Standard Ebooks

El Filibusterismo

José Rizal

Description

El Filibusterismo is the sequel to Noli Me Tangere, and picks up thirteen years after Crisóstomo Ibarra disappeared, assumed dead after fleeing from the Civil Guard. Returning to the Philippines in disguise, he involves himself in the lives of those he once knew. Ibarra works with the ruling class to make life miserable for the native population, hoping to frustrate them enough to awaken them and cause them to rise up against their oppressors. This proves difficult, as even the slightest talk of liberalism or reform is considered “filibusterism,” and filibusters risk jail, deportation, or worse.

The story follows the lives of several characters at all levels of society. Some of the most vulnerable are robbed by corrupt officials and cannot afford legal fees, or find a patron to help to get back what is theirs. Students push back against the stultifying school environment that bars them from any practical learning. When their plans for a new school are hampered, they publish protests, and this lands many of them in jail. Meanwhile, Ibarra hopes to unite with his lost love, and develops plans to foment a revolt against the government.

This novel takes a dark turn from the hopeful Noli Me Tangere, where Rizal showed optimism that modest reform could bring about change. Now the character of Ibarra seems to personify Rizal himself as he comes to the conclusion that real change will only come by violent means. While Rizal himself didn’t lead any revolutionary activity, his writings had such an effect that he was exiled and finally executed by the government. Many consider his writings, including El Filibusterismo, to have indirectly inspired the Philippine Revolution.

Read free

This ebook is thought to be free of copyright restrictions in the United States. It may still be under copyright in other countries. If you’re not located in the United States, you must check your local laws to verify that this ebook is free of copyright restrictions in the country you’re located in before accessing, downloading, or using it.

Download for ereaders

Read online

A brief history of this ebook

  1. Finish metadata and initial publication

  2. Link item in glossary

  3. Remove no break hyphens

  4. Fix cite in endnote

  5. Tweak style

More details

Sources

Transcriptions

Page scans

Improve this ebook

Anyone can contribute to make a Standard Ebook better for everyone!

To report typos, typography errors, or other corrections, see how to report errors.

If you’re comfortable with technology and want to contribute directly, check out this ebook’s GitHub repository and our contributors section.

You can also donate to Standard Ebooks to help fund continuing improvement of this and other ebooks.