Noli summary 1: young Juan Crisstomo Ibarra y Magsalin came back to the Philippines after a 7-yea r absence.

In his honor, Don Santiago de los Santos "Captain Tiago" a family fri end, threw a welcome home party, attended by friars and other prominent figures. One of the guests, former San Diego curate Fray Dmaso Vardolagas, belittled and slandered Ibarra. The next day, Ibarra visits Mara Clara, his betrothed, the beautiful daughter of Captain Tiago and affluent resident of Binondo. Their long-standing love was cle arly manifested in this meeting, and Mara Clara cannot help but reread the letter s her sweetheart had written her before he went to Europe. Before Ibarra left fo r San Diego, Lieutenant Guevara, a Civil Guard, reveals to him the incidents pre ceding the death of his father, Don Rafael Ibarra, a rich hacendero of the town. According to Guevara, Don Rafael was unjustly accused of being a heretic, in add ition to being a subversive an allegation brought forth by Dmaso because of Don R afael's non-participation in the Sacraments, such as Confession and Mass. Fr. Dma so's animosity towards Ibarra's father is aggravated by another incident when Do n Rafael helped out in a fight between a tax collector and a child, with the for mer's death being blamed on him, although it was not deliberate. Suddenly, all t hose who thought ill of him surfaced with additional complaints. He was imprison ed, and just when the matter was almost settled, he died of sickness in jail. Revenge was not in Ibarra's plans, instead he carried through his father's plan of putting up a school, since he believed education would pave the way to his co untry's progress (all throughout the novel, the author refers to both Spain and the Philippines as two different countries but part of the same nation or family , with Spain seen as the mother and the Philippines as the daughter). During the inauguration of the school, Ibarra would have been killed in a sabotage had Elas a mysterious man who had warned Ibarra earlier of a plot to assassinate him not saved him. Instead the hired killer met an unfortunate incident and died. After the inauguration, Ibarra hosted a luncheon during which Fr. Dmaso, gate-cra shing the luncheon, again insulted him. Ibarra ignored the priest's insolence, b ut when the latter slandered the memory of his dead father, he was no longer abl e to restrain himself and he lunged at Dmaso, prepared to stab him for his impude nce. Consequently, Dmaso excommunicated Ibarra, taking this opportunity to persua de the already-hesitant Tiago to forbid his daughter from marrying Ibarra. The f riar wanted Mara Clara to marry Linares, a Peninsular who just arrived from Spain . With the help of the Governor-General, Ibarra's excommunication was nullified an d the Archbishop decided to accept him as a member of the Church once again. Soon, a revolt happened and the Spanish officials and friars implicated Ibarra a s its mastermind. Thus, he was arrested and detained. As a result, he was disdai ned by those who became his friends. Meanwhile, in Capitn Tiago's residence, a party was being held to announce the up coming wedding of Mara Clara and Linares. Ibarra, with the help of Elas, took this opportunity to escape from prison. Before leaving, Ibarra spoke to Mara Clara an d accused her of betraying him, thinking she gave the letter he wrote her to the jury. Mara Clara explained that she would never conspire against him, but that s he was forced to surrender Ibarra's letter to Father Salvi, in exchange for the letters written by her mother even before she, Mara Clara, was born. Mara Clara, thinking Ibarra had been killed in the shooting incident, was greatly overcome with grief. Robbed of hope and severely disillusioned, she asked Dmaso to confine her to a nunnery. Dmaso reluctantly agreed when she threatened to take her own life, demanding, "the nunnery or death!"[2] Unbeknownst to her, Ibarra was still alive and able to escape. It was Elas who had taken the shots. It was Christmas Eve when Elas woke up in the forest fatally wounded. It is here where he instructed Ibarra to meet him. Instead, Elas found the altar boy Basilio cradling his already-dead mother, Sisa. The latter lost her mind when she learn ed that her two sons, Crispn and Basilio, were chased out of the convent by the s acristan mayor on suspicions of stealing sacred objects. Elas, convinced he would die soon, instructs Basilio to build a funeral pyre and

