NOLI ME TANGERE  Two friars, verbally spar with one another for

the seat at the head of the table, though they do

Chapter 1: Social Gathering so by deferring to one another, heaping
 Don Santiago de los Santos – Kapitan Tiago worthless praise upon each other in hopes that
 Throws a large dinner party in Manila. doing so will win them the seat.
 Very wealthy, the party takes place in his  Padre Sibyla wins the seat – he who dishes
impressive home. People eagerly flock so out everybody’s serving
as not to miss an important social event  Padre Sibyla gives Padre Damaso a bowl
 Dominican friar: argumentatively cunning of broth filled with the most undesirable
Padre Sibyla & loudmouthed Franciscan parts of a chicken.
friar Padre Damaso  Ibarra has been studying in Europe for 7 years,
 Padre Damaso – lectures this newcomer he never received news from the Philippines.
about the nature of indios or native He did not know how or when his father died.
Filipinos  Kapitan Tiago stops Ibarra and pleads him to
- Boasts that he made strong stay saying that his daughter Maria Clara will
connections with, he claims loved and soon arrive. The new priest of San Diego will
respected him be joining dinner.
- Transferred 3 years later to San Diego  Guests talk about the scandalous exchange
- “indios are very lazy” between Ibarra and Padre Damaso
 “Are these natives truly indolent by nature,  Young blond man chastises Filipinos like
or is it, as a foreign traveler has said, that Ibarra for showing an unwillingness to be
we make excuses for our own indolence, reprimanded by priests. Writes about the party
our backwardness, and our colonial system in his journal “In the current state of things,
by calling them indolent?” not allowing [Filipinos] to leave the country—
- For the first time all evening, Padre or even teaching them to read—would actually
Damaso falls silent before slamming be doing them a favor…”
his fist into his chair and cryptically Chapter 4: Heretic and Filibuster
shouting
- Damaso calls a lieutenant “little  Señor Guevara the lieutenant catches up to
general” this unnerve lieutenant Ibarra. He explains Don Rafael’s death:
(member of the government’s Civil Ibarra’s father was the richest man in the
Guard) became angry and yells his province, he had many enemies.
support of the Spanish king’s
representative in the PH, whom Chapter 5: A Star in a Dark Night
Damaso has insulted.  Ibarra returns to the room where he’s staying.
Chapter 2: Crisostomo Ibarra In distance, Kapitan Tiago’s house is visible.
Despite the gathering he is seeing and the
 Tiago announces the arrival of Don young beautiful woman standing next to Padre
Crisostomo Ibarra, the entire room is silent Damaso, he sees an image of his father dying
except for several cries of surprise or in a jail cell. He spills wine on flowers and
bewilderment. laughs unencumbered by grief.
 Father Damaso goes pale. Ibarra sees him and
bounds over with a smile and extends his Chapter 6: Kapitan Tiago
hands saying “It’s my village priest! Father  He married a maidan from Sta. Cruz, Doña
Dámaso, a close friend of my father’s!” Pia. Both diligent in their business: made them
 Damaso hesitates and says that he was not wealthy and among prominent families in the
mistaken but Ibarras father was never a town.
close friend of his.  Acquired the ways of the Spaniards on how he
 Ibarra’s father is Don Rafael behaves, dresses, and lives
 Lieutenant eagerly welcomes him back to  Devout Catholic who worships all the saints
the Philippines. Spoke about his father in  Does under the order and wants of foreigners
past tense, which confirms Ibarra’s  Doña Pia brought him a baby Maria Clara. She
suspicion that his father has died. died from giving birth to Maria
 Guests ignore him or warmly embrace him.  Maria Clara is under the care of his cousin
Kapitan Tinong, a friend of Tiago’s, invites Isabel, who helped him raise the girl
Ibarra to dinner the next day. But he declines
because he has plans to travel to San Diego. Chapter 7: An Idyl on an Azotea
Chapter 3: The dinner  Maria Clara and Aunt Isabel went to Azotea to
talk about their feelings and vows, reminiscing
 about their childhood and memories. They  Not even God controls the town, since the
kept things like a sage leaf and Ibarra’s letter citizens of San Diego hardly ever think about
before leaving for Europe Him, despite their frequent church visits. As
such, there is a constant struggle for power
Chapter 8: Recollections between the town’s priest, Father Salví, and its
 Ibarra (riding in a coach on the way to San military ensign.
