2. JUAN CRISOSTOMO IBARRA
Juan Crisostomo Ibarra was the leading hero – a man just
arrived in the Philippines after spending seven years in
Europe.
He wanted to show what he learned in Europe and at the
same time claims the hand of his fiancée.
Ibarra represented the second wave of reformist, which began
to emerged in the 1880s. They were witnesses to what
happened to their kin in 1872. Ibarra did not desire for
revenge against those who wronged their elders but sought
peaceful change.
3. Eventually, Ibarra would be implicated by the authorities of
desiring to overthrow the government. This happened in
history when Rizal himself was arrested and his enemies
portrayed him as the “very spirit of the insurrection” in
1896.
Many of the enlightened Filipinosbelonging to the second
wave of reformists like Marcelo H. Del Pilar, Graciano Lopez
Jaena and the lawyer Felipe Agoncillo who represented the
poor indios in court against the Spaniards for free and even
Apolinario Mabini, Nemriano Adriano and would be
considered as trouble- makers.
4. The character of the Kontrabidas- the friars
represented by Padre Damaso and Padre Salvi.
Supposedly , these were virtuous men of God but
had become arrogant figures in the community.
Fr. Damaso was responsible for the demise of Don
Rafael Ibarra, the father of Juan Crisostomo Ibarra. It
was Fr. Damaso who cauused the imprisonment of
Don Rafael who later dies in confinement.
As a historical symbolism Rafael Ibarra represents the
first wave of Filipino reformists Rizal.
5. ELIAS
Elias represents the poor and underprivileged sector in the
Philippine society.
Ironically, it was the family of Ibarra, which was the cause of
oppression that happened to Elias’ parents.
Historically there were many Filipinos in the same mold of
Elias. These were the ordinary folks such as peasants, tenants,
workers and rural folks who were cheated, lied to and
continuously oppressed and abused by religious and
government officials and by merchants and landowners.
6. Both Ibarra and Elias had the same aspiration:
o for Ibarra it was free and enlightened society free from the
religious and civil oppressors.
o For Elias it was freedom from oppression not just from the
Spaniards but also from fellow Filipinos who abused and
oppresses his family.
There is a difference however in achieving their objectives:
o Ibarra wanted a slow and gradual change but
o Elias was opting for a more direct and drastic approach,
which was the revolution.
7. The Anti Heroes Padre Damaso and Padre
Salvi
During the Spanish period, on a national level, there were two
powerful Spaniards to note, first was the Archbishop of
Manila who was the highest religious official in the islands.
The other was the Spanish Governor General
On the local level the highest religious official was the curate
and in many towns of the Philippines the curate was the friar.
8. PADRE DAMASO
Fr. Damaso stayed in San Diego where he
accumulated power and influences. The parish priest
can do as he pleased in the community even violate
his priestly vows of chastity, poverty and obedience.
Some would even protest and contest the orders of
their superiors. Often religious orders would get in
conflict with the seculars on matters of visitation.
9. PADRE SALVI
The assistant parish priest and like Padre Damaso he exercise his power
with majesty and he demands fees for various church services.
The church in the community presents itself as an indispensable
institution, which the people cannot do without. In the end, the people
ended up suffering as they have gone into debt because of the lavish
feasts and church ceremonies.
In Rizal’s next El Filibusterismo, the economics aspect of the friars would
be exposed as owners of vast tracts of land or haciendas and the loss of
land of the inhabitants as they were taken over by the religious haciendas.
10. THE NATIVES THEMSELVES
Aside from the friars, the other anti heroes were natives,
fellow Filipinos who had become subservient and sub-alterns
to the Spaniards.
These included the cruel :
o SACRISTAN MAYOR – who murdered Crispin and tried to kill
Basilio.
o DOÑA VICTORINA – who totally rejected her Filipina heritage.
o DOÑA CONSOLACION – who thought of herself too highly
even if she was just a mistress of the police chief.
o CAPITAN TIAGO – the Filipino version of Uncle Tom.
11. THE NATIVES THEMSELVES
UNCLE TOM in the novel of
Harriet Beecher Stowe was a
Negro slave who was an
assistant to the white
landowners and was also
instrumental in their abuse
and oppression. By working as
the head or foreman of the
other slaves, Uncle Tom
earned the petty privileges.
CAPITAN TIAGO was so slavish to
the Spaniards that he let his house
become social venue for the high
and mighty in the town. He
probably knew that he was not the
real father of Maria Clara. He
probably knew who the real father
of his daughter but he kept silent
because bringing up the issue
would put him in a collision course
with the friars. By doing so, he
would lose his social standing and
privilege in the community.
12. THE NATIVES THEMSELVES
OTHER ANTI-HEROES IN THE NOVEL
o CAUCASIAN – was superior and that anything coming from the
Philippines was bad and inferior. She tries to make up for the
inferiority by marrying a Spaniard, Don Tiburcio de Espadaña.
o DON TIBURCIO DE ESPADAÑA – was not handsome man. In fact he
was a cripple; not a rich man, he was probably a penniless Spaniard
looking for a native woman with property so he can live a
respectable life of a “Don.”
o SISA – is considered an anti-hero not because she contradicted the
motives of the hero or sided with the oppressors but because she
allowed herself to be oppressed by her abusive husband who was
addicted to gambling.
13. THE NATIVES THEMSELVES
MARIA CLARA – who was the love object of Ibarra was another anti-hero.
She was easily swayed emotions. On the other hand, Maria Clara would be
the object of the lustful states of Fr. Salvi who had a hand in implicating
Ibarra in a subversive plot, which lands him in jail.
