El Filibusterismo: 4. Cabesang Tales Summary & Analysis

Tandang Selo’s son, Tales, has found some economic success, having cleared an unoccupied plot of land and established his own farm. Soon tragedy strikes, however. First, Tales’s daughter dies of disease, and then the local church informs him that he is squatting on their land. The priests take pity on Tales, however, and allow him to stay for a nominal rent. On his father’s advice, Tales doesn’t contest the church’s claim in court and pays their rent, but as his farms grows, the church continually increases the rent. Tales’s other daughter, Julí, is in love with Basilio and dreams of being educated like him. Tales is made Cabesang, a title which costs him more time and money than it benefits him. These additional costs prevent Tales from sending Julí to Manila. When the priests try to increase the rent again, Tales calls their bluff, prompting them to seize his land.

Cabesang Tales rebels against the priests, refusing to pay rent and promising to defend his land by violence if necessary until they can show him documentation proving their ownership. The priests, who do not legally own the land either, take Tales to court. As predicted, the lawsuit consumes Tales’s time and savings. When he isn’t in court, he patrols his land, armed with a gun. The court, while sympathetic to Tales, sides with the priests for fear of losing their own positions. Tales’s son Tanó is drafted and sent to the Carolinas, as he has no money left for a substitute. The priests arrange to have guns confiscated, so Tales, still undeterred, defends his land with a club.

Tales, now without a gun, is abducted by bandits, who demand a 500-peso ransom from his family. Julí sells her jewelry but still can’t afford the ransom. In desperation, she sells herself into the service of a rich widow. Tandang Selo is aggrieved by this news. Julí is convinced that her marriage to Basilio has been ruined too and prays for a miracle.