My Rizal Blog MkII

Regarding the issue of Rizal writing a retraction letter, as much as I’d like to think that Rizal had bit written a retraction, it seems to be hard to believe that he didn’t write one. This may not be the obvious choice but let’s think it out a little more.

It seems to be quite true that Rizal had become a man interested in his life as seen by his attempt to travel to South America for a malaria outbreak. This interest in his own life had some believing him to be a coward. Yet if he stayed in the Archipelago, what would have awaited him? Death, that’s what. It’s thoroughly convincing that he believed in the principle that he who fights and runs away may live to fight another day. If he just had laid down his life, he’d be giving up. Rather, he chose to try and extend his life by travelling to South America, perhaps biding his time.

He was, however, captured and went to Dapitan without much of a fight, most likely thinking that struggling wouldn’t help. He is now faced with the Spanish authorities, read the Catholic Church, and is at their mercy. What other choice would he have than to sign a retraction with, perhaps, a promise of release or at least a prolonging of his life? Rizal wasn’t a fool. He thought with logic and despite his principles, he knew that if he were free, he could pull a 180 and fight with even more fervor to make sure that the contents of this retraction would be disregarded.

This would seem extremely hypocritical though. The Filipino people were deeply affected by words and actions, his signing a retraction would have been a liability to him if he ever got out of prison. It also wouldn’t be above the Spanish to force Rizal through any number of methods. His heroism would of course be affected by a retraction.

On the case that he willingly signed it to extend his lifetime, it would have been a great blow on his credibility and probably reduce his status as a hero by leaps. Imagine how the resistance would feel that he would throw away all he worked for in some desperate attempt for life. How could they bare such embarrassment? On the other hand being forced into a signing, as was most likely the case, it would add humanism to our hero and not as the spotless and incorruptible man we usually see him represented as yet still a representative of heroism.