burn his and Sisa's bodies to ashes. He tells Basilio that, if nobody reaches th e place, he was to return later and dig as he would find gold. Elas further tells Basilio to take the gold he finds and go to school. In his dying breath, he ins tructed Basilio to continue dreaming about freedom for his motherland with the w ords: I shall die without seeing the dawn break upon my homeland. You, who shall see i t, salute it! Do not forget those who have fallen during the night. Elas died thereafter. In the epilogue, it was explained that Tiago became addicted to opium and was se en to frequent the opium house in Binondo to satiate his addiction. Mara Clara be came a nun when Salv, who had lusted after her from the beginning of the novel, r egularly used her to fulfill his lust. One stormy evening, a beautiful insane wo man was seen at the top of the convent crying and cursing the heavens for the fa te it had handed her. While the woman was never identified, it is insinuated tha t the said woman was Mara Clara.

Summary 2: Rizal introduces the character of Juan Crisostomo Ibarra, the only son of the la te Haciendero Don Rafael Ibarra. Ibarra was near perfect, he s handsome, intellige nt, rich and famous. Upon his return in the Philippines, a celebration was held. A local newspaper even took note of his arrival. A picture of him at the front page bearing the words, Imitate him less an arrival fit for a king. it was a nonethe

Ibarra was full of hopes and desires of a better nation, he was full of new idea s which he learned from his travel in Europe. He felt that with his wealth, powe r and connections to the illustrious figures of society, he can make a differenc e. Ibarra has a bright future, he has a beautiful girlfriend named Maria Clara, the daughter of Don Santiago. Maria Clara was a symbolic representation of the idea l Filipina woman, full of grace and royalty. Somehow, Maria Clara s beauty was tha t of a pure and innocent child. Ibarra could have just settled down but he wasn t the type of person that would en joy while others are suffering. He ultimately planned on building a school. With the advice of the Philosopher T acio and the help of prominent local figures including Don Custodio, Ibarra s scho ol was completed. However, during the inauguration of the school an assassinatio n plot against Ibarra was revealed. Fortunately, he was saved by a mysterious man named Elias. More revelations were unveiled. From the untimely death of his father, to the re al identity of Maria Clara.On the other hand, Elias approached Ibarra. Elias hap pens to be the courier of the rebel soldiers. The rebels want government reforms through a violent revolution. However, Ibarra does not bear the same idealism. Later, an uprising was orchestrated by Father Salvi, a Spanish friar who secretly admired Maria Clara. The plot was to make it appear that Ibarra was the mastermind of the revolt. Ibarra was arrested but escaped with the help of Elias. A shooting occurred at t he Pasig river with Elias being hit by bullets. The civil guards thought that th

