Rizal was a cultured man of ideas, a scholar with versatile talents, an intellec- tual humanist obsessed with the fact that his people must be liberated from their oppressive ignorance and delivered into a conscious awareness of unity and free- dom by means of education. None of I's writings has had a more tremendous effect on the Filipino people than his two novels that coura- geously criticized Philippine life during the 19th century — Noli Me Tangere and E/ Filibusterismo. These works of fiction expressed the theme of Philippine nationalism in a most profound and dramatic manner to arouse the latent spirits of a frustrated people. And though Rizal aimed his message to the people of his own generation, the novels remain the most potent inspiration for national unity today. They are considered “the greatest Philippine social documents,” And in official recognition of the “gospels of Philippine nationalism,” the Congress of the Philippine passed Republic Act 1425 on 12.June 1966, making the reading of the two novels compulsory in all the country’s colleges and universities. f these two novels n all over the world n nationalist. With he novels express f country with an rough them The profundity 0! has made Rizal know as the foremost Asia! utmost perspicacity t his concept of love o innate sense of dedication. Th 1 he boldly spoke out against unjust Spanish colonial exploitation and he agitated for political and social reforms. Ironically these works strongly warned against rebellion against Spain but they triggered off the first nationalist uprising in Asia. And for his temerity in speaking out his mind, Rizal paid dearly with his life leaving behind a conscious people aware of what they had to do. fe alert reader today will fi Noli and the Fili two delightful, itsome. what poignant comedies of manners, not unlike many novels of Victorian Engalnd, Running through their pages is an unforgettable array of Dickensian charac- ters, ranging from true nationalists and pseudonationalists to pitiful victims o the society's malaise. intel reader will fi . entattimes and a ecovele pees for fiction of the 19th centucy baal tury, but they 1were written to present an anarchy of unbridled greed existing in the country. Rizal was not necessarily anti-religious. But as he trained his guns with impunity | ‘on the Spanish friars whom he felt were responsible for the misery of his coun- | trymen, he inevitably condemned some | procedures and practices of the religion behind which the friars were shielding | themselves. Rizal’s novels are more meaningfully studied as political satires for his reform propaganda. With disarming honesty. Rizal wrote to free the human spirit from deterioration as depicted in the historical situation from 1877 to 1887." To the Filipino reader who under- stands the historical background of the novels, Rizal traced the delicate portrait of a people faced with social problems and political enigmas. Many of the predica- ments presented have contemporary relevance. And the novels provide an inexhaustible source of inspiration for solutions to current conditions and prob- lems. Noli Me Tangere literally means “touch me not.” Itsketches a wound pain- ful even to the healer’s touch causing more agony than relief. The concerned healer reveals the actions that a frus- trated society resorts to in the moment of despair. Such despair could force the oppressed to insurgence, as £/ Filibus- terismo, the sequel, suggests. Rizal did not advocate revolution. while he spoke vehemently against it in his novels, he emphasized that revolution would be the inevitable alternative if no attempt were made by the Spanish gov- ‘ernment to introduce social and political reforms and check the injustices commit- ted against the natives. An enslaved peo- ple, Rizal claimed, eventually would revolt against their oppressors. To the ser esol Bre as philosopher Ri and liberty ™ people’s "19) With 2 in his novels ensitive 3 the miserso in an effort t Fiipino ABS oyties that there w the Spanis for reforms in SOC EY. urgent nest and in the Catholic C overnment- catholic oP tthe Philippines He d Pot butt Oe soc ey ee ios h Spaniards: Me £21 atthe inaios Sgual share of hypocrisy : quale, white the Novels 27e ence sciations of the abuses and exces. deranitons mied by he and vil administrators. they are also and the ci of the weaknesses honest exposure e an novects of the Filipinos. “There 37200 ore there are no slaves.” he Shon said. vand he hoped that by present- ing an authentic picture of decadent Philippine society — picture he had largely drawn from his own experiences aie Gpservations — he would awaken a lethargic people to a realization that only through the education of the masses could a strong moral fiber be developed. To understand Rizal’s purpose in writ- ing the novels, one has only to look at his dedication of the Noli Me Tangere, which reads thus: ere To My Country: Inthe catalogue of human ills there is to be found a cancer so malignant that the least touch inflames it and colises agonising Pains; afflicted with ou cece @ social cancer, has Your dea image appeared to me, compare ay own heart's ease or to ae ey lu with others, | have zation 'e centres of modern civili- Now. call you to mind which te eras of your welfare, best cure a re and seeking the s, | shall do with you what Was done in ages past with (Manila: Jose Rizal National Centenni sion, 1961), p 62, fennial Commis. 