Simoun’s Jewels Symbol Analysis

Simoun’s jewels, the main source of the mysterious foreigner’s power and influence, symbolize the corrupt, cynical nature of both colonial rule and the local elite in the Philippines. Simoun uses his jewels, as well as his personal influence over the captain-general, to manipulate political events to further his plot to foment a revolution. Though the local elite are deeply suspicious of Simoun, their greed blinds them to the nature of his plans. Instead of questioning his grip on the government, landlords and officials like Captain Basilio rush to buy Simoun’s jewels, both to accumulate luxury goods for themselves and their families and to curry influence with the government. Simoun also uses his jewels to win over the bandits led by Cabesang Tales, whom he recruits to fight in his uprising against the government, though he keeps them in the dark about the full extent of his plans. Simoun’s revolution is less a genuine independence struggle than an elaborate plan for revenge, and in using his wealth to help bring it about he wields the same tools as the colonizer. The jewels, like indiscriminate violence, are unable to destroy the political and economic system that makes them so valuable in the first place, a truth Simoun realizes only at the moment of his death. Father Florentino also understands this, which is why he chooses to resist the temptation of wealth and throw Simoun’s jewels into the ocean.