ey have killed Ibarra but the latter survived. With the vast wealth and gems he has, Ibarra swore to take revenge to all those who destroyed his life. He swore to free the country even if that will result in to loss of lives. Ibarra went overseas but he vowed to come back to claim what rightfully belongs to him. (humanities360.com) Scene: Ang kadiliman ay nakalatag na sa buong santinakpan. Mahimbing na natutulog ang m ga taga-San Diego pagkatapos na makapag-ukol ng dalangin sa kanilang mga yumaong mga kamag-anak. Pero, si Sisa ay gising. Siya ay nakatira sa isang maliit na da mpa na sa labas ng bayan. May isang oras din bago narating ang kanyang tirahan m ula sa kabayanan. Kapuspalad si Sisa sapagkat nakapag-asawa siya ng lalaking iresponsable, walang pakialam sa buhay, sugarol at palaboy sa lansangan. Hindi niya inasikaaso ang mg a anak, tanging si Sisa lamang ang kumakalinga kay Basilio at Crispin. Dahil sa kapabayaan ng kanyang asawa, naipagbili ni Sisa ang ilan sa mga natipong hiyas o alahas nito nuong sila siya ay dalaga pa. Sobra ang kanyang pagkamartir at hina ng loob. Sa madalang na paguwi ng kanyang asawa, nakakatikim pa siya ng sakit n g katawan. Nananakit ang lalaki. Gayunaman, para kay Sisa ang lalaki ay ang kany ang bathala at ang kanyang mga anak ay anghel. Nang gabing iyon, abala siya sa pagdating nina Basilio at Crispin. Mayroong tuyo ng tawilis at namitas ng kamatis sa kanilang bakuran na siyang ihahain niya kay Crispin. Tapang baboy-damo at isang hita ng patong bundok o dumara na hiningi ni ya kay Pilosopong Tasyo ang inihain niya kay Basilio. Higit sa lahat, nagsaing s iya ng puting bigas na sadyang inani niya sa bukid. Ang ganitong hapunan ay tuna y na pangkura, na gaya ng sinabi ni Pilosopong Tasyo kina Basilio at Crispin ng puntahan niya ang mga ito sa simbahan. Sa kasamaang palad, hindi natikman ng magkapatid ang inihanda ng ina sapagkat du mating ang kanilang ama. Nilantakang lahat ang maga pagkaing nakasadya sa kanila . Itinanong pa niya kung nasaan ang dalawa niyang anak. Nang mabundat ang asawa ni Sisa ito ay muling umalis dala ang sasabunging manok at nagbilin pa siya na t irahan siya ng perang sasahudin ng anak. Windang ang puso ni Sisa. Hindi nito mapigilan na hindi umiyak. Paano na ang kan yang dalawang anghel. Ngayon lamang siya nagluto, tapos uubusin lamang ng kanyan g walang pusong asawa. Luhaang nagsaing siyang muli at inihaw ang nalalabing daing na tuyo sapagkat naa lala niyang darating na gutom ang kanyang mga anak. Hindi na siya napakali sa pa ghihintay. Upang maaliw sa sarili, di lang iisang beses siya umawit nang mahina. Saglit na tinigil niya ang pagaawit ng kundiman at pinukulan niya ng tingin ang kadilimang bumabalot sa kapaligiran. Nagkaroon siya ng malungkot na pangitain. Kasalukuyan siyang dumadalangin sa Mahal Na Birhen, ng gulantangin siya ng malak as na tawag ni Basilio mula sa labas ng bahay. Tagpo[baguhin]

Ipinakita rito ang pagiging biktima ng mga asawang babae dahil sa mga maling pan iniwalang panrelihiyon. Una, na ang mga asawang babae ay dapat sunud-sunuran sa kani-kanilang asawang lalaki. Sila ay tagatanggap lamang ng kapalaran ng kanilan g asawa. Bagamat isang Pilipino, tinuligsa pa rin ni Rizal ang katangian ni Sisa bilang i sang inang mahina at walang karapatang magkaanak dahil siya ay duwag at nagpapaa lipin.