72 w raaia exposed on the © So that the wor-shippers, having invoked the god, | should each propose a remedy. To this end, | shall endeavour to | show your condition, faithfully and ruthlessly. I shall ifta corner of the veil which shrouds the disease, sacrificing to the truth everything, even self- love—for, as your son, your defects and weaknesses are also mine. The Author Europe, 1886 The fervor in Rizal's nationalism is articulated in the dedication of E/ Filibus- terismo: To the memory of the priests, Don Mariano Gomer, eighty-five, Don Jose Burgos, thirty, and Don Jacinto Zam- ora, thirty-five, who were executed on the scaffold at Bagumbayan on 28 February 1872.” The Church, by refusing to unfrock you, has put in doubt the crime charged against you; the Government by enshrouding your trial in mystery and pardoning your co-accused has implied that some mistake was com- mitted when your fate was decided; and the whole of the Philippines in paying homage to your memory and calling you martyrs totally rejects your guilt. ‘As long therefore as itis not clearly shown that you took part in the upris- n Cavite, | have the right, whether or not you were patriots and whether ornot you were seeking justice and lib- erty, to dedicate my work to you as vic- time of the evil lam trying to fight. And while we wait for Spain to clear your names some day, refusing to beaparty toyour death, letthesepages serveasa belated wreath of withered leaves on your forgotten graves. Whoever attacks your memory without sufficient proof has your blood upon his hands. ing i J. RIZAL, ‘Gomes was actually 4, Burg08 35, and Zam a7 Giron hay were execuied on 17 February 1872, The Plots of the Novels. Noli Me Tangere is the story of Juan Crisos- tomo Ibarra, scion of a wealthy family, who returns home to San Diego “where still roam deer and boars” from his seven-year education in the German section of sophisticated Swit- zerland. During his absence, his father Don Rafael Ibarra was imprisoned for the accidental death of a Spanish tax- collector. Don Rafael died in prison and he was denied a Christian burial by Father Damaso, San Diego's parish because he had stopped priest, efore his going to confession long bi death, and was a subscriber to liberal publications. The young Ibarra finds the deplor- able conditions in his country virtually unchanged since he had left for Europe. inflamed with a desire to edu- cate his people and bring progress to his hometown, he establishes 2 school, patterned after the progres- sive schools he had known in Europe. His project, though enthusiastically endorsed by the townspeople, is met with skepticism by the old scholar Tasio who years before had attempted todo the same thing but he failed. The new parish priest, Father Salvi, also looks at the school disapprovingly for he sees it as a dangerous threat to his authority over the natives. During the laying of the school’s cornerstone, an attempt is made on Ibarra’s life but he is saved by Elias , the mysterious boatman whom he had earlier rescued from death during a picnic at the lake. The friars con- stantly harass and persecute Ibarra at San Diego. At one gathering, the ication hurled against his dead . father almost provoked Ibarra to kill Father Damaso, but his hand is stayed ey his fiancee Maria Clara. He is ‘communicated by the friar and late r ache by the Archbishop. inally, a false rebellion i is plot and through forged documents, ibaa 734 Jor. Unwitting its load rt to the ly, his fiancee had lent suppo! plotters by providing them with @ specimen of his signature when she was forced to exchange his love lettor for some letters which contained the hidden secret of her paternity. Ibarra is imprisoned and later rescued once again by Elias who hides him in a-banca covered with zacate and rows him under a barrage of gunfire. Elias is wounded and sac- rifices his life for his beloved friend. Ibarra quietly buries Elias in the woods belonging to his family; then he flees the country, leaving the impression that he had died from the civil guard’s bullets. The distraught Maria Clara is urged by Father Damaso to marry the Spaniard Alfonso Linares. She refuses and enters the nunnery of the Poor Clares instead. El Filibusterismo picks up the threads of the narrative where Noli leaves off, with the return of Ibarra, under an assumed name Simoun. On board the dingy steamer, Tabo, en- route to San Diego on the Pasig River, he is the subject of conversations on the lower deck, as well as the center of attention on the upper deck. The thir- teen years away from his country has transformed him into an exotic look- ing, mysterious personality. He radiates great influence and he becomes the indispensable consul- tant and closest friend of the Governor General. No one suspects that Simoun, the affluent jeweler, is the fugitive Ibarra. Only Basilio, son of the demented Sisa of Noli Me Tangere, comes to know the secret. But even Basilio finds it difficult to reconcile the dreamer and the idealist that once was Ibarra to the shrewd, sly schemer that is now Simoun. Now a young man pursuing a medical career, Basilio stumbles on ggcret on a CHNSIMAS dy simoun’s 90 her's grave in ny ie, arras. SIMOUN ties y, woods O19 his side a8 he explaing win BasillO | has returned to ove, mis plans. He ent and avenge ty, he govt's suffered. He wouig ‘and his influence tq nin the high cir evernmenti as a result, he the people to despair ang on (0 revolution. His obses. tion, would primarily iment of his vow of ple's freedom in y as a secondary visit 10 ui the revol sion a a fulfill ‘. The peo came onl purpose oun attempts to ignite i lion but he fails. On fires of rebe Y a first occasion, the news of Maria i th reaches him just as he is Cee nal for the coordi- jive the sig! Seaiaaa city. He had plan- nated attack on the I ned this revolution so that in the ensu- ing confusion he would be able to rescue Maria Clara from the nunnery. But now she is dead. In his numbness, he forgets that his followers await his signal. Panic ensues and they break out in disorganized rampage. His second attempt is thwarted by Isagani, the young poet, who snatches the lamp Simoun sends as a wedding gift to Isagani’s former sweetheart who marries another suitor. The lamp eee homemade bomb which was timed to blow up wh invited high officials and friars ‘were an at the wedding feast. Having warned by his good friended, he seeks sanctuary in the house of | a native priest, Father Florentino. To escape his pursuers, he takes poison and dies in despair. The Characters. As gospels of Philippine nationalism, Rizal's novels convey the essence of his nationalism