diced b Jos e S. Arc a, - non

eventually. But there is a follow-up to the scene, after Ibarra has receivedanother lesson of the wickedness of the other side falsely accusing him ofmasterminding a conspiracy in order to be able to send him to prison andmarry off his bride to somebody else. Elias succeeds in freeing Ibarra fromprison and facilitates his escape. This is the third scene in which the questionof violence is discussed in the No10Ibarra is now ready to lead a revolutionary movement:No, that will not be a crime. It is never a crime to fight for one's owncountry. On the contrary! For three centuries we have stretched out ourhands to them; we have asked them for love; we wanted to call thembrothers. What has been their answer? Insults, sarcasm, a denial that weare even fellow men! But God, as you once said, will not forsake us. Hehas given His helping hand to all people that fought for theirindependence.This time it is Elias who points to the dangers of resorting to violence:In this fight which you propose to start, the defenseless and the innocent willsuffer most. The same sentiments which a month ago led me to ask you forreforms lead me now to ask you to reflect further. Our country does not think ofindependence from the Motherland; she asks nothing more than a small measureof liberty, of justice, a►d of love. The discontented, the criminal, and thedesperate will follow you, but the people will stand apart. I would not follow youmyself . .A truly amazing change in opinion has occurred, if one regards Elias andIbarra as two distinct characters. It might be tempting to see the Ibarra ofscene two as the Rizal coming to Spain, asking for reforms "on his knees,"and the Ibarra of scene three as the student who had been taught meanwhile toask for it "with bullets:" But the novel does not offer any insight into whetherthere is a process of development in Ibarra's mind. It is just one more proof ofFr. Damaso's machinations that bring about the change. I am thereforeinclined to see Ibarra and Elias, as has been suggested before,2s as the ego andalter-ego of Rizal toying with the idea of recommending violence butrecoiling in fright from the idea at the same time. His moral educationmentioned above causes him scruples and inhibits him from going fartherthan he does. Elias might be the true hero of the novel, but Ibarra gets awaywith his plan to stir up revolutionary activities.There can be little doubt that in the Noli the question of violence isanswered in the affirmative! Yes, violence can be used as a last resort, withthe proviso, however, mentioned in scene one: "Let us try reforms first." Thisopinion of Rizal is also reflected in his letters to Blumentritt, written at the209