diced b Jos e S. Arc a, - non

persecuted by his enemies, in the novel, it is the friar who persecutes hisenemies. And, of course, "Verdolagas" is the Spanish for the Tagalogladasim or "sour," "acrid," or kulasiman, gulasiman, ulasiman, a creepingred-stemmed plant formerly used in salads because of its succulent juice, butnow serving only as animal fodder. lbarra's creator certainly knew his man.Maria Clara is the third important character in the Noli. Together with herAunt Isabel, the two remind one of the New Testament pair of kinswomen,Mary and Elizabeth, whose sons, Jesus and John, ushered in the newChristian age. Did Rizal have this parallelism when he chose these twonames? And ironically, the background of lbarra's dream girl, despite hername, is anything but clear!There are other names. Dona, not Victoria, but its diminutive,"Victorina," petty victory. Alas, she has to be satisfied with her small victoryin her desperate catch of that puny derelict of a Spaniard, the lame andtoothless Don Tiburcio de Espadafta. Espadana is a plant which they driedbefore stuffing it into pillows or cushions. Dona Victorina has a perfectcushion for her needs! She also plasters her face with make-up to hide herbrown skin, and pitifully gesticulates with her barbarous Spanish, a deeplymeaningful symbol of the tragedy of colonial subservience.Then there is Hennana Rufa, smug, conceited and self-satisfied as hername implies, in her ignorance relying on the mathematics of her indulgencesto jostle souls out of purgatory. Hermann Pedro is her rival and fiercecompetitor in sanctity, the head of the local confraternity, and open-handedwith his indulgences and merits to push the suffering souls across the pearlygates, just like his namesake, Saint Peter, the keeper of the keys. And, ofcourse, Dofia Consolacion, the officer's wife, is certainly no consolation toher husband. It takes little to appreciate Laong Laan's sardonic humor.Who else may be mentioned? The Franciscan priest, Fray BernardoSalvi. His external ascetical manner impresses everyone. But unlike hisnamesake, Saint Bernard of Qairvaux (1090-1153), whose eloquence andwisdom reconciled the warring princes of western medieval Europe, our friaris a sham who must close the doors of the church lest people walk out as soonas he starts mounting the pulpit. Don Anastacio, or Tacio, the philosopher, toothers the madman, bears the name of that young defender of orthodoxyagainst the dangerous Arian heresy that would have nullified the redemptivevalue of the passion of Jesus Christ, for which reason the holy bishop ofAlexandria was exiled more than once. So also, Rizal's Tacio is twice anexile among his own: first, because his words are too recondite for his fellowtownsmen; and second, because they studiously avoid and even ridicule him188