that was to reverberate in the hearts of his people. He identified this essence in his letters as his aspiration: to alleviate the sufferings of the masses, to make men worthy, to avenge one day the many victims of cruelty and injustice, to erect a monument to the native tongue and to educate his peo- ple. In Noli and Fili, the essence of Ri- zal's nationalism. is best understood through a study of the characters. Through their dialogue and actua- tions, in their ideas and ideals, or in the lack of these are seen Rizal's range of vision, his concept of love of coun- try, his appeal for reforms, his attitude towards the friars, and his views on the weaknesses of the Filipinos. The characters are the Spaniards and the Filipinos whom Rizal praised, or con- demned with compassion. Ibarra-Simoun. The main pro- tagonist in the Noli is Juan Crisos- tomo Ibarra y Magsalin, first shown as a well-mannered young man recently arrived sometime in the 1880s from his studies and travels in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Spain. His mater- nal surname symbolizes the “trans- lated” Filipino. His paternity goes back to the Pelayos and Elcanos of North- ern Spain. An Elcano was companion to Magellan. His grandfather was a taciturn Basque, Don Saturnino, a conqueror of the soil; his father was the well-loved Don Rafael, who ee fascinated by the native camisa ai indigenous culture while subscribing to Madrid publications, and who ven” erates the likeness of the “executed priest” (Fr Jose A Burgos) These forebears have provided Ibarra wit “his more than average height, the impression of youth and of health, equally developed in mind and body, {with] slight traces of Spanish blood, beautifully bronzed and somewhat rosy in the cheeks (Noli, p 13).” Upon his return to the Philippines, Ibarra is easily the talk of the town. Indeed one of the most serious newspapers in Manila had devoted to Ibarra a front-page article entitled ‘Imitate Him!’; lavishing advice on him and nota few praises. Ithad called him the cultured youth and wealthy businessman’; two lines below that, ‘the distinguished philanthropolist’; in the next paragraph, ‘the pupil of Minerva who went to the motherland to greet the true home of the arts and sciences’; a little farther on, ‘The Filipino Spaniard’, and so fo: :h. (Noli, p 169) The long-ignored respectability of the father is remembered; Don Rafael is Publicly acknowledged as “one of the most honorable and honest men in the Philippines” (Noli, p 14). Even the friars, such as Father Sybila, are willing to accede some credit: "The young Ibarra is sensible enough; he doesn't seem stupid; | think he is all right (Noli, p 49)."" Indeed Ibarra is gracious and respectful but sensitive and quick to strike at anyone who would malign the good name of his dead father. In the course of time he becomes a harassed young man whose ambitious projects fail one by one. In the Fili, Ibarra reappears as Simoun, an influential jeweler. His con- trasting appearance is an ingenious dis- guise. He is tall, lean, sinewy and very deeply tanned: whodressed in the English fashion and wore a pith helmet. His most strik- ing gesture was his long hair, com- pletely white, which set off a black 75dhe | goatee so sparse that it suggest f was a half-breed. To protect himsel from the sun, he always wore a pair 0! huge dark glasses that covered his eyes and part of his cheeks complete ly, giving him the appearance of aman who was either blind or suffered from some defect in his eyesight. (Fili, p 6) Having the reputation .of being the “adviser and true author of all the acts of His Excellency the Governor-General (Fil p.3),’" he is sacrastically referred to as the “Brown Cardinal” or “His Black Emi- nenice” by the natives who compared him to that influential Capuchin adviser of the notorious Cardinal Richelieu. Ibarra is no longer the educator but a corruptor bent on the collapse of Castillian sovereignty. People recognize his carriage and his Escolta residence, but doubt whether he is half-English or half-Latin-American. Elias. Ibarra’s mysterious friend Elias appears in an almost deux ex machina fashion every time Ibarra is in trouble. His robust appearance is marred by great sad eyes and a stern mouth, long unkempt black hair that falls to his strong neck, and a coarse dark shirt that reveals powerful sinewy arms. Although regarded as an outlaw, Elias is no ordinary renegade. His family mis- fortunes had forced him to brigandry. Elias’ grandfather had been a bookkeeper in the employ of Don Pedro Eibarramen- dia. When a fire razed the district where Don Pedro lived, the bookkeeper was blamed. He was publicly flogged and dragged through the streets by a horse, in effect “executed” through total ostracism and humiliation. His wife, in despair for the family’s needs, turned to prostitution. The husband hanged himself and the widow, accused of causing the hanging, left the town with her two children. In time, the older son Balat had become a dreaded tulisan’ while the younger brother stayed in the woods with their mother. Balat eventually got caught 'Tulisan means outlaw or bandit uartered. His trunk wag Dene Hehe, Giore exhibited in differ buried, his FO is head was forcibly ent ee entrance to his mother's hut, oe ais gory piece, the mother dieg eein: on the spot- The younger andhis body prother then’ fled to ew life but misfortun Tayabas to start te way. He soon fell in followed him ghter of a wealthy man, love with the dada marry, his lineage but before t a The woman, however, was discon vins, Elias andhissister, ang Bete Their father was tortureg in prison and left for dead. . The children were then raised by their wealthy grandfather who sent them to good schools leaving them a large legacy, Ina dispute, a disgruntled relative uncov. ered their past and they were forced to leave town with an old, devoted servant who turned out to be their real father. The father soon died in misery. Soon, Elias’ sister, bereft of her bethrothed, disap- peared; she was found dead with a dagger