Diego) notices change in streets that used to be  Father Salví takes his job very seriously, but
unpaved and full of potholes, prisoners used to the ensign finds this characteristic aggravating,
fill while receiving lashes from a whip as thinking Salví is “too diligent.”
people rushed by in coaches without noticing
 He goes by a tobacco factory whose offensive
smells remind him pleasingly of his childhood Chapter 12: All Saints
Chapter 9: Local Affairs  In San Diego’s Catholic cemetery, two men are
digging a grave. One complains to the other,
 Padre Damaso pulls up to Kapitan Tiago’s who is a more experienced gravedigger, about
home in his Victoria the fact that they are digging into the site of a
 Padre Sibyla goes to visit a very old priest who recent grave. The experienced gravedigger
remains unnamed makes fun of his companion, saying, “If you
 Tells Sibyla that he’s dying and he’s had dug up a twenty-day-old corpse the way I
decided to let it happen rather than have, at night, in the dark, in the rain…and my
undergoing surgery lantern went out…The coffin came open and
 Sibyla informs the old man of the Padre the body almost came out. It stunk. And we
Damaso and Ibarra incident; agree that had to carry it…”
having Ibarra in the church would greatly  He goes on to tell his friend that the head
benefit their religious order priest ordered him to do this.
 They hope that he does indeed marry  an old man approaches and asks the
Maria Clara; they would support the gravedigger where a skull he put in the
church given Kapitan Tiago’s undying cemetery has gone.
devotion  The gravedigger doesn’t know, and the old
 Padre Damaso finishes speaking with his host man berates him, accusing him of not
“You have been warned!” He says to Kapitan understanding how important his job is.
Tiago that he must trust his godfather.
 Kapitan Tiago rushes to his household shrine Chapter 13: Signs of Storms
and extinguishes that candles he lit for Ibarra’s
safe passage to San Diego. Says “There’s still  Ibarra and his servant are unable to locate Don
time; and the road is very long.” Rafael’s grave
 Asks the gravedigger about it and relays his
Chapter 10: The Village story about the fat curate ordering him to dig
up on Don Rafael’s body. Since it was raining
 Ibarra’s family history is intertwined with the heavily, he threw the body into the lake instead
village of San Diego. of moving it to the Chinese cemetery
 Legends circulate throughout the town about  Ibarra leaves in anger aggressively confronts
the resting place of his great-grandfather, an Padre Salvi. Salvi reveals that it was his
old Spanish man who came to San Diego years predecessor Padre Damaso
ago, bought the forest from people who falsely
claimed to own it, retreated into the woods, Chapter 14: Tasio: Lunatic or Sage
and hung himself from a banana tree.
 Ibarra’s grandfather appeared and built a wall  Philosopher Tasyo (Don Anastacio in San
around the grave, married a woman from Diego) – known for his unique personality and
Manila, and fathered Don Rafael. figurative approach
 Don Rafael inherited his father’s farm and  Despite being called crazy majority, he studied
quickly gained respect from his workers as the at University of San Jose & married early
town of San Diego grew into what it is today.  Philosopher Tasyo, a wise man, advised the
captain to buy a lightning arrester instead of
Chapter 11: The Rulers firecrackers and bells due to thunder's danger.
 He visited the church and met Don Filipo and
 Captain Tiago, for instance, is influential but Aling Doray, discussing Ibarra's arrival and his
doesn’t have control. father's death. Despite not believing in
 the mayor doesn’t command much power, as purgatory, he respected its religious view as a
he does whatever he’s told. guide for a clean life. Tasyo walked away
amidst lightning and thunder.
