Books & Literature

I must confess, Crisostomo Ibarra is one of the most guileless protagonists I’ve ever encountered in literature. Even the laughable Capitan Tiago has better survival skills their precarious social climate. Then again, we might excuse Ibarra’s naivete, as it is what makes his evolution later in El Filibusterismo, the sequel to the Noli, more impactful. Chapter 51: … [Read more...] about Noli Me Tangere Chapter Summaries 51-55

I am partial to Elias, and Rizal may have been too.[1] Here we see a little bit more of him, but really, his story is so fraught with despair and ill luck that if he were a real person today, he’d make some decent money selling his life story to ABS-CBN’s telenovela department. Chapter 46: The Cockpit At the cockpit, the brothers Tarsilo and Bruno lose everything on a … [Read more...] about Noli Me Tangere Chapter Summaries 46-50

I think Rizal knew exactly where to insert his brilliantly conceived support characters. Without the hilarious Doña Victorina and her long-suffering opportunistic spouse, these chapters would weigh heavily, with Ibarra still shunned, Maria Clara unwell and on the verge of unraveling some dark secret, and Elias embarking on the difficult mission of averting a catastrophe. … [Read more...] about Noli Me Tangere Chapter Summaries 41-45

Guerrero, Rizal’s biographer, did not hold a high opinion of Maria Clara.[1] Neither do countless essayists, artists, orators and ordinary citizens. Don’t we now commonly use Maria’s name as a derogatory term to describe weak, helpless women? While I do wish she was endowed with better qualities, I can’t help but empathize with her character. It must have been difficult to … [Read more...] about Noli Me Tangere Chapter Summaries 36-40

The conflict between Padre Damaso and Ibarra finally comes to a head. In a fit of rage, we see Ibarra take matters into his own hands, all the while delivering the most moving speech in the book in my opinion. Chapter 31: The Sermon Padre Damaso delivers the first half of his sermon in Spanish, extolling the virtues of Saint Diego in such high-sounding words, and in … [Read more...] about Noli Me Tangere Chapter Summaries 31-35