pierced in her breast. Elias feeling aban- doned and desolate, became an outlaw. Assuch he could freely comb the hills and towns in search of the descendants of the man who caused his family misfortunes. Tasio. The spirit of nationalism is also reflected in Don Anastacio, the scholar. Tasio is the fool to the majority who are apathetic to his unorthodox ideas and bizarre behavior. Because he had brains, his mother decided that his se- curity lay in the priesthood and not in an academic career. He gave up his studies for love, but was widowed and orphaned in less than a year. To avoid self-pity, idleness and the temptations of the cock- pit, he concentrated on his books. He Pecame so engrossed in his hierog te a om other intellectual pursuits completely, Seal his estates and was but reatehad planned to open a schoo! worked again ase, 80. many fotos reacts qeainst him. In the story, he acts coldly to Ibarra’s own plans for 2wn school, but offered tr tongensible advice. Upon thane oatnY and imprisonment, Tasio’s efforts to ras, ‘iy to Ibarra’s innocence prove futile. rg Jong walk to town, compounded b his pucitement and anger at the obvious or spiracy against Ibarra, exhausts him. He isfound dead atthe foot of thestairs ofthis house. Maria Clara. Ibarra’s fian alate (ral onc s Mar Alba de los Santos and Father Damaso. Don Santiago, Dofia Pia’s husband. had always regarded her as his child. She was a Caucasian beauty with a classic profile. Her hair was fair and her nose was well. shaped. She had a winsome mouth with clerful dimples, white onion-fine skin, and “her mother's eyes, large, black, shadowed by long lashes, gay and spark- ling when she was at play, thoughtful and deep otherwise (WVoli, p 37)." Her mother's death of puerperal fever evoked endless sympathy for the orphan. She became everybody's darling and she responded with all graciousness. She became the object of paternal affection and concern of her baptismal godfather, Father Damaso. Maria Clara provided continuity and motivation in the story. She is Ibarra's inspiration in the planning and execution ofhis projects in two novels. The odyssey of her locket is used by Rizal as a literary device to link incidents in the develop- ment of the plot. The locket, a gift from Capitan Tiago, is tenderly given away to a leper. Much later, in the Fili, the locket is given to Basilio by the leper as payment for medical treatment. Basilio lovingly offers it to his sweetheart Juli, who hesi- tantly allows her father Matanglawin (Cabesang Tales) to use it aS payment to Simoun for arms and ammunitions. Simoun is quietly overjoyed at obtaining the locket as a memento of lost love. Father Damaso Verdolegas._The former parish priest of San Diego 3, ra r Ciscan, is easily the antihero I" Noli. arresting netrating build, verbosity is matched only by his manner. “His classic features, Pe! look, heavy jaws, and herculean gave him the appearance of a Roman par trician in disguise (Noli, p §)." His voice was rough and his humor, “like that of 2 man who never held his tongue and who thinks that what he says is dogma and beyond question.” He is depicted as an uncouth, bigoted, power-mad ingrate, the personification of depraved evil among the friars. He had been in the country for 23 years and served as curate of San Diego for 20 years. There he had come to know most of the townspeople intimately. He ex: ploited them apparently for the interest of his Church and King, but actually for his ‘own personal gain and convenience. He had no respect for any authority except his religious superior. He denounced the Madrid ministers as “mad.” He was a renegade Carlist during the reign of King Alfonso. He dominated his associates and caused fear due to his irritating innuendoes, downright indig- nities, and utter disregard of people’s feel- ings. His manners were brusque thus fail- ing to cultivate the trust and confidence of his parishioners. But his toughness was mellowed when he sought the welfare of Maria Cla- ra. His love and concern for his daughter seemed to be the only good in this Fran- ciscan priest, The Undesirables. These are the characters that portray the pervading social cancer in the novels of Rizal. The most harmless looking among them erode society with their base intentions and fhobody takes them seriously. The pretentious Chinese half-breed Don San- tiago de los Santos leads this group. He is an entertaining character and it is equally challenging to uncover, beneath the naughty sarcasm, the cancers for which his type is responsible. He was short and rotund, thanks to an abundance of fat that, according to * his friends, was a sign of heavenly 7favour and, to his enemies, came from battening on tho poor. . . his face wore @ habitually amiable expression . .. there was no lack of brains in his skull, which in outward appearance was small and round, and covered with ebony-black hair cut long in front and very short in the back. His eyes, small but not at all almond-shaped, never betrayed emotion ... he would have been quite justified in believing and Passing himself off for a handsome man if his mouth had not been dis- torted by the abuse of tobacco and betel-nut .., Nevertheless, that bad habit had not impaired the whiteness of his own teeth and two others fur- nished by the dentist at twelve pesos each. (Noli, p 28). Capitan Tiago was one of the richest Property-owners in Binondo, Pampanga, and the lakeside town of San Diego. He had come to his fortune and social title by Marrying Dofa Pia Alba, a prominent good-looking mestiza who was very astute in the sugar, coffee and indigo bus- iness as well as in the management of farm lands in San Diego. Capitan Tiago would patronize new ideas but would not dare to accept them without prior approval of the religious or civil authorities, “Santiago does not consider himself a native,” Father Damaso remarks about him, For Capitan Tiago tries to imitate the Europeans in dress and in manners. “He would puton a frockcoatand top-hatto go to the cockpit, the market, religious