CHARACTERS OF NOLI ME TANGERE
AND ITS SYMBOLISM
A R E Q U I R E M E N T I N R I Z A L
B S B I O L O G Y 3 B
Christine Joy V. Suarez Fritz Louise O. Espiritu
Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin (Ibarra)
• He embodies the optimistic,
educated Filipino seeking genuine
reforms and societal improvement
through nonviolent methods. He
represents the Filipinos' passion
for liberty and progress.
María Clara Delo Santos
• Maria Clara symbolizes the purity
and innocence of a sheltered
native woman during the time of
Spanish occupation. She does not
value material things that were
abundantly bestowed upon her by
admirers and family alike but
holds in high esteem her parents
honor and the promise she had
given to her sweetheart
Father Dámaso
• A friar who used his influence to
oppress and manipulate the
Filipino people were corrupt and
brutal. His personality reflects
the harmful effects of Spanish
colonization on Philippine
society.
Father Salví
• Padre Salvi represents
the oppressive and
abusive nature of the
Spanish colonial system
Sisa
• Represented the motherland who
was suffering with the loss of her
children. The tragic events that
ruined her life represented the
abuse that the motherland received
from her colonizers.
• Sisa, Crispin, Basilio represent a
Filipino family persecuted by the
Spanish authorities
Crispín
• Represents the innocents who
have been wrongly accused of
the crime they did not commit.
The injustice they suffered under
the hands of the authorities
during their time were silenced
by their deaths and the cover –
ups that follow it.
Basilio
• he represents the young
educated Filipinos who are
apathetic to the needs of
the society.
Don Santiago de los Santos
• Symbolizes the rich Filipinos
who oppress their fellow
countrymen in exchange for
the influence and the riches
that they might gain from
their powerful associations
Pilosopo Tasyo
• Symbolizes the learned Filipinos who had once
embraced the culture of the Spanish regime.
They eventually became disenchanted when
they return to the Philippines and observe the
stark contrast their countrymen receive from
their colonizers. The more they turn to
learning, the more they become eccentric to
the masses they seek to enlighten.
Elias
• Represents the common Filipino who
is not only aware of the injustices
done to their countrymen but would
also like to deliver them from their
oppressors. He is said to be the
personification od Andres Bonifacio.
Donya Victorina de los Reyes de Espadaña
• Symbolizes those who have
distorted view of their identity.
Everything that is indigenous
is inferior and everything
foreign as superior. It is the
comedic form of “colonial
mentality”
Doña Consolación
• Symbolizes the Filipinos
in society who are
ashamed of their race
and nationality.
Don Rafael Ibarra
• symbolize an affluent
landlord with social
conscience.
Tiya Isabel
• represents the older generation that
either willingly or unwillingly put
up with the abuses committed by
the ruling class. Aunt Isabel is a
perfect example of the apathy,
passivity, and mindless deference
to authority that typified the era.
Don Tiburcio de Espadaña
• A caricature of ignorant
Spaniards who wreak havoc in
the provinces during the
colonial era. His countrymen
condone his actions for they
do not want him to become a
burden to them.
Father Sibyla
• Symbolizes Rizal’s views
on other negative
display of Spanish
despotism.
Alfonso Linares
• Alfonso Linares Represented
the young Spaniards who
came to the Philippines hoping
for a better life than in their
motherland. =A young, healthy
and beautiful woman.
Kabesang Tales
• Juli's father. The friars dispossessed
him of his land; in real life, Rizal's
father met the same fate. He
symbolizes the natives and farmers
whose lands were seized by the friars.
His story presents the cause of the
revolution.
Paulita Gomez
• represents the women who
have no sense of nationalism
and sympathy towards
others.
Juli
• She represents the
Philippines which would
rather suffer with pride
and honor.
Don Filipo (Filipo Lino)
• symbolic representation of
the enlightened Filipino
bourgeoisie during the
Spanish colonial period.
Társilo
• symbolizes the struggles and
sacrifices of the Filipino
people under Spanish colonial
rule.
Isagani
• symbolizes the spirit of
youth activism, patriotism,
and the desire for societal
transformation and progress
Father Florentino
• He embodies the ideals of
spiritual strength, moral
integrity, and unwavering
faith, providing a contrast to
the corrupt and morally
bankrupt clergy depicted
throughout the novel.
The Ensign
• serves as a potent symbol of
the hypocrisy, abuse, and
exploitation that characterized
the ruling elite's treatment of
the Filipino people.
The Schoolmaster (Maestro Justiniano)
• symbolizes the limitations and
flaws of the educational system
during the Spanish colonial
period, which often perpetuated
ignorance and perpetuated the
status quo rather than fostering
critical thinking and intellectual
growth among the Filipino youth.
The “Yellow man”
• symbolizes the detrimental effects of
colonial mentality and the servile
attitude adopted by some Filipinos
during the Spanish colonial period.
