Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not)

Elías is introduced later in the novel but is often present in climactic moments. He is from a family whose reputation was destroyed long before he was born. Coming from such a lineage, Elías gravitates toward radical ideology. He is involved with subversive groups who plan an attack on the civil guard. Elías is first introduced as a boatman who takes Ibarra, María-Clara, and others on a fishing expedition. When he dives in to kill a crocodile, is pulled back by it, and rescued by Ibarra, their fates are forever tied. Although he holds contempt for the powers that be, he opens his mind enough to realize that Ibarra is an exception and sees in him a reason for optimism.

Elías acts as Ibarra’s protector multiple times. He is a man of his word, adhering to an incorruptible code of honor. Though he and Ibarra are compatriots, his political and philosophical views are influenced by his own life. Elías’s views play against Ibarra’s more theoretical outlook. He also offers rationale for why men come to embrace political violence. Elías sees the tragedy of his life as cause for self-sacrifice, diving into water to kill a crocodile and later doing so to help Ibarra elude capture by the civil guard.

Father Dámaso is one of the novel’s antagonists. During the opening scene, Dámaso’s presence indicates something ominous. He is respected by Tiago’s dinner guests, but only because they seem to fear him. This respect is different from that shown to Ibarra—and Dámaso knows it. While Ibarra represents liberal politics, Dámaso represents a more conservative approach. Dámaso believes in the established order and uses any means necessary to protect it. Ultimately, this only serves his own interests rather than those of the townspeople. He is quick to anger, and uses fear and intimidation as weapons.

Dámaso is a hypocrite, a so-called holy man who embodies corruption. While he sits in judgment over the town, he is prone to vice. He gambles, accepts bribes, extorts, and concedes to lust. Despite being a priest, he fathered a child—María-Clara—and while he is gentle toward her, the narrator does not explicitly say whether or not this behavior stems from guilt. Throughout the novel, Dámaso is either ill or struggles with performing his duties. The effects of his aging symbolize the gradual decline of the church’s influence.

Unlike Father Dámaso, Father Salví does not represent a political antithesis to Ibarra. For Salví, his hatred of Ibarra comes down to seeing him as competition for María-Clara. He is a schemer whose desire to sabotage Ibarra stems from envy and pride. He has an unnerving presence throughout the novel; at one point, he spies on María-Clara and her friends from a wooded area. Salví is younger than Dámaso and described as sickly and unattractive. He seems to recognize that he will never gain María-Clara’s affection, making his obsession with her an exercise in masochism. When he is finally able to have a private conversation with her, he emerges from it shaken. Though the narrator refrains from explicitly stating what happened, it can be deduced that María-Clara rebuked Salví’s advances.

Salví’s involvement in the plot to destroy Ibarra demonstrates his penchant for revenge. Unlike Dámaso, Salví is not a physically violent man, probably due to his sickly constitution. In any case, his revenge manifests as manipulation. When he notifies the ensign of the coming attack, he requests that he be credited for uncovering the plot. This moment can be seen as a means of feeding his ego, but in the context of his obsession with María-Clara, it can be inferred that Salví wants publicity to impress her.

The aged philosopher Tasio has a limited but important role in the novel. He represents a rational outlook on the world. He is generally indifferent and seems to observe the events around him through a strictly logical lens. When Ibarra seeks Tasio’s advice on his new school, the latter says not to consult him because the town thinks he’s a madman. It is something of a comic moment, but he understands how one’s company can affect how one is seen. As a self-imposed outsider, he understands the political dynamics at play in town—and the Philippines as a whole.

Tasio’s fierce individualism does not allow him to fall in line with beliefs that he does not personally support. It is significant that the men who seek change in society—namely Ibarra, Elías, and Don Filipo—all seek Tasio’s counsel, while those who hold power have no interest in him. The powerful do not see him as an enemy, but rather a madman who they assume has no influence on anyone.