pro- cessions, the humblest Chinese store.” Aligning himself with the Spaniards, he would exploit the natives.” His subordi- nates considered him a martinet and a tyrant; the poor thought him ruthless, cruel, and ready to profit from all their miseries (Noli, p 34).” Was he feared or laughed at? “It is true that his debtors welcomed him. with orchestras, gave banquets in his honour, and showered himwith gifts. The best fruit 78 nd on his table, when a wild pig was caught, he weegven Serie fhe admired a debtor’shorse, it aauernis stables half an hour later. But people Iuaghed athim behindhis backand Patt Pir ‘Sacristan Tiago (Noll p 58). cal About his religiosity, “Capitan Tiago had never addressed himself to God in his a not even in his greatest difficul. eee newasrich, andhelethismoney pray : 29)" ia rem issuch that he consid. theart sec- ia Clara’s loss of a swe! ondary on to his loss of money. Forced to break his daughter's engagement to Ibarra, he thinks of his money, too: “Calm yourself, my child, | am more unfortunate than you and | am noteryingYoucan ind another fiance, a better one, but I, 1 am losing fifty thousand pesos! (Noli, p 229).”” will always be fou He is always eager to please the authorities who consider him “full of the best will in the world, peaceful, obsequi- ous, obedient, and generous with gifts." Capitan Tiagowasahappyman, as happy as a man with a little brains could be in those parts; he was rich, he was at peace with God, with the Gov- ernment, and with men (Noli, p 29),"" When this peace is later threatened, Capi- tan Tiago withdraws to the haven of opium. Inthe Fil, this addiction causes his death, The other unde: Espadahas. Doha Vi native who tries to act sirables are the ictorina is another More Spanish than - She has grown to“more than blowsy; she w, plown."” Her hair had dwindled Rear bun the size of an onion, her face wee furrowed with wrinkles, her teeth were falling; she had to squint to see some distance away. She is a pretentious and domineering shrew, and holds her hus- band in control by threatening to tear out his false teeth and leave him a horrible sight for days if he would not grant her wishes. The husband is a lame and bald man who stutters and sprays saliva when he talks. A native of Extremadura, Spain, he had come to the Philippines as.a customs official, but aside from getting seasick and breaking a leg during his trip, he had had the ill fortune of finding his dismissal pa- pers waiting for him upon his arrival. Job- less and hungry, he felt that a marriage to Dofa Victorina would alleviate his woes. In the Noli, through his wife's machina. tions, he passes for a Doctor of Medicine who treats only patients “of quality.” His only qualifications were his work experi- ence as an attendant in the hospital of San Carlos in Madrid and his citizenship. In the Fili, Don Tiburcio is the Philip- pine Ulysses, hopping from town to town, with his Calypso in pince-nez Doha Vic- torina in hot pursuit He finds refuge at the offshore residence of Father Florentino, she finds distraction in her niece Paujita Gomez's suitor Juanito Pelaez. Thereader finds, them both ridiculous but serious varodies of the Filipino without identity, the Spaniard. without dignity; apparently harmless creatures, yet for their huge number they actually magnify the insin- cerity and absurdity of Philippine society. The Supporting Characters. Other symptoms of the social cancer are indi- cated among the victims of poverty and ignorance. These are Sisa, driven by her sufferings to insanity, and her sons, ten- year-old Basilio who survives the family travails and pursues a medical career in the Fili, supporting himself through ser- Vitude to and vigilance over the opium addict Capitan Tiago, and seven-year-old Crispin, who becomes fatal target of the blows of the parish caretaker. The victims of injustice are equally Pathetic figures. Cabesang Tales is driven to outlawry by circumstances that reveal the roots of agrarian malaise in the coun- try. His son, Tano, “so good, so honest!” is conscripted into military service in the Carolines where he is so alienated and confused by physical and moral distress that he comes home in a state of shock. He does not recognize the dumb old man who is his own grandfather Selo, whom he shoots in a clash with some “bandits.” Tano’s sister Juli, beloved of Basilio, is the innocent and hardworking rustic who sacrifices her honor and her life for her family and beloved. The nameless and countless defeatists are typified by the fanatic Tertiary sisters, Rufa, Sipa and Juana whose examples prefigure the “split-level” Christianity of contemporary Filipinos—"perfect” Christians in name alone. A frivolous sense of values is displayed by Paulita Gomez, niece of Dona Victorina and sweetheart of Isagani, who marries the more affluent Juanito Pelaez. Another character common even today is Senor Pasta whose pretenses to learning have made him voluble in evasive argument. The misdirected zeal of the unholy friars has definitely aggravated the social cancer. Along with Father Damaso in interfering with the public welfare are Father Bernardo Salvi, ecclesiastical gov- ernor of the archdiocese and incumbent curate of San Diego, and Fathers Her- nando de la Sybila and Camorra. The idealists and dreamers must excise the cancer before they succumb to their own deterioration and hopeless- ness. The Dominican Father Fernandez lends a fair ear to his students; he is Isagani’s classical exception to the major- ity of uncaring, illogical friar-teachers. Isagani, nephew of Father Florentino and young poet trained at the Ateneo, is a symbol of the liberated Filipino youth 79whose unselfish devotion urges him to Save the faithless Paulita. He aborts imoun’s master conspiracy to blow up the Spanish hierarchy at the wedding par- ly. Rizal's ultimate spokesmanintheFill is Father Florentino. He is a distinguished Native priest whose serious countenance evinced the “tranquility of a soul Strengthened by study and meditation and perhaps tested by intimate moral suf- ferings’ (Fil, p17), He is Rizal's Portrait of the ideal shepherd of God's flock, The delicate and noble delineation of Charactersis the strongestliterary asset of the novels. Replying to. the torrent of comments, suggestions and queries that Was unleashed by the Noli, Rizal said: | am not enraged with all the Spaniards. In my work there are noble honorable Spaniards .. also bad Indios, worse even than vari. Ous Spaniards. My adversaries would like me to portray the Peninsular Spaniards like angels and the Filipinos like stupid men, without drawing dis. tinctions. This is not only folly but also an imitation of Spanish writers, and | do not do this. There are persons who enjoy grumbling or backbiting butthey areresentfulwhen they hearthetruth.