COMPARATIVE RESEARCH IN NOLI AND EL FILI OF RIZALS

NOVEL
Both novels, the Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) and the El
Filibusterismo, (The Filibuster) inspired by the patriotic ideals of national
hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, depict the abuses suffered by the native indios at the
hands of Spanish tyrants.
Dr. Jose Rizal's second novel, El Filibusterismo, is a political treatise and
is a maturer book than his first novel Noli Me Tangere. The Noli is a book of
feeling and deep emotion; the Fili, a book of thought. The Noli Me Tangere
reflected Rizal's conviction about education as proper way of liberating the
Filipino from the Spanish occupation. The Noli exposed the evils of society;
hence, the title was translated to English The Social Cancer. The Fili exposed
the evils of the people in government and in church; thus, the translation The
Reign of Greed. The Noli therefore, is a novel of society while the Fili is a
novel of politics. In the Noli, the ridiculous actions of the unworthy
government officials and unholy church people made us laugh in derision in
the Fili the misfortunes of the Filipinos in the hands of the cruel and abusive
Spaniards made us cry. In El Filibusterismo, the peaceful and progressive
Filipino leader Crisostomo Ibarra who in Noli Me Tangere wanted to educate
his people by building schools, is converted into a bloody revolutionist. He is
now known as Simoun, the jeweler, a malignant character who, because of
his wealth, has gained access of the Spanish officials. Secretly he plots a
revolution. He wants to arouse the feelings of the people by all possible
means. He incites the government to create more abuses so that the people
may have much cause to revolt as soon as possible.
If Rizal was famous before, he became more so after the publication of
El Filibusterismo in 1891. This second book, more than the Noli Me Tangere,
must have given stronger impetus and greater urgency to the cause of the
Revolution. Dr. Rizal's greatest claim to being first in our political history is
that he was the real founder of Philippine Nationalism. At his death, he
bequeathed to us Filipinos his yearning for liberty while also giving us the
necessary background of sacrifice. Truly we can say that Rizal was a model
toward which Philippine life maw aspire. And in the words of the scholar
Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera," The appearance of Rizal announced that the
Filipino race was able to give birth to individuals endowed with the highest
attributes, who could be considered an honor to the human race."

Geramei V. Tejada
BSN - IIIA