Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not)

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1887

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-6

Chapters 7-12

Chapters 13-18

Chapters 19-24

Chapters 25-30

Chapters 31-36

Chapters 37-42

Chapters 43-48

Chapters 49-54

Chapters 55-60

Chapters 61-63

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Chapters 7-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 7 Summary

María-Clara awaits Ibarra’s return with her father Tiago and Aunt Isabella. When alone, María-Clara nervously asks if Ibarra thought about her while he was in Europe—to which he provides a long, embellished answer. They discuss their childhood days and initial friendship, and the chapter ends with María-Clara reading the letter that Ibarra wrote her before he left for his travels. In the letter, Ibarra recounts the conversation he had with his father when the latter objected to the trip. After María-Clara reads the letter, Ibarra’s mood changes and he is left more contemplative than before.

Chapter 8 Summary

Ibarra travels by coach through the outskirts of Manila. He recalls the startling memory of his 11-year-old self seeing a dead prisoner—and life going on as if nothing happened. He also remembers advice from an old priest, and the chapter ends with more pastoral imagery.

Chapter 9 Summary

Father Dámaso arrives at Tiago’s house just after Ibarra leaves. The narrator interrupts the conversation between Dámaso and Tiago, instead focusing on another conversation between Father Sibyla and an (unknown) ailing, old priest. The ill priest assumes that his death is imminent, and the two discuss strategies for the church’s retention of power.

Chapter 10 Summary

The narrator recounts the origins of the village of San Diego. A man of Spanish descent purchased a forest and committed suicide not long after. The forest was thought to be haunted until another Spaniard arrived—the son of the man who committed suicide, Ibarra’s grandfather. His son, Don Rafael, established a farm and was well respected by those who worked for him. When the original priest of the hamlet dies, Father Dámaso replaces him.

Chapter 11 Summary

This chapter explores the question of who truly runs San Diego. The narrator informs the reader that Tiago and God himself do not run the town—rather, it is the church and the military who are in charge. These entities, represented by Father Salví, the ensign, and the ensign’s wife Doña Consolación, compete for power and control of the village. It is implied that, because the ensign is a drunk, his wife truly pulls the strings.

Chapter 12 Summary

The narrator reflects on how humans differ from other animals in their treatment of death. He then recounts a scene in which two gravediggers exhume an unknown, recently buried body. One of the men is new at the job, while the other is aloof and critical of the newcomer. The chapter ends with a man searching the cemetery for the skull of his deceased wife. It has been misplaced, and he accuses both gravediggers of incompetence.

Chapters 7-12 Analysis

The reader is introduced to the love affair between Ibarra and María-Clara in Chapter 7. During the pair’s reunion, their anxieties, petty jealousies, and shared idealism are revealed. The narrator directly addresses the reader in describing the pair’s love, claiming “If you who are reading this have ever loved someone, you will understand. Putting it into words is useless” (44). In other words, the narrator admits that language cannot fully capture Ibarra and María-Clara’s history together. This direct address is an effective technique, aligning the reader with the characters on a deeper level.

The church’s gradual loss of power comes into focus in Chapter 10. When Father Sibyla visits an (unknown) ailing, old priest, the conversation reveals their anxiety over the church’s social standing. The ill priest says, “And when we are no longer rich, we will no longer have influence over individual conscience” (59). He believes money rather than morality is what gives the church its leverage. Therefore, generating revenue through coercion is framed as a “justifiable” tactic. This coercion includes physical intimidation. The narrator reveals that Father Dámaso, “took care of everything with beatings and canings, which he did while laughing and with the greatest of goodwill” (67). The threat of physical violence is near constant, and the church uses it to keep the populace in line. Dámaso’s enjoyment of violence provides a glimpse into his sadistic nature—and further cements both the narrator’s contempt for the corrupt and the novel’s satire.