Chapter 8

• Noli Me Tangere published in Berlin


  1887
• The bleak winter of 1886 was memorable in the life of Rizal for two reasons: first, it was a painful episode for he was hungry, sick, and despondent in a strange city and, second, it brought him great joy, after enduring so much sufferings, because his first novel Noli Me Tangere came off the press in March, 1887
• Dr. Maximo Viola, Rizal's friend from Bulacan, arrived in Berlin at the height of his despondency and loaned him the needed funds to publish the novel
• Idea of Writing a Novel on the Philippines

  Inspired by Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, which portrays the brutalities of American slave-owners and the pathetic conditions of the unfortunate Negro slaves
• Writing of the Noli

  Began writing in Madrid in 1884, continued in Paris in 1885, finished in Germany in 1886
• In a momentary fit of desperation, Rizal almost hurled the manuscript of the Noli into the flames as he did not believe it would ever be published
• Viola, being loaded with ample funds, gladly agreed to finance the printing cost of the Noli and also loaned Rizal some cash money for living expenses
• To save printing expenses, Rizal deleted certain passages in his manuscript, including a whole chapter - "Elias and Salome"
• During the printing of the Noli, the chief of police in Berlin visited Rizal's boarding house and requested to see his passport, suspecting him of being a French spy
• Rizal, in fluent German language, explained to the police chief that he was not a French spy but a Filipino physician and scientist, particularly an ethnologist, and the police chief was satisfied and allowed him to stay freely in Germany
• On March 21, 1887, the Noli Me Tangere came off the press
• The title Noli Me Tangere


  A Latin phrase which means "Touch Me Not", taken from the Gospel of St. John
• Rizal dedicated his Noli Me Tangere to the Philippines "To My Fatherland"
• Ibarra went to San Diego to visit his father's grave on All Saint's Day
• The grave-digger told Ibarra that the corpse of Don Rafael was removed by order of the parish priest to be buried in the Chinese cemetery, but the corpse was heavy and it was a dark rainy night so the grave-digger simply threw the corpse into the lake
• Ibarra was angered by the grave-digger's story


  He left the cemetery
• On the way, Ibarra met Padre Salvi, the Franciscan parish priest of San Diego
• Ibarra pounced on Padre Salvi


  Demanding redress for desecrating his father's mortal remains
• Padre Salvi told Ibarra that he had nothing to do with it, as he was not the parish priest at the time of Don Rafael's death, and it was Padre Damaso, his predecessor, who was responsible
• Ibarra met several interesting people in his town, including the wise old man Tasio the philosopher, the progressive school teacher, the spineless gobernadorcillo, Don Filipo Lino, Don Melchor, and the former gobernadorcillos Don Basilio and Don Valentin
• Sisa's tragic story is told, of how she became crazy after losing her two boys Basilio and Crispin, who were sacristanes in the church
• Capitan Tiago, Maria Clara, and Aunt Isabel arrived in San Diego
• Ibarra and his friends gave a picnic at the lake, where various people were present including Maria Clara and her friends, Aunt Isabel, Capitana Tika, Andeng, Albina, and the boatman Elias
• An incident at the picnic was Ibarra saving Elias' life from a crocodile
• Maria Clara sang a beautiful song at the picnic
• After the picnic, Ibarra visited old Tasio and saw his writings were in hieroglyphics
• San Diego was preparing for its annual fiesta in honor of its patron saint San Diego de Alcala
• During the fiesta, Elias warned Ibarra of a plot to kill him during the ceremony of the laying of the cornerstone of the schoolhouse, and Elias saved Ibarra's life when the derrick collapsed
• At the dinner that night, Ibarra attacked Padre Damaso, which resulted in his engagement to Maria Clara being broken and him being excommunicated
• The liberal-minded governor general visited the town and befriended Ibarra, persuading Capitan Tiago to accept Ibarra as son-in-law and promising to see the Archbishop to lift the ban of excommunication
• Elias related his tragic family history to Ibarra
• Ibarra's enemies engineered an attack on the barracks of the Guardia Civil, blaming Ibarra, and Elias helped Ibarra escape from prison
• Ibarra said goodbye to Maria Clara, who revealed that her real father was Padre Damaso
• Ibarra and Elias escaped on a banca, with the Guardia Civil pursuing them, and Elias diverted their attention to allow Ibarra to hide
• Elias and Ibarra's escape

  1. Elias and Ibarra jumped into a banca loaded with sacate (grass)

  2. Ibarra stopped at the house of Capitan Tiago to say goodbye to Maria Clara

  3. Ibarra returned to the banca

  4. Elias told Ibarra to hide under the zacate

  5. Elias jumped into the water and swam toward the shore to divert the soldiers' attention

  6. Soldiers fired at Elias, who was hit and sank
• Elias and Ibarra


  Elias helped Ibarra escape from prison
• Elias, seriously wounded, reached the shore and staggered into the forest
• Elias met a boy, Basilio, who was weeping over his mother's dead body
• Elias told Basilio to make a pyre on which their bodies (his and Sisa's) were to be burned to ashes
• Elias: 'I die without seeing the dawn brighten over my native land! You, who have it to see, welcome it and forget not those who have fallen during the night!'