Chapter 15: The Sacristands  Basilio has a bleeding forehead. He defied the
town’s curfew in order to come home and two
 Crispin and Basilio, the two young apprentice members of Civil Guard spotted him and fired
sextons that Tasio spoke with earlier, stand at gunshots, one of the bullets grazed his
the top of the bell tower as the storm rages on. forehead
 Basilio tolls the bell and Crispín laments that  He tells her about the accusations that Crispin
the sextons and priest have accused him of is a thief and believes him when he says these
stealing. claims are false
 They rarely get to see their mother and she  Basilio sees in his dream: the priest strikes
does not know the torment they live through Crispin with his cane. He was being beaten up
on a day-to-day basis savagely and goes unconscious when hit by a
 As Crispín and Basilio worry what their walking stick on the head. Crispin no longer
mother will think if the priest tells her Crispín responds to the pain
is a thief, the chief sexton appears from the  Basilio no longer wants to be a sexton and
stairwell plans about working for Ibarra’s farmland and
 Scolding Basilio for not tolling the bells in the Crispin can study with Old Tasio, after getting
correct rhythm, he tells Crispín that he must Crispin from the parish house, who he believes
stay in the tower until what he stole is is a good man given that he is the son of Don
replenished. The boy tells him that their Rafael.
mother is expecting them at eight, to which the
sexton says the brothers won’t be permitted to Chapter 18: Souls in Torment
leave until ten. Crispín points out that the
town’s curfew is at nine o’clock, which means  Padre Salvi is in a visibly bad mood, evident in
they won’t be able to walk the streets at ten the way he delivers mass
 This correction upsets the sexton, who grabs  A group of chatty nuns shifts their focus to
Crispín, slaps Basilio away, and hauls Crispín plenary indulgences, which parishioners
down the steps. Petrified, Basilio remains in purchase from the church to absolve souls in
the dark tower as he hears his brother scream, purgatory of their sins.
“They’re going to kill me!” until all is silent  At the end of their conversation, the nuns then
again. discuss on who should deliver a sermon of
 After a few moments, Basilio descends the their town's upcoming fiesta. A lot of them
tower and goes into the church, following his chose Father Dámaso to deliver the sermon,
brother’s fading screams until a door closes despite them not understanding his profound
and he loses the sound. He wanders through sermons.
the church and then slips outside again.  Sisa, who had been sitting among the nuns,
Moments thereafter, two gunshots and a goes upstairs to asks about Crispín from the
handful of voices are audible in the streets, but priest. She is informed by a parish servant that
nobody pays any attention and the night the priest is unwell and that Crispín had left
envelops itself once again in silence the previous night, taking many belongings.
The servant mentions that the Civil Guard has
Chapter 16: Sisa likely gone to Sisa's house after the boys.
Distraught, Sisa rushes home in tears.
 Sisa – Crispin and Basilio’s mother – waits in
the darkness for her boys Chapter 19: A Schoolmaster’s Difficulties
 She is an improvised and luckless woman
married to a gambling addict who abuses  Looking over the lake, Ibarra speaks with the
her boys town’s schoolmaster, who says that the
 On this night, though, she has prepared a gravedigger showed him where Don Rafael’s
decadent feast for her sons. Unfortunately, her body was dumped.
husband appears and eats the majority of the  The schoolmaster greatly respects Ibarra and
food before leaving again, telling her to save his late father, saying that he owed Don Rafael
for him any money the boys bring home. many favors because the old man used to give
 The night wears on and Sisa sobs, worried his poor students scholarships to encourage
about her sons. She prays for a moment and them to pursue education. In Rafael’s absence,
then an apparition of Crispín comes to life near though, these children live in rags and hardly
the fireplace. Just then, Basilio’s voice shakes have time for their studies. Ibarra takes an
her from this vision. “Mother, open up!” he interest in this dilemma, asking the
says, banging on the door. schoolmaster questions about San Diego’s
current education system and telling him that
Chapter 17: Basilio he isn’t asking out of “an empty curiosity.”
