Summary
On the night of the opera, Simoun is seen running around looking worried and melancholy. Meanwhile, since his return from ransoming Juli, Basilio spends his days taking care of Capitan Tiago, whose health is worsening. Capitan Tiago is addicted to opium and his mood flips depending on his access to it. Suddenly, Simoun appears at Capitan Tiago’s home. He is agitated and questions Basilio as to why he never looked over the political pamphlets Simoun left for him. Simoun says in an hour his regiments will attack the city. Each group believes they are following orders from a different power: the state, the church, or Simoun’s rebellion. It’s time for Basilio to choose a side. Simoun tells Basilio all he needs to do is break into the convent and help Maria Clara escape. Basilio informs Simoun that Maria Clara died earlier that day after succumbing to illness. Padre Salvi sent a letter to Capitan Tiago, her father, that very day. Simoun turns white as a ghost and runs away holding back tears.
The following day, Isagani sets out to meet Paulita. He plans to confront her about going to the opera with Juanito and is downcast knowing this could lead to their separation. Paulita arrives in the company of Doña Victorina and Juanito. Doña Victorina interrogates Isagani for news of her husband Don Tiburcio and, with a shock, Isagani realizes it’s because she wants to remarry. Paulita laughs off Isagani’s jealousy, explaining that her aunt is the one in love with Juanito, and the two make up. Blissful once again, Isagani waxes poetically about the beauty of his hometown, saying that it's the one place he feels truly at liberty. Then, Isagani declares that Filipinos are waking up: once they achieve equal citizenship they will work to make the Philippines a country of progress and development. He foresees a day when their relationship with Spain will be one of brotherhood rather than subjugation and justice will rule the land. Paulita only laughs at Isagani’s idealism.
Fourteen members from the student association gather at a Chinese restaurant that serves pansit, a type of noodle soup. The students represent a diverse cross-section of Filipino society: Filipino, mestizo, and Spanish. Although publicly there to celebrate the decision to open the Spanish school, the students express their disappointment through mockery of the church and government. Pecson makes a speech in mock gravity: he can barely suppress laughter as he comes to the defense of the honorable friars who are present at every milestone in Filipinos’ lives. Far from abuse and criticism, Pecson says, these hard-working friars should receive praise because without them Filipino society would fall apart. Just as he’s finishing, the students realize one of the friar’s spies was listening to their entire conversation.
The next day, all of Manila is in a buzz after a revolutionary pasquinades, a publicly written critique including threats against the government, was found on the doors of the university. Members of the students’ association are suspected culprits. The university is in an uproar and the Civil Guard patrols the streets. Basilio, unaware of what has happened, runs into a professor who warns him to distance himself from the students’ association because there will be arrests. Basilio worries he will be implicated given his interactions with Simoun but, since finding out about Maria Clara’s death, Simoun has been reported ill and is refusing to see anyone. The attack he planned has stalled and no one suspects his involvement in the pasquinades. Members of the association vary in their reactions: Juanito and Salvador try to distance themselves from the trouble, Isagani supports whoever wrote the critique, and Makaraig treats the whole affair as a joke. Basilio shows up at Makaraig’s house hoping to ask for a loan after he spent all his money freeing Juli. There, Basilio is arrested along with Makaraig by association.
Padre Fernandez is a professor at the university and is one of the more liberal friars. He calls Isagani into his office with a genuine interest in understanding the students’ complaints. Isagani tells him that the friars have monopolized control of education in the Philippines for over 300 years. They punish free thought and jealously guard information resulting in an ignorant society. Padre Fernandez protests that the church is not all-powerful and must also obey the government. They argue over who is to blame for the defects of the Filipino population and who should have access to an education. Padre Fernandez wants to improve the relationship between the students and friars without drastically changing the system. Isagani suggests professors should start by treating students with respect. They both promise to talk with their respective sides to see if they can reach greater understanding.