EL FILI: Thirteen years after leaving the Philippines, Crisostomo Ibarra returns as Simou n, a rich jeweler sporting a beard and blue-tinted glasses, and a confidant of t he Captain-General. Abandoning his idealism, he becomes a cynical saboteur, seek ing revenge against the Spanish Philippine system responsible for his misfortune s by plotting a revolution. Simoun insinuates himself into Manila high society a nd influences every decision of the Captain-General to mismanage the country s aff airs so that a revolution will break out. He cynically sides with the upper clas ses, encouraging them to commit abuses against the masses to encourage the latte r to revolt against the oppressive Spanish colonial regime. This time, he does n ot attempt to fight the authorities through legal means, but through violent rev olution using the masses. His two reasons for instigating a revolution are at fi rst, to rescue Mara Clara from the convent and second, to get rid of ills and evi ls of Philippine society. His true identity is discovered by a now grown-up Basi lio while visiting the grave of his mother, Sisa, as Simoun was digging near the grave site for his buried treasures. Simoun spares Basilio s life and asks him to join in his planned revolution against the government, egging him on by bringin g up the tragic misfortunes of the latter's family. Basilio declines the offer a s he still hopes that the country s condition will improve. Basilio, at this point, is a graduating medical student at the Universidad de Sa nto Tomas. After the death of his mother, Sisa, and the disappearance of his you nger brother, Crispn, Basilio heeded the advice of the dying boatman, Elas, and tr aveled to Manila to study. Basilio was adopted by Captain Tiago after Mara Clara entered the convent. With the help of the Ibarra's riches and Captain Tiago, Bas ilio was able to go to Colegio de San Juan de Letrn where, at first, he is frowne d upon by his peers and teachers because of his skin color and his shabby appear ance. Captain Tiago s confessor, Father Irene is making Captain Tiago s health worse by giving him opium even as Basilio tries hard to prevent Captain Tiago from sm oking it. He and other students want to establish a Spanish language academy so that they can learn to speak and write Spanish despite the opposition from the D ominican friars of the Universidad de Santo Toms. With the help of a reluctant Fa ther Irene as their mediator and Don Custodio s decision, the academy is establish ed but this turns bad as they will serve, not as the teachers but as caretakers of the school. Dejected and defeated, they hold a mock celebration at a pancitera while a spy for the friars disguised as a poor man witnesses the proceedings. B asilio, however, was not with them during the event. Simoun, for his part, keeps in close contact with the bandit group of Kabesang T ales, a former cabeza de barangay who suffered misfortunes at the hands of the f riars. Once a farmer owning a prosperous sugarcane plantation and a cabeza de ba rangay (barangay head), he was forced to give everything he had owned to the gre edy, unscrupulous Spanish friars and the Church. His son, Tano, who became a civ il guard was captured by bandits, his daughter Jul had to work as a maid to get e nough ransom money for his freedom, and his father, Tandang Selo, suffered a str oke and became mute. Before joining the bandits, Tales took Simoun s revolver whil e Simoun was staying at his house for the night. As payment, Tales leaves a lock et that once belonged to Mara Clara. To further strengthen the revolution, Simoun has Quiroga, a Chinese man hoping to be appointed consul to the Philippines, sm uggle weapons into the country using Quiroga s bazaar as a front. Simoun wishes to attack during a stage play with all of his enemies in attendance. He, however, abruptly aborts the attack when he learns from Basilio that Mara Clara had died e arlier that day in the convent. A few days after the mock celebration by the students, the people are agitated w hen disturbing posters are found displayed around the city. The authorities accu se the students present at the pancitera of agitation and disturbing peace and ha s them arrested. Basilio, although not present at the mock celebration, is also arrested. Captain Tiago dies after learning of the incident. But before he dies he signs a will, unknown to him it was forged by Father Irene. His will original ly states that Basilio should inherit all his property but due to this forgery h

