Noli Me Tángere (novel)
Noli Me Tangere is a Spanish-language novel written by José Rizal, and published in 1887, in Europe. The title is Latin, and means "touch me not." Rizal took these words from the Bible, specifically the Gospel of St. John 20: 13-17, which described how lepers were made to wear signs bearing these same words to warn passers-by of their condition. The novel is commonly referred to by its shortened name Noli; the English translation is often titled The Social Cancer. "Touch me not" was what Jesus said to Mary Magdalene when He rose from the dead. In the gospel of John, Jesus said this because He was not yet done with his mission (rising from the dead, and then seeing the Father) and hence, can not be touched
Noli Me Tangere was Rizal's first novel. He was 26 at its publication. This book was historically significant and was instrumental in the establishing the Filipino's sense of national identity. The book indirectly influenced a revolution although the author, Jose Rizal, advocated non-violent means and only direct representation to the Spanish government. The novel was written in Spanish, the language of the educated at that time, since there were many and diverse native languages and regional cultures.
Rizal started his novel in Madrid, Spain. Half was done by the time he left for Paris, and it was completed in Berlin, Germany. Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, a well-known writer and political activist, volunteered his services as proofreader and consultant.
The novel created so much controversy that only a few days after his arrival, Governor General Terrero received him at the Malacañán Palace and told him of the charges saying that the Noli was full of subversive ideas. After a discussion, the liberal Governor General was appeased; but he mentioned that he was unable to offer resistance against the pressure of the church to take action against the book. The persecution can be discerned from Rizal's letter to Leitmeritz: "My book made a lot of noise; everywhere, I am asked about it. They wanted to anathematize me ['to excommunicate me'] because of it . . . I am considered a German spy, an agent of Bismarck, they say I am a Protestant, a freemason, a sorcerer, a damned soul. It is whispered that I want to draw plans, that I have a foreign passport and that I wander through the streets by night ..."
Significance
This novel and its sequel, El Filibusterismo (nicknamed Fili), were banned in the Philippines because of their portrayal of corruption and abuse by the country's Spanish government and clergy. An example which has become a classic in the Philippines is 'Padre Damaso' which reflects the covert fathering of the Spanish clergy of children. In the story, Padre Damaso impregnates a woman. Copies were smuggled in nevertheless and when Rizal returned to the Philippines after completing medical studies, he quickly ran afoul of the local government. First exiled to Mindanao, he was later arrested for "inciting rebellion" based largely on his writings. Rizal was executed in Manila on December 30, 1896 at the age of thirty-five.
The book was instrumental in creating a racial Filipino identity and consciousness, as many Filipinos identified with their respective regions to the disadvantage of the Spanish authorities. It lampooned, caricatured and exposed various elements in the colonial society.
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Synopsis
The book is a social novel narrating the romance of Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra and María Clara de los Santos. Crisóstomo Ibarra is the son of Don Rafael Ibarra, and had studied in Europe. María Clara is a girl blessed with beauty, grace and charm. She is the daughter of a Spanish friar (priest), Padre Dámaso and a Filipina, Doña Pía Alba, who married Santiago de los Santos, popularly known as Capitán Tiago.
The Spanish authorities, particularly Padre Dámaso, hated and feared Crisóstomo Ibarra, a young, wealthy, European-educated Filipino, because he had patriotic ideas of helping his oppressed countrymen.
External reference
- Noli Me Tangere (in English translation) at Project Gutenberg
- Another English Translation
- Rizal's Little Odyssey