Lecture 18 April 29, 2013 2013
Makamisa
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Jose Rizal’s “probable” “probable” Third Third o!el "hich "hich is u#$#ished u#$#ished Letters from Rizal to Blumentritt September 22, 1891 “I am thinking of writing a third novel, o a nove novell in the the mode modern rn sense sense of the the word. word. But this this time, time, politi politis s will will not not oup oup! ! mush mush spae spae in it. "thi "this s will will pla! the prinipal role. It will deal with the mores and ustoms of the #ilipinos$ there will be onl! two Spaniards. Spaniards. I want to be witt!, satirial and andid, I want to udgel and laugh, laugh amid tears, that is to sa!, to r! bitterl!.% &his letter, dated 22nd of September, o 1891, 1891, states states that 'i(al was planning planning to write a novel di)erent from "l #ilib ilibus uste teri rism smo, o, whi whih h had had been been rit riti ii( i(ed ed b! seve severa rall of his his peer peers, s, inludin inluding g Blumentr Blumentritt itt and del *ilar *ilar. It would would di)er in terms terms of its fous fous on *hilippine *hilippine ulture and ethis, as well as the language to be used+ though the latter was not stated in this letter -tober 1891 'i(al states that he will omplete the o third novel en route to arseilles from /ong 0ong. lternativel!, he ma! also have ompleted it while he was alread! in /ong 0ong. pril 2, 1892 “I have alread! given up the idea of o writing the third part in &agalog, for it would would not not be appro appropr priat iate e to write write a work in two languages as the! would be like the sermons of the friars. So I am writing it now in Spanish.% &he better reason to write the novel in o Spanish ma! be his lak of skill to write the whole work in &agalog. “Makamisa” is indeed the 3rd novel for it satises the following requirements: 1. 3ritten en route from arseilles to /ong 0ong ira 1891 . Initiall! written in &agalog 3. Satirial and humorous !. 4hanged from &agalog to Spanish "hara#teristi#s &he novel is desribed in man! bibliographies bibliographies as light, light, ironi ironi,, satiria satiriall novel novel in ontrast its dire diret t prede predees essor sor,, "l #ilibu ilibuste steri rismo smo.. It is believed that 'i(al wrote in the satirial st!le of his 5oli rather than in the melodramati st!le of #ili after being ritii(ed b! his ont ontem empo pora rari ries es del del *ila *ilarr and and #erdi erdina nand nd Blumentritt. It is a omed! through most of its narration, making making a paro parod! d! of the the Span Spanish ish6in 6in7ue 7uene ned d ustoms, espeiall! those relate with the ass and 4hurh festivals. It evokes in the reader a vivi vivid d imag image e of the the ome omedi di ati ativi viti ties es of a simple #ilipino town that submits to the rule of the Spanish priest. "hara#ters
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*adre gaton Is the parish priest of the town of *ili o who who has has omp omple lete te domi domina nan ne e over over townsfolk, even the rih families, who line line up at the onvent onvent after after Sunda! Sunda! mass mass ust ust to kiss kiss his his hand hand.. &he! &he! all submit to his ommands, whether the! are related to hurh duties or eonomi eonomi reuir reuiremen ements. ts. /e also has great in7uene over the people when it omes to eleting the town:s governadorillo ; whihever andidate he supp suppor orts ts will will inev inevit itab abl! l! be the the winner of eletion. /e had the gall to hange hange his enemies, enemies, in order order to take take their their lands lands,, rel!i rel!ing ng on his his
espi >espite te her her ignor ignoran ane, e, she eno!s eno!s leturin leturing g other other people people on the “righ “right% t% traditio traditions ns and ustoms ustoms to foll follow ow.. 3hen 3hen nda nda!: !:s s daug daught hter er,, #eli eliid idad ad,, rie ried d whil while e nda nda! ! was was pra!ing, she uikl! onluded that the hild must have been possessed b! the devil, and that is wh! the priest was not able to bless bless the hild hild after after the Sunda! mass.
