

The girlfriend of Isagani and the niece of

Doña Victorina, the old Indio who passes
herself off as a Peninsular, who is the wife
of the quack doctor Tiburcio de Espadaña.
In the end, she and Isagani part ways,
Paulita believing she will have no future if
she marries him. She eventually marries
Juanito Peláez
Juli

Juliana de Dios, the girlfriend of Basilio, and the

youngest daughter of Kabesang Tales. When Tales
was captured by bandits, Juli petitioned Hermana
Penchang to pay for his ransom. In exchange, she
had to work as Penchang's maid. Basilio ransomed
her and bought a house for her family. When
Basilio was sent to prison, Juli approached Tiani's
curate, Padre Camorra, for help. When Camorra
tried to rape her instead, Juli jumped to her death
from the church's tower.
Father Írene

Capitan Tiago's spiritual adviser. Along with Custodio, Írene is severely

criticized as a representative of priests who allied themselves with
temporal authority for the sake of power and monetary gain. Known to
many as the final authority who Don Custodio consults, the student
association sought his support and gifted him with two chestnut-colored
horses, yet he betrayed the students by counseling Custodio into making
them fee collectors in their own school, which was then to be
administered by the Dominicans instead of being a secular and privately
managed institution as the students envisioned. Írene secretly but
regularly supplies Capitan Tiago with opium while exhorting Basilio to
do his duty. Írene embellished stories of panic following the outlawing
of the student association Basilio was part of, hastening Captain Tiago's
death. With Basilio in prison, he then struck Basilio out of Tiago's last
will and testament, ensuring he inherited nothing.
Father Camorra

the parish priest of Tiani. Ben-Zayb's regular foil,

he is said to look like an artilleryman in
counterpoint to Ben-Zayb's friar looks. He stops at
nothing to mock and humiliate Ben-Zayb's liberal
pretensions. In his own parish, Camorra has a
reputation for unrestrained lustfulness. He drives
Juli into suicide after attempting to rape her inside
the convent. For his misbehavior he was
"detained" in a luxurious riverside villa just outside
Manila.
Quiroga

A Chinese businessman who aspired to

be a consul for China in the Philippines.
Simoun coerced Quiroga into hiding
weapons inside the latter's warehouses in
preparation for the revolution.