NMT Chapter 02: Crisostomo Ibarra (See other Noli Me Tangere Chapter Summaries)
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(Napanuod mo na ba yung kwento ni Pareng Ed, isang masipag at matiyagang OFW na naubos ang pera nung na-ospital ang kanyang anak, pero nakabangon mula sa kahirapan gamit ang isang… panuorin mo ang kwento niya dito.)
We meet Juan Crisostomo Ibarra y Magsalin, the son of the late Don Rafael Ibarra (the man whose body was exhumed). Crisostomo gets confused when Padre Damaso, the friar whom Crisostomo thought was a close friend of his deceased father, said that Don Rafael was never a close friend of his. Fortunately, the soldier had kinder words to say about Don Rafael. Another good friend of Don Rafael, Capitan Tinong of Tondo, invited Crisostomo for tomorrow’s lunch. Crisostomo declined, saying he was leaving for San Diego the following day.
An attendant announced that dinner was served.
Some Notes
Padre Sibyla, Padre Damaso, and Teniente Guevara were surprised to see Crisostomo Ibarra accompanied by Capitan Tiago. This means they did not know the purpose of the dinner.
Ibarra spent seven years in Europe.
Ibarra’s name shows that his mother is a Filipina (Magsalin).
Questions and Answers
Why did Ibarra think that his father was a close friend of Padre Damaso? When Ibarra was a child until he left for Europe, Padre Damaso would often join the Ibarras for lunch and dinner. Ibarra often heard his father, Don Rafael, conversing amiably with Padre Damaso.
Why did Padre Damaso deny that Don Rafael was his friend? It turns out that the heretic who died in jail, and whose body was ordered exhumed by Padre Damaso is Don Rafael. What happened to the relationship between Padre Damaso and Don Rafael during the seven years that Crisostomo Ibarra was away will be revealed in later chapters.
(Do you want to know how other Pinoys are succeeding online? Read this.)
Kind regards,
Manny M. Viloria