Lecture 18 April 29, 2013 •
nda! o
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Is the servant of 0apitan *anhong and 0apitana Barang$ onl! 18 !ears old and has a !oung daughter, #eliidad, from the son of a previous master. She ame under the servie of 0apitan *anhong after the death of the old lad! who supported her after she was kiked out b! her
4eilia
Is the daughter of 0apitan *anhong and 0apitana Barang$ well known among the residents of *ili. She is also well known as the apple of #ather gaton:s e!e. #ather gaton likes to have her sit near the front of the hurh so that he an see her during mass. She is a romanti person, and da!dreams about her ideal man, a onept in7uened b! her anila6 dwelling aunt, >on!a -rang. She is in love with ?sagani, the !oung lerk of the tribunal but she does not !et dare dislose her feelings for him. She is also a pereptive girl and uikl! sees through #ather gaton:s sweet words to his ulterior motive, di)erent from the dim6witted and omplaent aria 4lara of 5oli and #ili. $sagani Is the nephew of an assistant priest$ o serves as the lerk of the town:s tribunal. ost of the desriptions of him ome from 4eilia:s view point 6 having valor, !outh, generosit!, heroism, disinterest, as well as being enigmati, silent and inomprehensible. pparentl!, she on #ermin, a vulgar warehouse keeper, an old 4lodio, the town:s resident hereti and aged !ni, >on &anukang, 0apitan *anhong:s rival, his son, Silvino, 4eilio, !ounger brother of 4eilia. %ummar& of the 'lot &he short three hapters fous mainl! on desribing the town:s events as the! happen$ desribing the vivid detail and imager! the hurh based ativities of the townsfolk that 'i(al apparentl! found funn! enough to write a parod! about. &he
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make the sign of the ross. -utside, the people gather to gossip about the priest:s m!sterious behavior during the mass. /e seemed to hurriedl!, in fat, the he pushed the missal towards the end, and hastil! e=ited the altar, not even stopping to bless the hildren. mong the townsfolk is 0apitan *anhong, paing bak and forth, worried about the priest:s bad mood$ wondering what orders of the urate the! might have overlooked. /e then ontemplates his eletion hanes, onsidering that the priest might suddenl! support his rival, >on &anukang, after morning:s inident. &he prinipalia and nobles of the town line up at the onvent, as usual, to be blessed b! #ather gaton:s hand. /owever, after being summoned b! a servant bo!, the! are hastil! dismissed beause the! were late to respond due to *anhong:s needless worr!ing. &he! deide to onvene at the tribunal, but the! are unable to disuss an!thing of value. fter a long and useless morning, the all deide to retire to their dwellings. &he seond hapter, “*anhong:s 4ure%, narrates about 0apitan *anhong:s sudden strange illness, harateri(ed b! abdominal pain. 0apitana Barang refuses to all the town dotor, and even stops the servant from doing so. She attempts to ure *anhong using her superstitious traditions, suh as “hilot%, pouring spies all over his bod!, as though ooking adobo and omingo de 'amos proession. 3ith suggestive words and a mishievous look on his fae, #ather gaton speaks of 4eilia:s “7owers% and asks how “the! have been brought to bloom so beautifull!.% 4eilia, muh smarter than an! aria 4lara, immediatel! sees through his gentlemanl! onversation and refuses the ob. #ather gaton then o)ers to pa! a large amount of mone!60apitan *anhong, suddenl! ompletel! ured, and 0apitana Barang eagerl! enourages her to aept the o)er6and omingo de 'amos%, the third hapter,
Lecture 18 April 29, 2013 thanks to a portion of 'iver @ordan water. &he proession takes plae$ the Stations of the 4ross all set, and of ourse, the okon &anukang, is swaggeringl! hallenging all the bo!s in the pla(a. 4eilio, the son of 0apitan *anhong, meekl! aepts the hallenge. /e loses the
this perspetive when he sees the “borador% +del 5oli e &angere that was written beside it whih was done b! a librarian at the 5ational ibrar!. &he librarian mistook the manusript as “Borador Inompleto del 5oli e &angere.% &his was defended b! >r. ngel /idalgo in 19E1 but eonio ope( 'i(al disputed it sine not a single harater from 5oli is mentioned. &here are opies of the manusript of the “akamisa% at the 5ational ibrar! but it is not eas! to ask for permission ust to even see it. 3hile looking for the drafts to the 5oli e &angere, at the 5ational ibrar!, mbeth -ampo saw the os &rabaos iterarios, ng >alawang agkapatid, Hn 'amboso Gobernadorillo, 4ostumbres #ilipinas, os nimales de Suan, Hna ista del Senora #ilipinas , >apitan, &agalog 5obilit!, emorias de un Gallo% and “akamisa, %the shorter &agalog manusript. 'roof of *+isten#e ,of )Makamisa” &here are several proofs to the fat that “akamisa% was written b! 'i(al, and that it is indeed b! the third novel, seuel to the 5oli and #ili. Biographial "videne 1. 3eneslao "milio 'etana ! Gamboa:s Bibliograapitan, 189J ; aording to iente "lio /ong 0ong ; within 'i(al:s @anuar! F1, 1892 letter to Blumentritt.