Rather, Ibarra wants to continue his father’s
 efforts to empower the town by promoting  The meeting will be about San Diego’s large
secular education. fiesta, which traditionally celebrates the
 The schoolmaster assures Ibarra that his religious holidays of November with
intentions are noble, but tells him that there are expensive fireworks and musicians and other
many obstacles standing in the way of the extravagancies
town’s educational success. First of all, he  The liberals resent these lavish customs, which
points out that children aren’t encouraged to are encouraged by the church and drain
aspire toward academic achievement, economic resources from the rest of the town.
 Furthermore, teachers are forced to teach Don Filipo tells his comrades that Tasio
children rote memorization, which is advised him to propose the conservatives’ idea
ineffective and unpleasant. —that the town should spend large amounts of
 Unfortunately, it is hard for the schoolmaster money on the fiesta—because he’s confident
to change these things because of the the old men will disagree with whatever he
immediate circumstances surrounding him. says.
His classroom is beneath the parish house,
meaning that the children bother the priest Chapter 21: The Story of a Mother
when they read aloud. The priest, he explains,  Just as Sisa is about to reach her house—
will often storm downstairs and berate the hoping to find Crispín and Basilio safe inside
schoolmaster, undermining the man’s authority —she sees two Civil Guard soldiers. They’re
in front of his students leaving her house empty-handed, having
 explains to Ibarra that his encounter with searched it for Crispín and Basilio. She trails
Father Dámaso redoubled his motivation to be off after seeing the soldiers exchange a look
a good teacher. As such, he read many of Old fraught with meaning. They then tell her they
Tasio’s philosophy books and discovered that will leave her alone if she pays them the
the best way to teach is to refrain from using money they claim her family owes. When
corporal punishment, since violence inspires she’s unable to do so, they take her as a
fear rather than curiosity. His students prisoner and set off toward town.
immediately improved, and attendance
increased. Unfortunately, though, Father Chapter 22: Lights and Shadows
Dámaso once again stepped in, demanding that
 The residents of San Diego are getting ready
the schoolmaster revert back to the old ways,
for a party. There’s talk about Maria Clara’s
reminding him that “according to the Holy
arrival, who is well-liked, and Padre Salvi,
Spirit, the word enters only with the blood.”
who people notice has lost weight and seems
The priest also threatened to tell the mayor if
distracted.
the schoolmaster didn’t obey his orders. To
 Ibarra visits Maria Clara, and she asks him not
make matters worse, the entire community—
to invite the priest to the picnic planned for the
including the students’ parents—rallied behind
next day. She’s uncomfortable with the
Dámaso and advocated for the old method. As
curate’s strange behavior towards her. Ibarra
such, the schoolmaster reverted to corporal
reminds her it’s customary to invite the curate.
punishment, and his students once again hated
Padre Salvi shows up, Maria Clara leaves on
school
some excuse, and Ibarra and the curate have a
 The schoolmaster tells Ibarra that even the
chat. Padre Salvi accepts Ibarra’s picnic
new priest, Father Salví, interferes in the
invitation to show no hard feelings.
classroom, often reminding the teacher that his
 As Ibarra leaves, a man approaches, sharing a
first duty is to teach religion. Having heard
sad story about losing his sons and his wife’s
this story, Ibarra says, “Don’t be so
mental state. Ibarra invites him to tell his story.
pessimistic.” He tells the schoolmaster that
Don Filipo—the liberally-inclined deputy Chapter 23: Fishing
mayor—has invited him to a meeting at the
city hall. “Who knows but that there you will  Sinang, Ibarra, and María Clara embark on a
get an answer to your questions,” he says trip with their friends, including Ibarra's
mysteriously mother and María Clara's friends. They
encounter a crocodile on a secluded beach,
Chapter 20: The Meeting in the Town Hall where Ibarra saves the boatman by severing
the crocodile's abdomen.“I owe you my life,”
 the two factions of influential authorities
the boatman says after the ordeal is over.