+ - There are This motley array of characters treated humorously or satiricaly at times, Portray the causes and the symptoms and the cure of the social cancer itself The suffering of the people, the con. Straints in the school and judicial sys. tems, the misdirected concern and ‘il defined roles of the military, civil, anq religious authorities and the multifarious Concepts and manifestations of nation. alism, are depicted in these great works of art. Expressions of Natio the Characters. The spiri that pervades in the novels is expressed ‘Rizal's letter to Blumentit, Paris, 28 March 1889, Rizal-Blumentrtt Correspondence; Port One op. cit, pp 243-244. nalism Among it of nationalism 80 ioned dialogue of the p_. in the impassioned meee ie Min cipal roy the veiled comments a implied OY of the. sensitive characte actualcignorance Rizal sought to erage wi cate. art of the Noll, the pring, Pree ‘barra elucidates Rizar's CT | sentiment that Spain ang the Pe iecine were two parts of one Nation, oat loyalty to one Was loyalty to the oo Fone was patria grande, the othe, al patria chica; today this is recognizeg as nationalism and regionalism, Ibarra states in a toast that is reminis, cent of Riza’s brindis speech of 183g “Gentlemen, in spite of everything, | givg you Spain and the Philippines.” (Voji, 5 19 nis sentiment for one’s country is based on the knowledge of the country's tradition and culture. Thus, Ibarra exp. lained to a young Spaniard at the bien. venida party: Before visiting any of those coun. tries | would try to study its history, its Exodus, so to speak, and after that | found everything understandable, | Saw that in all cases the presperity or unhappiness of nations is in direct Proportion to their liberties and their Problems, and by that token, to the Sacrifices or selfishness of their ances. tors.” (Noli, pp 18-19) Laterashereflectso and the possibility of 1 ‘No, in spite of everything, my country comes first — first the Philip- Macs, daughter of Spain —— firet Mother Spain, What was destined, what was “avoidable, cannot stain _ honour ofthe Motherland.” (Voll P And later, he again says to Tasio: ; Bmv loveofcountryincompatible Pain?... lovey coun- Pines, because | owe her ‘appiness, and because Svery Man should love hie teoney. | nthe country’sills ‘ebellion, he says| and enjoys Fnose tenures of office hg ment o ‘ected, his respect fgy ‘ontrol. As ex! s , co tnorty depended on its convenj. ore his whims. “The highest civil offi. Sali athe Philippines, was, in the opinion Sie riests, much inferior to the con. OF Ae ei” (Noli, p16) Tasio noted thisto Tearea: “The lowest lay-brother is more powerful than the Government with all its soldiers." (Noli, p156) rupti Fathers Camorta- The priests made the civil officials fear them. They controlled the acts of the ignorant, natives and threatened the indios’ heads with excommunication for the slightest sign of disrespect and dis- obedience. In this sermon delivered on the feast of San Diego one sees the utmost trepidation: “Listen to what the Holy Councils say. When a native meets a priest on the street, he shall bend his head and offer his neck so that the Father may lean on it; if the priest and the native are both on horseback, then the native shall stop, and shall take off his hat reverently; and finally if the native is on horseback and the Priest on foot, the native shall get off his horse and will not remount until the priest tells him to be off, or has gone out of sight. Thatis what the Holy Councils say and whoever does not obey shall be excommunicated. (Noli, p 199) with otter Damaso regarded the indios aa contempt. He called them lazy, vici- royally, c ne ratefut, even when he was ntert : despised tharned at their homes. He ment,» "° &pirations for enlighter”“You know what Let him learn a few letters sex himsol off a6 doer ah PAS chaps go off to Europe without having learned to wipe their Noses.” (No//i 5 220) ” He orders the schoolmaster of San Diego 10 stop teaching Spanish to his pupie “Don't go around in borrowed clothes, Use your own native tongue, Don’t go spoiling Spanish; it’s not for you." wey, p98) oti : This opposition to the education of the masses is supported by Many of his col- leagues. Father Salvi Secretly tries to foil tbarra's school project, and Fathers Irene Sibyla, and Camorra argue strongly against the students’ Petition for the establishment of the academy for the Spanish language. One says, the native’s like, “But the natives should not know Spanish, don’t you realize that? ... When they do, they start arguing with us and they have no business arguing, all they should do is pray and obey, they have no business interpreting laws and books. (Fili, p 82) This biased attitude causes Isagani's grievances which he tells Father Fer- nandez. He accuses the friars of “Curtailing the pursuit of know- ledge stifling all fervour and enthusiasm for it, and implanting in us outmoded ideas, discredited theories and false principles incompatible with Progress.” (Fili, p 219) The friars, who could easily encour- age the latent abilities of the native, insulted and exploited him. They made him think that religion was a matter of Observing external rituals, mouthing devotional prayers without understand- 'ng them, and rendering strict