In the aftermath of the pasquinades, rumors of rebellion fly around Manila, creating chaos and panic. Merchants close shops and people begin to arm themselves and stay at home. The confusion leads to accidental violence and death as people defend themselves against imagined attacks from students. As tension increases in the city, the Captain General and his council decide how to crack down on potential filibusters. Basilio is arrested along with 30 other students. In solidarity, Isagani turns himself in. Without Basilio to care for him, Captain Tiago’s health worsens. When Padre Irene visits him, the captain is so shocked by the news that he dies. Terrified, Padre Irene runs out of the room, leaving his corpse on the floor. Capitan Tiago’s funeral is a lavish affair; everyone who did not visit him while he was ill attends. Despite promises to include Basilio in his will, Captain Tiago endows all his wealth to the church.
News reaches Juli in San Diego of Basilio’s arrest. However, rumors and convoluted stories make it difficult to ascertain what actually happened. Juli hears that Basilio was arrested as revenge by the friars for helping her family; she therefore feels duty-bound to help free Basilio. With Captain Tiago’s death, Basilio no longer has a powerful patron to advocate for his release. Juli’s only recourse is to plead with Padre Camorra for help, which she dreads doing because she knows that he will expect sexual services as payment. For days, Juli is consumed by fear, shame, and guilt. She questions how she could sacrifice herself for Basilio, her sweetheart, when she could not bring herself to do the same after Tales was kidnapped by the tulisanes.
Sister Bali, a kindly woman in town, tries to help Juli. Despite knowing of Padre Camorra’s reputation with women, Sister Bali assures Juli that she will be safe if they go together. Eventually, news reaches Juli that all the students have been released except for Basilio, who is going to be shipped off to the Carolinas. With dread, she finally succumbs to the pressure and agrees to see Padre Camorra. Before entering the convent, Juli is overcome by panic and pleads with Sister Bali to turn back. Sister Bali responds by lecturing Juli about the debt she owes Basilio and the probability of his death if she does not intervene. In a mix of tears and rage, Juli rushes inside. Later, community members observe that a young woman threw herself out of the convent window. Immediately after, an older woman ran away from the convent screaming. Tandang Selo bangs on the doors of the convent later that night but, still unable to speak, is turned away. Later, he disappears into the woods.
Analysis
Isagani represents the idealism of youth and the genuine desire to fight for the rights of Filipinos. His love and devotion to his country is evident even as he is painfully aware of the challenges they face. He believes if Filipinos had the opportunity for a genuine education and were treated as equals it would solve many of the problems that plague society. Isagani is the opposite of the stereotype of the deferential Filipino. Just as he did with Señor Pasta, Isagani engages with Padre Fernandez as an equal. Their conversation is a rare moment of mutual respect between Spaniard and Filipino, friar and student. As open-minded as he is, even Padre Fernandez struggles not to be offended by Isagani’s behavior but he comes to respect Isagani for his integrity to speak his mind.
In a system without justice and widespread abuse of power, many Filipinos have developed sycophantic attitudes as a way to protect themselves from the whims of those in power and to get ahead. Rizal's novel raises the question of who is responsible for this: the church and state, or Filipinos themselves. To break the cycle, Padre Fernandez wants to see Filipinos take the lead by changing their behavior, while Isagani retorts that the responsibility lies with those in power. Isagani argues that generations of potential have been wasted by the church’s practices and, due to their failure, they must accept the chance for others to influence education in the Philippines or risk being toppled.
Juli’s fate provides a stark contrast to Isagani’s hopes for the Philippines. It is openly acknowledged that justice is purchased through bribes and patronage. Without access to either, Juli is at the whims of Padre Camorra. Padre Camorra abuses his power to prey on women, a complete hypocrisy of the moral superiority priests claim over Filipinos. Caught in a trap she cannot escape, Juli’s sacrifice and suicide have a tragic sense of inevitability. Juli feels compelled to help Basilio but cannot live with the guilt and shame of what she is forced to do. The complete destruction of Tales’ family over the course of the novel serves as a warning to all those who dare challenge the injustice rampant around them.
The unrest that Simoun fueled has no outlet after he abruptly halts his plans. After dreaming of reuniting with Maria Clara after thirteen years, Simoun is lost in grief. Without direction, people in Manila become paranoid and act out in violence.
For all their searing discourse, the students quickly disband as soon as there is the threat of true punishment. Isagani chastises their cowardice in a simile: he compares the students to sparrows scared into flight by a mere scarecrow. This lack of resolve demonstrates that, at least in the upper echelons of society, the Philippines is not ready for open rebellion.