is property is given in parts, one to Santa Clara, one for the archbishop, one f or the Pope, and one for the religious orders leaving nothing for Basilio to be inherited. Basilio is left in prison as the other students are released. A high official tries to intervene for the release of Basilio but the Captain-General, bearing grudges against the high official, coerces him to tender his resignation . Jul, Basilio s girlfriend and the daughter of Kabesang Tales, tries to ask Father Camorra s help upon the advice of Hermana Bali. The two travel to the convent but things suddenly turn horrible as Camorra tries to rape Juli, due to his long-hi dden desires for young women. Jul, rather than submit to the will of the friar, j umps over the balcony to her death. Basilio is soon released with the help of Si moun. Basilio, now a changed man, and after hearing about Jul's suicide, finally joins Simoun s revolution. Simoun then tells Basilio his plan at the wedding of Paulita Gmez and Juanito, Basilio s hunch-backed classmate. His plan was to conceal an expl osive which contains nitroglycerin inside a pomegranate-styled Kerosene lamp tha t Simoun will give to the newlyweds as a gift during the wedding reception. The reception will take place at the former home of the late Captain Tiago, which wa s now filled with explosives planted by Simoun. According to Simoun, the lamp wi ll stay lighted for only 20 minutes before it flickers; if someone attempts to t urn the wick, it will explode and kill everyone important members of civil society and the Church hierarchy inside the house. Basilio has a change of heart and atte mpts to warn Isagani, his friend and the former boyfriend of Paulita. Simoun lea ves the reception early as planned and leaves a note behind: Mene Thecel Phares. Juan Crisostomo Ibarra Initially thinking that it was simply a bad joke, Father Salv recognizes the hand writing and confirms that it was indeed Ibarra s. As people begin to panic, the la mp flickers. Father Irene tries to turn the wick up when Isagani, due to his und ying love for Paulita, bursts in the room and throws the lamp into the river, sa botaging Simoun's plans. He escapes by diving into the river as guards chase aft er him. He later regrets his impulsive action because he had contradicted his ow n belief that he loved his nation more than Paulita and that the explosion and r evolution could have fulfilled his ideals for Filipino society. Simoun, now unmasked as the perpetrator of the attempted arson and failed revolu tion, becomes a fugitive. Wounded and exhausted after he was shot by the pursuin g Guardia Civil, he seeks shelter at the home of Father Florentino, Isagani s uncl e, and comes under the care of doctor Tiburcio de Espadaa, Doa Victorina's husband , who was also hiding at the house. Simoun takes poison in order for him not to be captured alive. Before he dies, he reveals his real identity to Florentino wh ile they exchange thoughts about the failure of his revolution and why God forso ok him, when all he wanted was to avenge the people important to him that were w ronged, such as Elias, Maria Clara and his father, Don Rafael. Florentino opines that God did not forsake him and that his plans were not for the greater good b ut for personal gain. Simoun, finally accepting Florentino s explanation, squeezes his hand and dies. Florentino then takes Simoun s remaining jewels and throws the m into the Pacific Ocean with the corals hoping that they would not be used by t he greedy, and that when the time came that it would be used for the greater goo d. Scene: Christmas day in the Philippines is, according to the elders, a fiesta for the c hildren, who are perhaps not of the same opinion and who, it may be supposed, ha ve for it an instinctive dread. They are roused early, washed, dressed, and deck ed out with everything new, dear, and precious that they possess high silk shoes, big hats, woolen or velvet suits, without overlooking four or five [71] scapular ies, which contain texts from St. John, and thus burdened they are carried to th e high mass, where for almost an hour they are subjected to the heat and the hum an smells from so many crowding, perspiring people, and if they are not made to recite the rosary they must remain quiet, bored, or asleep. At each movement or

antic that may soil their clothing they are pinched and scolded, so the fact is that they do not laugh or feel happy, while in their round eyes can be read a pr otest against so much embroidery and a longing for the old shirt of week-days. Afterwards, they are dragged from house to house to kiss their relatives hands. T here they have to dance, sing, and recite all the amusing things they know, whet her in the humor or not, whether comfortable or not in their fine clothes, with the eternal pinchings and scoldings if they play any of their tricks. Their rela tives give them cuartos which their parents seize upon and of which they hear no thing more. The only positive results they are accustomed to get from the fiesta are the marks of the aforesaid pinchings, the vexations, and at best an attack of indigestion from gorging themselves with candy and cake in the houses of kind relatives. But such is the custom, and Filipino children enter the world throug h these ordeals, which afterwards prove the least sad, the least hard, of their lives. Adult persons who live independently also share in this fiesta, by visiting thei r parents and their parents relatives, crooking their knees, and wishing them a m erry Christmas. Their Christmas gift consists of a sweetmeat, some fruit, a glas s of water, or some insignificant present. Tandang Selo saw all his friends pass and thought sadly that this year he had no Christmas gift for anybody, while his granddaughter had gone without hers, with out wishing him a merry Christinas. Was it delicacy on Juli s part or pure forgetf ulness? When he tried to greet the relatives who called on him, bringing their children, he found to his great surprise that he could not articulate a word. Vainly he t ried, but no [72] sound could he utter. He placed his hands on his throat, shook his head, but without effect. When he tried to laugh, his lips trembled convuls ively and the only noise produced was a hoarse wheeze like the blowing of bellow s. The women gazed at him in consternation. He s dumb, he s dumb! ent, raising at once a literal pandemonium. they cried in astonishm