obedience tothe friars. They made him believe that Salvation could be obtained through a Generous donation to the Church, paying for a large number of masses or candles lighted at the shrine of a particular saint. Thus, Capitan Tiago made his gold pray for him and competed with Doha Pat- Focinio on the display of religious fervor and generosity. Many of the friars wore sadly deficient in spiritual leadership. Despite the vow of chastity, they had immoral liaisons with native women who, either through threat or gentle persuasion, had to accede to their carnal desires. Maria Clara is @ Product of such a liaison and Juli is a vic tim of Father Camorra's lewd designs. In Utter shame, she jumps from the Second-floor window of the convento to her death. The friars were guilty of bribery and Corruption. In the Fili, Father Camorra asked Capitan Basilio for a gift of a pair of lady's earrings; otherwise, the parish Priest's unfavorable report would cause the Capitan great harm. “These earrings were compulsory gifts." (Fil, p 38) And the students gave Father Irene a pair of chestnut horses to gain approval of their Petition. The friars also enriched themselves not only by exhorting excessive fees for church services (P200 for Father Damaso’s sermon on the feast of San Diego), but also by unjust acquisition of landed estates. The religious orders would stake claims on certain parcels of land and rent them out to tenants. Very often, the property was already owned by some natives who would vainly protest this illegal occupancy. On the eve of their first harvest, a religious Order which owned the lands in the neighboring town had claimed own- ership of the newly acquired fields, allog- ing that they were within the limits of its property, and to establish its claim immediately attempted to put up bound- ary markors. The administrator of the religious Order's estate, however, let it be understood that out of pity he would allow Tales the enjoyment of the land for an annual rental, a mere trifle, a matter of 20 or 30 pesos. (Fil, p 24-25.)Not wishing to anger the powerful TS, the peace-loving Tales gave in. er a year, for one reason or another, the friar landlords raised the rental to 50.00. The rental increased annually from then on and when it reached 200.00, Cabesang Tales grumbled in Protest. The friar administrato: threatened that if Tales would not pay, then another tenant would take over. Thinking that the friar was not serious Tales refused to pay and he brought the case to court and dared to “battle against @ Most powerful Religious Order before which Justice lowered her head and judges dropped their scales and surren- dered their swords.” (Fili, p 27) After a long period of litigation, the case was decided against Tales. An appeal to the higher court proved futile, and the poor man turned to the eventual life of an out- law. fria In a letter to Felix Resurreccion Hidal- 90, Rizal showed his vehemence to friar hypocrisy: 'have replied to the insults that for so many centuries have been heaped upon us and our country. | have described the social conditions, the life there, and our beliefs, our hopes, our desires, our complaints, our sor- rows. | have unmasked hypocrisy that under the cloak of religion has impoverished and brutalized us. | have distinguished the true religion from the false, from the superstitious, from that which capitalizes on the holy word in order to extract money, in order to make us believe in absurdities of which Catholicism would blush if it would know them. | have lifted the cur- tain in order to show what is behind the glittering words of our govern- ment. | have told our complaints, our defects, our vices, our culpable and cowardly complacency with the mis- eries over there in the Philippines. Whenever | have found virtue, | have proclaimed it and rendered homage to it... The incidents are all true ang they happened tion in the Civil Govern, retuated anomalies with its Own defec, five. organization which was largely dependent on the authority of the friarg and with the appointment of weak off. cials who had no training at all in goy, ernment administration. As Tasio suo. cinctly points out, “The Government itself sees nothing, hears nothing, and decides nothing except what the parish priest or the head of a religious Order makes it see, hear, ang decide. It is convinced that it rests on them alone; that it stands because they support it; that it lives because they allow it to live; and that the da they are gone, it will fall like a dis- carded puppet. It is only an arm, the convent is the head.” (Noli, p 157) Isagani laments this situation to Sefior Pasta: “Governments have been made for the good of peoples, and to fulfill their purposes properly, they must follow the wishes of the citizens who best know what they need.” (Fili, p 117) But the Governor General clarifies to Ibarra the over-centraiized and undersystematized policy: “Here, we old soldiers must do everything and be everything: King, Ministers: of State, of War, of the Interior, of Economic Development, of Justice, and all that. What is worse, we must consult the home government on very point, and that distant_ government, according to the circumstances, approves or dis- SPProves our proposals, sometimes ‘Letter of 5, March 1887 written in French with n° Reraresee. Rizal's Corresponsence onih Fallow Reformists (Mani 1963), p 66 aa: National Heroes Commissionwithout knowing anything about them. And we Spaniards say: jack of all trades, master of none! Further- more, we come, usually knowing lit- tle about the country, and leave it just when we are getting to know it ... We in the Government do not lack good intentions, but we are compelled to make use of the eyes and arms of others, whom we usu. ally do not know, and who perhaps, instead of serving the interests of the country, only serve their own. That is not our fault but that of circum. stances.” (Noli, p 236) Regarding the presence of corrupt officials in the government, the con- cerned Lieutenant Guevara tells Ibarra: “The continual changes in the administration, demoralization in high places, favoritism, combined with the cheaper fares and shorter trip out here since the Suez Canal was opened, are to blame for every- thing; the worst elements of the Peninsula come here, and if a good man comes, he is soon corrupted by the present conditions of the coun- try.” (Noli, p 22) The majority of peninsular Spaniards sent to the Philippines resembled Tiburcio de Espadana, the Customs official in the Noli who could fot even speak Spanish correctly. Laid off by the government that found him incompetent, he staves off hunger by marrying @ wealthy indio and naively allows himself to be called a Doctor of Medicine even though he knew nothing about the profession. The corrupt Governor General in the Fili bribed his way into his appointment using Simoun’s money. His’ excessive lack of administrative ability is shown in his dependence on Simoun, whose Machiavellian designs and ridiculous decisions distorted his sense of values. He pays more attention to trivial mat- ters than to the pressing needs of the | country. He tolerates gambling as it would enrich the government coffers, and, consequently, his own pocket. Although it is prohibited to encourage the cultivation of poppy in the colony, he allows opium-smoking because it “gives the government, without any work at all, a yearly revenue of more than four hundred and fifty thousand pesos.” (Fill, p 80) The civil government ignored the basic needs of the people. It discour- aged freedom of the press. It entrusted the matter of educating the natives to the friars who discouraged the learning of the natives. It often showed a mal- administration of justice, with deci- sions constantly tipped to favor the Spaniards, as in the case of Cabesang Tales, or favored the party that gave “gifts” to the judges. It also exploited the natives through conscript labor and increased taxes. The Civil Guard. One of the gov- ernment agencies, the guardia civil, particularly stands out in its cruel treatment of the natives. Rizal's novels describe the illegal searches and plan- ned robberieslcommitted by the guards in the guise of law enforcement, as well as the terrible tortures suffered by the people. Answering Ibarra’s assertion that the guardia civil is a necessary institu- tion for the security of the towns, Elias gives proof of its rampant abuses: “It paralyses communication because everybody is afraid of being harassed for petty causes. It is con- cerned with appearance rather than with fundamentals —one of the first symptoms of incapacity. A man is tied and beaten up because he has forgotten his identity card, no matter if he is a decent person with a good reputation. The officers think it is their first duty to exact a salute, wil- ling or unwilling, even at night, and they are imitated in this by their 87subordinates, who use it as an excuke=—although an excuse is Never lacking-—to manhandle and fleece the peasants, The sanctity of the home does not exist for them; Not long ago they entered a house i Kalamba through the window and beat up a peaceful inhabitant to whom their commanding officer Owed Money and favours, There is NO security for the individual: when they want their barracks or their Houses cleaned, they go out and seize anyone who does not resist and make him work the whole day.” (oli, p 309) Elias observes that the guardia civil lorded over the towns for fifteen years, Yet outlaws abounded, robberies con- tinued and the perpetuators were never caught, Crime existed and the real cul- prits went about freely, while the Peaceful inhabitants cringed in terror. “Ask any honest citizen if he looks upon the constabulary (guar dia civil) as a good thing, as a Means of protection furnished by the Government and not as an imposition, a despotism whose excesses are more harmful than the depredations of the outlaws ... One cannot even protest against the impositions of the forces of law and order.” (Noli, pp 308-309) The Defective Educational Sys- tem. Another deplorable aspect of the colonial government was the poor administration and ineffective supervi- sion of the educational system in the country. The importance of the school sys- tem was acknowledged. At the laying of the cornerstone of Ibarra’s school, the governor proclaimed: “Residents of San Diego, we have the honour to preside over a ceremony whose importance you will understand without our telling 88 is the foundation of a school is the foung. ie written the future of nations, Show us the schools of 2 nation ang wo shall tell you what kind of nation it is.” (Noli, P 205) mplemented: fa rs ed is why | am_ building the schoolhouse, but | seek it through education, through progress. We cannot find our way without the light of knowledge.” (Noll, p 320) The town situation was pitiful. in San Diego, before Ibarra’s return, there was no school building. The school. master in the Noli had to use a portion of the “ground floor of the parish house, beside the carriage of the parish priest” as a schoolroom. Under these circumstances, not much learning was accomplished, to the delight of Father Damaso. The schoolmaster was limited by the curriculum prescribed by the parish priest and cautioned against teaching the pupils the Spanish lan- guage. Added to his difficulties was the Prejudice against educating the people. Out of 200 children listed, only 25 came to class regularly (Noli, p 96). The teacher denounces this desperate con- ion to Ibarra: you. This “In our Present circumstances. education will never be: possible without the most powerful help, first, because the young have no inducement or encouragement to Study, and secondly, because, even if they had, they would be stifled by Poverty and other needs more pres- Sing than education. They say that in Germany even the son of a peas- ant spends eight years in the village School. Here, who would spend half that time where there is so little 10 be gained from it? They learn to fead and write, they memorize pas- Sages, whole books, in Spanish,