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11. Los Baños
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in El Filibusterismo, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Colonialism and Identity
Violence vs. Nonviolence
Education and Freedom
Hypocrisy and Colonial Oppression
Summary
Analysis
Plácido Penitente, a student in Manila, is deeply disillusioned with his studies and wants to return to his village. Plácido is a bright student from a comfortable family, but he feels alienated from his peers. Plácido’s classmate, a rich, untrustworthy mestizo named Juanito Peláez, joins Plácido on his walk to class. Juanito brags about his close ties to Father Camorra and their joint womanizing during the holidays—including their pursuit of Julí. Juanito then pries Plácido for notes on class before suggesting they skip class. Despite his dislike for his studies, Plácido feels compelled to do well and rejects Juanito’s suggestion. They run into Isagani, who is also going to class. Doña Victorina and Paulita Gomez pass by. Isagani waves to Paulita. Juanito makes an exaggerated display of affection to Victorina. Another student presses Plácido to sign a petition. Plácido demurs and arrives to class late, to the ire of his teacher.
Plácido represents another section of the rising Filipino middle class who—unaffected by the romantic nationalism or love for their professions that characterize Isagani and Basilio, respectively—become educated only to feel even more alienated from society at large. Plácido presents a sharp contrast to Juanito, whose self-interested personality is well-adapted to the unjust and cutthroat nature of colonial rule; this is evident in his friendship with cruel and lecherous Father Camorra. Plácido is repulsed by Juanito’s self-serving behavior but has not yet found a political expression for his despair.
Themes
