Ceci Tuera Cela: A Conclusion

The moral of the story is that the temptations of the flesh are pernicious and evil. Let us not look too persistently at our neighbor’s wife, however much our senses may be charmed by her beauty. Fornication fills a libertine’s thought, adultery is prying into another man’s pleasure. [Hugo:463]

in extremis extrema [Rizal: 455]

Barrerè (1957) writes that Hugo’s Notre-Dame de Paris is seen as a novel of different aspects: 1) as a historical novel; 2) as a poetic novel; 3) as a novel of ideas; and 4) as a dramatic novel. I examine Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere utilizing the same aspects Barrerè mentioned in drawing up a phenomenology of confluence.

Firstly, the Notre-Dame de Paris and the Noli Me Tangere are historical. Barrerè explains that though it was the fashion in Hugo’s time to write historical novels and for contemporary authors to write about historical personages as heroes in their own works,

“Hugo préféra les situer au second plan de l’action et donner les premiers roles aux héros nés de son imagination.” (Barrerè 1957:43)

Hugo preferred to give to the historical personages a secondary role and to assign the primary roles to the heroes born of his imagination. (trans Dejoras 2007)

In the same manner, Rizal used historical facts in the Noli as proven by Camins (1983) and Vinluan (1968). Like Hugo, Rizal’s primary roles are assigned to the ‘heroes born of his imagination’. The inspiration comes from the milieu and the circumstances that the Philippines underwent in Rizal’s time.

Secondly, Barrerè considers that the Notre-Dame de Paris is a poetic novel:

Ce n’est pas seulement par sa facture, mais par son sujet que l’œuvre appartient à l’imagination. Qu’on y songe, cette histoire d’un prêtre convoitant une bohémienne et jalousie par un monster, son esclave, est d’une extravagance choquante. Hugo n’aurait pas osé la concevoir avant 1828. C’est le signe d’un changement dans ses idées et dans celles de son temps, car le livre n’eut pas de démêlé avec la censure (Barrerè 1957: 44)

Not only its technique but also its subject matter belongs to the imagination. When one thinks of it, the story of a priest coveting a bohemian and being the object of the jealousy of his monster of a slave is of a shocking eccentricity. Hugo would not have dared think of it before 1828. It is the sign of a change in his ideas and in those of his time, for the book had no trouble with the censure. (trans. Dejoras 2007)

Rizal’s Fray Damaso who rapes Pia, wife of Capitan Tiago, Fray Salvi who lusts for Maria Clara, the Sacristan Mayor who tortures Basilio and Crispin— they are images that reveals a ‘shocking eccentricity’. The intention of the novel is to reveal the ‘cancer that gnaws’ the Philippine society, with a subject matter that is highly imaginative in nature which is in confluence with Hugo’s Notre-Dame in Barrerè’s second aspect.

Thirdly, the Notre-Dame de Paris according to Barrerè’s next aspect is a novel of ideas. Barrerè elaborates that:

Quasimodo, sous la difformité qui effraie, chache le dévouement et la sens de lajustice d’un primitive; il en a aussi les instincts féroces. Esmeralda est belle et pure; c’est le milieu qui en fait une sorcière. Mis à l’index de la société par leur naissance, ils sont condamnés à être poursuivis par la haine irréfléchie des autres hommes, et leur sort repose, finalement, entre les mains du plus saint en apparence, en réalité du plus trouble de ses représentants. La violence systématique de ces contrastes dénonce la thèse. (Barrerè 1957:44)

Under his frightening deformity, Quasimodo, hides the dedication and the sense of justice of a primitive; he has also the primitive’s ferocious instincts. Esmeralda is beautiful and pure; it is the milieu that makes of her a sorceress.

Blacklisted from society by their birth, they are condemned to be pursued by the thoughtless hatred of other men, and their lot rests, finally, in the hands of the most holy apparently, but in reality the most troubled representative of society.

The systematic violence of these contrasts exposes the thesis. (trans. Dejoras 2007)

In the same manner, Rizal creates his Noli characters with violence systématique and contrastes which dénonce la these of the novel. There is a distinctive Hugolian flair for contrasts and massive use of opposites in Rizal’s Noli.

