Hi165 Paper: Rancor Towards the Chinese as Seen in Noli Me Tangere

Cristina Puno
123202
Hi165-A
November 16, 2015
Along with the colonial presence of the Spaniards in the 19th century
Philippines were other foreigners as well. This mostly consisted of the Chinese.
Because of their ubiquity, this resulted in the Spaniards being cautious and
suspicious of them, and a way for them to attempt to deter the Filipino colony from
too much Chinese influence was by instilling ideas and implementing methods to
establish their difference and separation as a race. Some instances of this can be
exemplified in the Noli me Tangere by Jose Rizal. Whether it be in the way the
Chinese were spoken of by Spaniards which therefore passed on to Filipinos, or
criticism against cultural beliefs, practices and way of life, there was indeed a certain
extent of hostility against them. A list of instances in the novel can be found below:
1. Chapter 1, Page 1: It was situated in that sectionand, should the Chinese
water-pedlar find it convenient, even a source of drinking water.
- Written to describe the location of Capitan Tiagos house, quite a lowly view
of the Chinese can be seen, especially of those who are not well-off. They are
depicted to be dirty and would drink out of the contaminated river out of desperation.
2. Chapter 13, Page 49: I didnt put him in with the Chinamen. Better to drown
than lie with the heathen, I said to myself, so I threw the body into the river.
- The grave-digger is defending himself with why he did not follow Padre
Damasos orders to move Don Ibarras body to the Chinese cemetery. He implies
that its better to let the body drown rather than leave it with people who do not
practice the same religion as other Spanish (and therefore he and other Filipinos) do.
3. Chapter 20, Page 39: It grew sugar, riceor else sold at throwaway prices to
Chinese middlemen who exploited the credulity or vices of the farmers.
- In describing some of the goings-on in the town of San Diego, this sentence
explicitly states a common view that the Chinese often take advantage of the people
they work with (here, farmers) in a negative way.
4. Chapter 20, Page 82: Since many wealthy people are comingand whatever
you use to play the Chinese games
- Here, Capitan Basilio is making plans for the town for a special gathering,
and since there will be a number of wealthy Chinese attending, they want to take
advantage of this opportunity to sneakily gain the wealth of the Chinese.
5. Chapter 29, Page 135: They had brought a great number of candlesChinese
would do it not for love of Catholicism but of good Christian women
- This refers to the purchase of candles from the Chinese to be used for the
fiesta, and shows a shallow judgment of the reason why they would show their
gratitude through conversion something that is supposed to be taken sincerely.
Source:
Rizal, Jose, & Leon Guerrero. Noli Me Tangere. 5th ed. Makati: Guerrero, 2015.
Print.