El Filibusterismo · Chapter
I: On the Upper Deck explained
The steamer Tabo ascends the Pasig River toward La Laguna, carrying a diverse group of passengers.
What happens
The steamer Tabo ascends the Pasig River toward La Laguna, carrying a diverse group of passengers. On the upper deck, European-dressed passengers including friars, officials, and the jeweler Simoun converse, while Doña Victorina, a renegade Filipina, grows increasingly irritated at being ignored. The conversation turns to river straightening and port works, with Ben-Zayb and Padre Camorra arguing until Padre Salví intervenes. Simoun proposes a radical solution: dig a new canal and fill the old Pasig.
Themes in this chapter
Colonial Oppression
The steamer Tabo is likened to the Ship of State, with friars and officials on the upper deck ruling over the brown-skinned passengers below, reflecting the colonial hierarchy.
Hypocrisy of Religious Institutions
Padre Salví and Padre Camorra, despite their religious roles, engage in worldly arguments about engineering and dismiss scientists, showing the clergy's resistance to progress.
Class and Racial Inequality
The upper deck hosts Europeans and officials while the lower deck is crowded with Indians, Chinese, and mestizos, highlighting racial and class divisions.
Characters to notice
- Doña Victorina
A renegade Filipina who dyes her hair red and wears a half-European costume, she is irritated at being ignored by the upper-deck group. She is traveling to La Laguna to seduce back her husband Don Tiburcio.
- Simoun
A wealthy jeweler reputed to be the adviser of the Captain-General, he wears blue goggles and a pith helmet. He proposes a radical plan to dig a new canal and fill the old Pasig River.
- Ben Zayb
A journalist with the countenance of a friar, he argues with Padre Camorra about river straightening and later flatters Simoun by calling his plan a 'Yankee plan.'
- Padre Salví
A thin, withered Franciscan who intervenes to stop the argument between Ben-Zayb and Padre Camorra, citing the example of a bridge built by a brother that withstood floods despite scientists' condemnation.
- Padre Camorra
A friar with the countenance of an artilleryman, he argues with Ben-Zayb and enthusiastically supports Padre Salví's point about the bridge.
- Padre Irene
A canon with a rubicund face and Jewish nose, he nods approval at Padre Salví's words.
- Don Custodio
A liberal official who is sleeping peacefully at the start but later turns to listen to Simoun's proposal.
- Paulita Gomez
A beautiful and wealthy orphan, niece of Doña Victorina, who is fond of joking and laughing at her aunt.
Key passages
“the Ship of State, so the joke runs, also has the vice of smoking!”
The steamer Tabo, like the government, emits smoke and noise without real progress.
Satirical comparison of the steamer to the colonial government.
“Dig a canal straight from the source to the mouth of the river, passing through Manila; that is, make a new river-channel and fill up the old Pasig.”
Simoun proposes a radical solution to the river's problems by creating a new channel and filling the old one.
Simoun's bold plan contrasts with the usual palliative measures.