Lastly, Barrerè’s fourth aspect reveals that the Notre-Dame de Paris is a dramatic novel:

Notre-Dame de Paris est, enfin, selon la formule hugolienne, un roman dramatique. Le drama naît du choc des idées abstraites don’t le poète a fait ses personnages: laideur et bonté de Quasimodo, ascétisme et concupiscence de Frollo, beauté stupide de Phœbus. (Barrerè 1957:45)

Finally, Notre-Dame de Paris is, according to the Hugolian formula, a dramatic novel. The drama emerges from the clash of abstract ideas from which the poet creates his personages:

ugliness and goodness of Quasimodo, asceticism and concupiscence of Frollo, stupid beauty of Phoebus. (trans. Dejoras 2007)

Rizal creates Maria Clara whose enigmatic beauty clashes with their birthright deformity, and so with Basilio and Crispin.

In addition, the fatal outlaw and true friendship of Elias; the situational irony and ambiguous “father” Damaso—-all fit in to the Hugolian formula and is therefore another confluence.

Ceci Tuera Cela, this paper’s title, illustrates how the massive purpose of Victor Hugo’s and Jose Rizal’s novels effected so many improvements for their respective country.

Hugo’s Notre-Dame de Paris is saying this will kill that—this book will kill the ignorance and insensitivity of the French citizens— right after the publication of the novel a particular attention is given to the value of French architecture and ruins, emphasizing their historical significance.

In addition, Notre-Dame de Paris is saying ceci tuera cela— the novel will kill the injustices done by the people running the church; the novel will kill the Classical form of literature and will give rise to an intensified Romanticism.

Similarly, Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere is saying this will kill that—-the novel will kill the hypocrisy and injustices done by the Spaniards [friars] to the Filipinos, using the Catholic religion; and also, this will kill that— the novel will kill the nightmares of the Filipinos, for example, their ignorance and their illiteracy.

I generally conceive of Hugo’s and Rizal’s contributions to France and the Philippines (and even to the world), respectively, as a phenomenon. For Hugo, I quote Biermann (1998):

Die Autorenrechte für seine WErke erlaben ihm schließlich, lediglich von den Zinsen seines Kapitals zu leben. Bei seinem Tod wird er sieben Millionen Francs als Erbschaft hinterlassen. (Biermann 1998:129)

On the basis of his incomparable career as author, he is the representative of the literature of his century. (trans. Pizarro 2007)

and also,

Das Werk erscheint zwei Wochen voer dem Urnengang, und binnen zwei Tagen warden 70 000 Exemplare verkauft. Die Wahlen greaten zu einem Triumph fur die Linke; Zum erstenmal hat die Republik eine republikanische Mehrheit. Sie wird in den folgenden Jahren antiklerikale Reforme durchsetzen und 1880 die Amenstie der Kommunarden beschließen. (Biermann 1998: 127)

As a republican politician, he had great influence on the masses. After his publication of 70,000 copies of republican sentiments, soon anticlerical reforms were instituted. ( trans. Pizarro 2007)

Victor Hugo’s poetic genius and philosophy is a gift to France. His battles with personal, political and literary crises for almost a century have immortalized him.

Seine Tod selbst verwnadelt sich wie sein leben in die Legende des Jahrhunderts. (Biermann 1998: 132)

His death was transformed—like his life—into a legend of the century. (trans. Pizarro 2007)

Like Hugo, Jose Rizal’s contributions to the Philippines (and the world) lie in his multiple skills as an artist. For example, the literatures that he wrote, especially the Noli Me Tangere, sculptures, paintings/drawings [which are found in the museums]. Also, Rizal as a man of science has contributed greatly to the discovery of species which were later named after him (read Guerrero 1963, Zaide 2006).

His martyrdom is his immense contribution to the freedom of the Philippines which made him the national hero.

About the Author: Kathleen B. Solon-Villaneza is currently a University administrator, English language and literature professor, and researcher.