separate into groups: (1)The older men
represent the town’s conservatives (2)the Chapter 24: In the Wood
younger men represent San Diego’s liberal
component. They never see each other eye to
eye
 Padre Salvi rushes through the morning mass are bad. Tasio insists that gaining the approval
and other religious duties to meet up with of the church and government is necessary for
Maria Clara & friends. his plans to succeed. Ibarra reluctantly
 He sees majority of the town is there acknowledges the need to work within the
 Father Salví asks the ensign if he knows system, as he believes that righteous intentions
anything about a criminal who apparently no longer need to be cloaked in crooked work,
attacked Father Dámaso on the road the but Tasio firmly warns him that reforms from
previous day. higher powers are often undermined by
 The ensign hasn’t even heard of this corruption at lower levels.
offense, and Salví tells him that the
suspect in question is a man named Elías, CHAPTER 26 : FESTIVAL EVE
a criminal and bandit notorious for having  On the night before the fiesta, the town
thrown the ensign himself into a lake. prepares itself. One of the more notable
 Sisa appears and wanders throughout the preparations involves the school, which is
dinner party. Seeing her, Ibarra orders the under construction and shaping up to be a
servants to give her something to eat, but she magnificent building. The architect oversees
disappears into the trees again. This prompts a the work, walking over to a yellowish man
discussion between the dinner guests about the involved in hoisting up a collection of wood.
missing young sextons, and the In response, the yellow man convinces him
 ensign takes this opportunity to lampoon that the bigger they make the structure, the
Salví for having lost track of Crispín and more respect it will command.
Basilio, accusing him of caring more about
missing money than missing children. CHAPTER 27: IN THE TWILIGHT
 Ibarra receives a telegram during the party that
 As the town prepares for the fiesta, Kapitan
says his plan to build a school has been
Tiago also gears up for celebration. He speaks
approved.
with Ibarra—his future son-in-law—about the
 A sergeant then emerges and demands that the
school’s name, urging the young man to call it
group of dinner guests hand over the criminal
the Saint Francis School instead of the School
Elías, who they tell Ibarra is the same boatman
of Primary Instruction, the name on which
he saved earlier that day. Because the ensign
Ibarra has already settled.
recently left the party, the sergeant explains the
encounter that the ensign had with Elías not CHAPTER 28: CORRESPONDENCE
long ago: the two men were traveling in
opposite directions across a narrow bridge.  A correspondent writes to the editor of a
Riding on a horse, the ensign refused to yield Manila newspaper, and describes in glowing
to Elías, who also neglected to step out of the terms the fiesta in San Diego. He writes of the
way. Just as the horse was about to trample piety of the faithful, and of the virtuous
Elías, the outlaw grabbed a piece of wood and execution of duties of the very reverend friars.
hit it on the head, causing it to topple over, He describes with admiration too, the opulence
bucking the ensign into the mud. of Capitan Tiago’s home and table, and the
moving religious procession. He notes the
CHAPTER 25: IN THE HOUSE OF THE SAGE absence of the distinguished Ibarra who is
reportedly ill.
 The next day, Ibarra pays a visit to Old Tasio
 Capitan Martin writes of more mundane things
and finds him transposing a hieroglyphs,
to his friend. He narrates how Capitan Tiago’s
which the old man says he does so that nobody
winnings at cards drives Capitan Joaquin
will understand his ideas. This is because he is
nearly broke, and how Padre Damaso
not writing for his generation and said that
frustrated by his losses, smashed a lamp. He
only the next generation will be able to
shares that the consul has lost in cockfighting
understand his disposition. He believes that the
and that Carlos the Chinaman is making a
next generation will be aware of their
fortune with liam-po.
community's situation.
