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

Themes

Theocracy Versus Secularism

In many ways, Noli Me Tángere is a rebuke of theocratic methods of governance. José Rizal’s portrayal of friars and many of the narrator’s comments support this criticism. Rizal uses Father Dámaso and Salví to represent the status quo of theocracy, in which a government receives its authority from the church. Ibarra represents a more progressive view; however, it is important to note that his refusal to support the subversives’ uprising is more of an infusion of the church and government’s approaches to issues. For example, Ibarra asks Elías, “Have they forgotten the immense debt of gratitude they owe those who showed them the error of their ways and gave them faith, those who sheltered them from the tyranny of civilian power?” (324). Ibarra desires reforms but stands behind the idea that the church can be a positive force in society.

Elías represents a radical view. To him, there is no choice between secularism and theocracy. He views the church and government as forces that oppress Filipinos, so reform is the only way forward. Lastly, Tasio represents a secularist view. He willingly positions himself outside society and develops an eye for abuse of power. Tasio is critical of the friars and their reduction of Christianity to a means of attaining and maintaining power. During a conversation with Ibarra, he says, “[...] the idea of purgatory is a good one, holy and rational. It maintains the connection between those who were and those who are, and obliges one to lead a purer form of life. The bad part is when people abuse it” (82). Tasio best represents critical thinking, using logic to look past the church’s dogma.

Power Dynamics

The battle for power and struggle to keep it are evident throughout the novel. This is best represented by Father Dámaso and Salví’s tactics to retain their power. Dámaso threatens physical violence and weaponizes his parish’s fear of eternal damnation. Salví, on the other hand, is more subtle and uses manipulation to achieve his ends. Both men represent the primary form of abuse that underscores the novel’s dramatic tension.

Relationships between men and women are also depicted as power struggles. The ensign and his wife Doña Consolación literally fight for the upper hand in their marriage; Tiburcio and his wife Doña Victorina negotiate a dysfunctional relationship in which the latter asserts her power over her husband, using him to achieve social capital; Sisa’s husband is absent and neglectful. The different relationships reflect similar issues in larger society: San Diego’s political parties continually try to wrestle control from each other.

Despite being a relatively passive character, María-Clara’s actions at the end of the novel demonstrate self-empowerment. María-Clara’s identity is generally formed by others’ opinions of her—especially those of her two fathers Tiago and Dámaso. Male-dominated society exerts control over her life at every turn until she confronts Dámaso with his secret. While she reduces his power, she does not use it to enact revenge as he would others. Instead, María-Clara uses the confrontation to finally make a decision. Her determination to join a convent is the closest she gets to exerting her own will—an act of self-empowerment.

The Legacy of Oppression

Elías, Sisa and her son Basilio, and the brothers Bruno and Társilo all lead lives that illustrate generational oppression. Elías’s life, specifically the moment he discovered his dead sister, haunts him at every turn. He is painfully aware of his lineage and the notoriety associated with it; his grandparents were disgraced and this fate follows their descendants. As the novel ends, so does Elías’s story as he crosses paths with young Basilio—whose life, like Elías’s own, will be forever haunted by the image of his dead mother.

The oppressive colonialism in the Philippines created cycles of generational poverty and suffering. Families are displaced, separated, and killed without consequence. In telling Elías’s story, José Rizal illustrates how radicalism stems from an unjust system. When men like Elías and rebel leader Pablo become desperate, their urgency to do something about their oppression grows. The violence that often ensues could be prevented if authorities such as the civil guard treated people with the dignity they deserved. Instead, the desire to revolt grows.

In telling Sisa’s story, Rizal highlights the emotional toll of oppression. Sisa, a loving mother who sends her sons to become sextons so that they may have a better life, is robbed of these sons. They are “disappeared,” not to be heard from again, until Basilio reappears at the end of the novel. This loss destroys Sisa, who loses her mind and wanders the streets. At one point, she is brought into Doña Consolación’s house and mocked. The final, heartbreaking scene in which she is pursued by Basilio (as she fails to recognize him) ends with her realizing that she indirectly caused his bloody injury (as he struck the cemetery gate with head and hands to get to her) and dying unceremoniously. This side story proves that oppression not only destroys people physically, but emotionally.