A review by santino1215
El Filibusterismo, by José Rizal
5.0
BOOK REVIEW
"El Filibusterismo" or "The Reign of Greed" by Jose Rizal
"El Filibusterismo" is the second, last completed, and last book published by Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal during his lifetime. Departing from the rosy, hopeful ambience and atmosphere of "Noli Me Tangere", "El Filibusterismo" now enters the vicinities of darkness, as the novel broods of grim things that you think would happen in the next chapter. Many Characters from the last novel depart due to natural causes, while many new characters appear anew and just makes as much of an impact to those of the previous novel, as they express their discontent, anger and hopelessness of the abused last Spanish colony of the Empire.
"El Filibusterismo" follows the story of Simoun, Crisostomo Ibarra in disguise, who returns to the Philippines after 13 years as the new adviser to the incumbent Governor-General. While his surfaced plans according to the authorities was to help the Governor-General in managing the colony as they suspect of a revolution happening, Simoun's plans are more sinister- he is the, as revealed in the 7th chapter of the novel, "Filibustero" or "Pilibustero"- the filibuster who plans on thwarting the Spanish colonial government via starting a bloody revolution. Simoun's plan was to advise the Governor-General to keep abusing the Filipinos then, in Simoun's timer, The Filipinos shall revolt against the Governor-General's rule. But it too, is revealed, that Simoun's inner plans are far more personal, involving a character from the past whom the reader knows all too well.
MY THOUGHTS:
So I really liked this novel more than its predecessor. I felt the tension, the anger, the hopeless atmosphere, I suddenly got reminded of Osamu Dazai's "No Longer Human" while writing this book review of "El Filibusterismo". Man, Simoun is the tragic hero of this story, but he too, is the main villain, not Camorra, not Salvi, not even the Governor-General at all.
The Last character I've mentioned only appears sparsely, on few occasions. Salvi and Camorra both are rapists and murderers, Salvi responsible for Crispin's demise in the previous novel as well as he's violating of Maria Clara, the "all too well" character I pointed out in my blurb for this novel. And Camorra to Juli, Juli just wants to live and love! Basilio and Juli deserved so much better a romance, to be honest.
As for Isagani, man, I really disliked this character, he was a coward, against the bloody cause, but I can't even call him a patriot because he could've redeemed himself by just trusting Basilio.
The other student characters, Sandoval, Macaraig, etc. were sort of like those of the Friends of the ABC from "Les Misérables", except Macaraig because he was a turncoat to the cause, they all fought to the bitter end and dying just to prove themselves in the rebellion.
Simoun truly is the main villain of his own story. Rizal really wrote a tragic character, we all sympathize in the and when he killed himself because he thought of it as his redemption. Father Florentino really believed the good in him, not the bloody part, but his path to redemption. I too, felt bad for Father Florentino. I was trifling when I finished this novel, given how Iconic it is.
Suffering will always be here in the world, and the fact that Simoun was sort of a traitor himself for being traitorous to his fellow Filipinos by hard laboring them into rebellion makes Simoun still detestable, though I am more inclined to liking him than hating him. His lampara or Lamp was so iconic, I felt like throwing the Lamp at Isagani for making a critically bad decision, a "simp" or someone who can't get over Paulina, depsite Paulina not even loving him or having a passion, at all, for him from the very start.
This novel will always be one of my favorite novels, as well as one of the great novels of the entirety of Philippine literature. Due to my laziness and reading other books, It took me nearly a month, exactly 29 days, to finish this novel of 39 short chapters. I'll be reading this again for 10th grade because it is a required reading for 10th grade, the preceding novel read compulsory during 9th grade.
"El Filibusterismo" or "The Reign of Greed" by Jose Rizal
"El Filibusterismo" is the second, last completed, and last book published by Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal during his lifetime. Departing from the rosy, hopeful ambience and atmosphere of "Noli Me Tangere", "El Filibusterismo" now enters the vicinities of darkness, as the novel broods of grim things that you think would happen in the next chapter. Many Characters from the last novel depart due to natural causes, while many new characters appear anew and just makes as much of an impact to those of the previous novel, as they express their discontent, anger and hopelessness of the abused last Spanish colony of the Empire.
"El Filibusterismo" follows the story of Simoun, Crisostomo Ibarra in disguise, who returns to the Philippines after 13 years as the new adviser to the incumbent Governor-General. While his surfaced plans according to the authorities was to help the Governor-General in managing the colony as they suspect of a revolution happening, Simoun's plans are more sinister- he is the, as revealed in the 7th chapter of the novel, "Filibustero" or "Pilibustero"- the filibuster who plans on thwarting the Spanish colonial government via starting a bloody revolution. Simoun's plan was to advise the Governor-General to keep abusing the Filipinos then, in Simoun's timer, The Filipinos shall revolt against the Governor-General's rule. But it too, is revealed, that Simoun's inner plans are far more personal, involving a character from the past whom the reader knows all too well.
MY THOUGHTS:
So I really liked this novel more than its predecessor. I felt the tension, the anger, the hopeless atmosphere, I suddenly got reminded of Osamu Dazai's "No Longer Human" while writing this book review of "El Filibusterismo". Man, Simoun is the tragic hero of this story, but he too, is the main villain, not Camorra, not Salvi, not even the Governor-General at all.
The Last character I've mentioned only appears sparsely, on few occasions. Salvi and Camorra both are rapists and murderers, Salvi responsible for Crispin's demise in the previous novel as well as he's violating of Maria Clara, the "all too well" character I pointed out in my blurb for this novel. And Camorra to Juli, Juli just wants to live and love! Basilio and Juli deserved so much better a romance, to be honest.
As for Isagani, man, I really disliked this character, he was a coward, against the bloody cause, but I can't even call him a patriot because he could've redeemed himself by just trusting Basilio.
The other student characters, Sandoval, Macaraig, etc. were sort of like those of the Friends of the ABC from "Les Misérables", except Macaraig because he was a turncoat to the cause, they all fought to the bitter end and dying just to prove themselves in the rebellion.
Simoun truly is the main villain of his own story. Rizal really wrote a tragic character, we all sympathize in the and when he killed himself because he thought of it as his redemption. Father Florentino really believed the good in him, not the bloody part, but his path to redemption. I too, felt bad for Father Florentino. I was trifling when I finished this novel, given how Iconic it is.
Suffering will always be here in the world, and the fact that Simoun was sort of a traitor himself for being traitorous to his fellow Filipinos by hard laboring them into rebellion makes Simoun still detestable, though I am more inclined to liking him than hating him. His lampara or Lamp was so iconic, I felt like throwing the Lamp at Isagani for making a critically bad decision, a "simp" or someone who can't get over Paulina, depsite Paulina not even loving him or having a passion, at all, for him from the very start.
This novel will always be one of my favorite novels, as well as one of the great novels of the entirety of Philippine literature. Due to my laziness and reading other books, It took me nearly a month, exactly 29 days, to finish this novel of 39 short chapters. I'll be reading this again for 10th grade because it is a required reading for 10th grade, the preceding novel read compulsory during 9th grade.