 Maria Clara sends out a letter of her own to
 Ibarra mentioned that even though he was born
Ibarra in which she asks how he is.
and grew up in this town, people still treat him
as a foreigner. He then seeked Old Tasio for CHAPTER 29: THE MORNING
his advice regarding his plans of improving
San Diego. Tasio, however, tells him that most  On the third and final day of the fiesta, the
people consider him a madman due to his people of San Diego dress in their finest attire
unconventional ideas. and head to the church. The air is filled with
 Old Tasio advises Ibarra to consult influential colorful banners, the sound of firecrackers, and
leaders in the town, even though their advice lively band music.
 Padre Damaso catches a cold from the earth by the building in order to commemorate
previous night’s festivities, but the other the day. As such, a heavy stone hangs
priests encourage him to give the sermon. He suspended in the air over a large trench,
undergoes some last-minute preparations, waiting to be lowered into the ground. The
applying liniment, drinking a mixture of architect praises the yellow man’s handiwork,
lemonade and raw eggs with wine, and asking him where he learned so much. The
refraining from talking and having a full yellow man says that his father was taught by
breakfast. Ibarra’s grandfather, saying “In time you’ll see
 The procession begins, briefly halting later. A what my father taught me, you’ll see!”
child in a woman’s arms reaches out to Padre  After Father Salví blesses the school, the
Salvi, calling him “pa-pa,” causing some revered Captain General says a few words
embarrassment for the curate. Despite the before the town’s most influential members
whispers among those who heard, Padre Salvi, descend one by one into the trench to
in fact, doesn’t recognize the infant and the symbolically shovel a pile of dirt over the time
woman. capsule, which is to buried by the suspended
stone after this process. Avoiding going into
CHAPTER 30: IN THE CHURCH the pit, Ibarra offers a trowel to Father Salví,
 The church fills up so quickly that it’s difficult who reluctantly accepts it and descends, all the
for attendees to breathe. Father Dámaso walks while looking at the stone above. After doing
up to the pulpit, while Ibarra sits in a corner. so, he asks if Ibarra is going to go down. The
The two men look at each other. With a wink, governor pipes up at this, further encouraging
Dámaso seems to be saying that he will the young man.
remember him in his prayers.  Ibarra goes down into the trench, eyeing Elías
and the yellow man. Meanwhile, Elías watches
CHAPTER 31: THE SERMON the yellow man’s hand, which is placed on the
lever that controls the pulley system. A big
 Father Dámaso begins the sermon in Latin
crash sounds suddenly and the stone hurdles to
before transitioning to Spanish, lightly
the ground. When the cloud of dust settles, the
demeaning the ensign and the Civil Guard. At
people see that Ibarra has survived. The yellow
one point, he pauses, but not because he wants
man, though, has been crushed by the stone.
to infuse the moment with solemn silence—he
The people rejoice that Ibarra lives, saying,
kicks the sexton feeding him lines from
“The dead man is only an indio!” and pointing
beneath the pulpit, and the small man reminds
out that, unlike Ibarra, the yellow man didn’t
the priest what he’s supposed to say by giving
attend that morning’s church service.
him a prompt.
 Even his most pious listeners begin to yawn,
and one person even leaves, causing a scene
that Dámaso notices.
 In the second part of the sermon, the friar
switches to Tagalog, but his knowledge of the
language is so poor that even the native
speakers can’t understand. Despite this,
throughout the service Dámaso asserts the
importance of respecting the church,
reiterating that “indios” must revere priests.
He also underhandedly insults Ibarra, though
nobody but Ibarra himself understands the
sermon well enough to discern this.
 While the church sings religious incantations,
Elías approaches Ibarra and whispers, “During
the benediction ceremony, don’t get too far
from the priest, don’t go down into the trench,
and don’t go near the cornerstone, and you’ll
go on living.”
CHAPTER 32: THE DERRICK
 After the church service ends, everybody
makes their way to the school because Father
Salví is set to deliver a ceremony to bless the
structure. The yellow man has created a large
pulley system to lower a time capsule into the