Previous
19. The Fuse
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
Don Custodio wrestles with the question of the Spanish-language academy, unable to come to a decision despite all the input he has received from influential people for and against the plan. Don Custodio is well-respected in Manila, having in Ben Zayb a free public relations agent—the journalist constantly commends Custodio’s plans. Custodio, a liberal Spaniard, found success in Manila at a young age, quickly ascending the political ladder and joining all kinds of committees and councils despite his lack of expertise. Custodio’s energetic participation in debates about various plans kept him in the decision-making process.
In Don Custodio, Rizal offers a portrait of the colonial elite. In Manila, Custodio is able to feel critically important, inserting himself into debates in which he has no expertise and finding a press that fawns over him instead of criticizing him. This is not due to Custodio’s exceptional abilities, but to the fact that the suppression of mestizo and indio leaders makes success very easy for Spaniards in the Philippines, no matter how unqualified they may be.
Themes
Traveling to Spain for medical treatment, Custodio was surprised by his insignificance and lack of aptitude for European party politics, and he returned to the Philippines at the first opportunity. Custodio has a fond but deeply paternalistic attitude toward indios, wrongly attributing any native cultural achievement to external influences. He is also deeply religious, supporting the friars’ power over the native population. Custodio is unsure how to resolve the question of the Spanish-language academy without upsetting the priests or the liberals. However, he has a stroke of genius looking back through his old plans and immediately begins drafting a proposal.
Upon returning to Spain, Custodio was made painfully aware of the fact that he is little more than a fraud and is only capable of success in a colonial backwater—indeed, his compatriots don’t let him forget it. It’s therefore no wonder that he rushes to return to the Philippines, where he is treated like a king, not a mediocrity. Rizal also emphasizes that only in the retrograde environment of the colony could someone as racist and culturally conservative as Custodio be considered a liberal. Ultimately, however, Custodio doesn’t really have any meaningful political principles beyond egoism and self-interest.
Themes
