# Souls in Torment explained — Noli Me Tangere

> Chapter companion for Noli Me Tangere by José Rizal.

## What happens

Fray Salví is visibly disturbed after mass, ignoring the pious women who await him. The women, including Sister Rufa, Sister Sipa, and Sister Juana, engage in a heated debate about indulgences and prayer methods, revealing their superstitious and transactional view of faith. The expert intervenes to prevent a quarrel over a pig and redirects them to choose a preacher for the upcoming fiesta. Meanwhile, Sisa arrives seeking her son Crispín, only to learn he is accused of theft and has disappeared. She is cruelly dismissed by the cook and left in despair.

## Themes in this chapter

### Religious Hypocrisy and Clerical Corruption

Padre Salví's coldness and the women's absurd debates over indulgences and prayer methods expose the hollow and transactional nature of religious practice, highlighting clerical corruption and lay superstition.

### Social Injustice and Class Division

Sisa's desperate plea for her son is met with cruelty and dismissal by the cook and servants, illustrating the powerlessness of the poor against the church's authority.

## Character check-ins

### Padre Salví

Celebrates three masses in an hour, appears ill and impatient, ignoring the women and refusing to give his hand to Sister Rufa.

### Sisa

Arrives at the rectory with vegetables and salad for the curate, hoping to plead for her son Crispín, but is told he has stolen and fled, and is cruelly expelled.

### Crispín

Mentioned as having stayed in the sacristy and then run away after allegedly stealing; his whereabouts are unknown.

### Sister Rufa

Offended by Padre Salví's refusal to give his hand; boasts about her system of tracking indulgences and argues with Sister Sipa about prayer methods.

### Sister Sipa

Toothless old woman who claims a better system for earning indulgences by making servants pray for broken items; argues with Sister Rufa.

### Sister Juana

Young woman who naively asks about the correct order of prayers and is caught in the debate between Rufa and Sipa.

## Key lines

> The padre is ill. He doesn’t move about with his usual slowness and elegance of manner.

The pious women notice that Fray Salví is acting strangely, moving quickly and without his usual graceful demeanor.

_Highlights the unusual behavior of Padre Salví, hinting at his inner turmoil._

> I don’t misspend one holy day! Since I’ve belonged to the Sisterhood I’ve earned four hundred and fifty-seven plenary indulgences, seven hundred sixty thousand five hundred and ninety-eight years of indulgence.

Sister Rufa boasts about her meticulous record-keeping of indulgences, claiming she has accumulated a vast number of spiritual credits.

_Satirizes the mechanical and commercial approach to salvation among the devout._

> Don’t cry here! Don’t you know that the padre’s sick? Get out in the street and cry!

The cook cruelly orders Sisa to leave the rectory and weep outside, showing contempt for her grief.

_Illustrates the callousness of the church servants and the lack of compassion for the suffering mother._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/noli_me_tangere_se/chapters/xviii-souls-in-torment
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/noli_me_tangere_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/noli_me_tangere_se/chapters