ALFONSO LINARES – a rather harmless and inoffensive man preferred by
the friars. He is also penniless Spaniard looking to enrich himself by
marrying an heiress like Maria Clara.
With the portrayal of Victorina, Consolascion, Sisa and Maria, all of them
were flawed and it reflects Rizal’s impression of women in his time.
In’s Rizal’s mind women were weak, vulnerable and indecisive which was
also a reason why Rizal did not reveal to Leonor Rivera his plans of going
to Europe in 1882 for fear she might not be able to keep a secret.
14. THE NATIVES THEMSELVES
Rizal looked at the women of Sparta instead as models for perfect
women in his Letter to the Young Women of Malolos, which was
published in La Solidaridad in 1889.
Rizal admonished his sisters letters telling them to be protective of
their virtues and virginity.
In the novel Tasio was scholarly person who kept alive old Filipino
traditions such as the system of writings which Rizal called
HIEROGLYPHICS.
FILOSOPO TASIO – was also portrayed as mystic who was obsessed
with esoteric matters including belief in the old religious practices
before the coming of Spaniards. He was called an old fool and a person
out of touch with reality. He is part of the character of Rizal.
15. THE NATIVES THEMSELVES
DON RAFAEL IBARRA represented the first wave of
reformists and Ibarra, the second wave, BASILIO
represented either a possible third wave or the
revolutionary wave that would follow ELIAS.
Rizal painted a pessimistic picture about youth.
In EL FILIBUSTERISMO he painted them to be easily swayed,
vain, indecisive and hedonistic.
Three generations were actually represented in the novel;
the past represented by Don Rafael; the present by Juan
Crisostomo Ibarra and the future by Basilio.
16. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE
CHARACTERS OF THE NOLI ME TANGERE AND
REAL LIFE
NOLI ME TANGERE – is purely a work of fiction some of the characters are based on real
persons.
IBARRA AND ELIAS represented as Rizal.
Rizal and Ibarra both went to Europe.
In the novel Ibarra stayed in Europe for seven years.
Rizal went to the Europe three times:
o First when he studied medicine in 1882-1887.
o 1887 the NOLI ME TANGERE was published.
o Second time he went to Europe (1888-1891).
o The last time was in Europe when he was a prisoner of the Spaniards.
o He stayed in Barcelona for only a month (October 3 to November 3, 1896) waiting to be
sent back to the Philippines to be tried and executed.
17. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE
CHARACTERS OF THE NOLI ME TANGERE AND
REAL LIFE
Rizal and Ibarra were exposed to the liberal and scientific atmosphere prevailing
in Europe.
Rizal was pictured as a man who had become a mason; soul destined to suffer
in hell; a sorcerer and an agent of Bismarck.
Ibarra for his part is disdained by the local parish priest, Fr. Damaso who resents
him knowing things from Europe, which would undermine his authority.
Both of them have love interests.
RIZAL had LEONOR RIVERA and IBARRA had MARIA CLARA were engaged to
their fiancées before they left for Europe.
Both Leonor Rivera and Maria Clara lived for short lives after breaking up with
their fiancées.
18. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE
CHARACTERS OF THE NOLI ME TANGERE AND
REAL LIFE
Leonor Rivera would die of post partum syndrome following birth of her
daughter and Maria Clara would die without Simoun able to rescue her
from the nunnery thirteen years later.
Filosopo Tasio was TEODORO ROMUALDO DE JESUS, the sculptor from
Santa Cruz, Manila under whom Rizal took lessons while he was a student
in the Ateneo.
In 1888 he later helped found a Katipunan- the precursor of the
Kataastaasang Kagalanggalang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK-
ANB) establishe by Andres Bonifacio and his companions in 1892.
The aim of De Jesus’ Katipunan was to make Filipinos aware of the social
conditions of the times and to fight their identity.
19. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE
CHARACTERS OF THE NOLI ME TANGERE AND
REAL LIFE
The character Doña Victorina was said to be inspired by DOÑA AUGUSTINA
MEDEL one of the richest women in Manila and owner of the Teatro Zorilla in
the city.
Kapitan Tiago could be DON HILARIO SUNICO CHUIDIAN of Binondo.
Fr. Salvi was FR. ANTONIO PIERNAVIEJA, the hated Augustinian friar who was
known for seducing women.
He was killed by the revolutionaries in 1896.
Fr. Damaso was the epitome of the friars who demanded respect from the
natives; feared and abusive and used religion to hide their excesses/
In the Noli the villians were the Franciscans and this was based on an infamous
incident in 1872 where a pious woman was said to have been raped by high
official of the Franciscan Order.
20. THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE
CHARACTERS OF THE NOLI ME TANGERE AND
REAL LIFE
The brothers Crispin and Basilio were said to be CRISOSTOMO BROTHERS of
Hagonoy, Bulacan who were killed by beating committed by the Sacristan Mayor
after being accused of stealing from the church collection.
Another group of villians would be the GUARDIA CIVIL whose main composition
were not Spaniards but natives.
They are even more cruel than the Spanish superiors.
These soldiers employed abuse and torture to their countrymen and were hated by
the populace.
In the battles of Philippine Revolution, revolutionaries fought native troops dressed
in Spanish uniforms.
Most hated in the Spanish colonial army was PAMPANGO TROOPS.
At the end of Spanish rule, many of these Macabebes started to serve the American
Army and helped capture General Emilio Aguinaldo.
