Original Text(~250 words)
CHAPTER XII All Saints The one thing perhaps that indisputably distinguishes man from the brute creation is the attention which he pays to those who have passed away and, wonder of wonders! this characteristic seems to be more deeply rooted in proportion to the lack of civilization. Historians relate that the ancient inhabitants of the Philippines venerated and deified their ancestors; but now the contrary is true, and the dead have to entrust themselves to the living. It is also related that the people of New Guinea preserve the bones of their dead in chests and maintain communication with them. The greater part of the peoples of Asia, Africa, and America offer them the finest products of their kitchens or dishes of what was their favorite food when alive, and give banquets at which they believe them to be present. The Egyptians raised up palaces and the Mussulmans built shrines, but the masters in these things, those who have most clearly read the human heart, are the people of Dahomey. These negroes know that man is revengeful, so they consider that nothing will more content the dead than to sacrifice all his enemies upon his grave, and, as man is curious and may not know how to entertain himself in the other life, each year they send him a newsletter under the skin of a beheaded slave. We ourselves differ from all the rest. In spite of the inscriptions on the tombs, hardly any one believes that the dead rest,...
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Summary
On All Saints' Day, Rizal takes us to San Diego's cemetery—a neglected place where pigs wander among scattered bones and grave-diggers work with callous indifference. The scene opens with a philosophical observation: primitive peoples honored their dead more than 'civilized' societies do today. The cemetery itself tells this story—a wooden cross with a faded inscription, bones carelessly thrown in heaps, and graves dug without respect or care. Two grave-diggers work, one squeamish about cutting through recent bones, the other hardened by years of disturbing the dead on mysterious orders from 'the fat curate.' Their conversation reveals something sinister: bodies being secretly moved in the night, questions asked by Spanish authorities, and a system where no one knows why they do what they're told. An old man searches desperately for his wife's skull among the scattered remains, offering his last silver coin to find what should never have been lost. The grave-digger's indifference—'You don't know what you throw away nor what you receive'—becomes a metaphor for colonial society's casual destruction of what should be sacred. This chapter shows how institutional neglect isn't just about poor management—it's about power. When those in charge don't value what matters to ordinary people, everything becomes disposable. The cemetery becomes a mirror for colonial Philippines itself: beautiful things destroyed by indifference, sacred bonds severed by bureaucratic callousness, and people left searching for what they've lost while those in power shrug their shoulders.
That's what happens. To understand what the author is really doing—and to discuss this chapter with confidence—keep reading.
Terms to Know
All Saints' Day
A Catholic holiday honoring all saints and the faithful departed, traditionally observed on November 1st. In Filipino culture, it's a time when families visit cemeteries to honor their ancestors and deceased loved ones.
Modern Usage:
Like Memorial Day in America, it's when families gather at gravesites to remember those they've lost.
Colonial neglect
When ruling powers deliberately ignore or underfund institutions that matter to local populations. It's a form of control through indifference, showing colonized people that their values don't matter.
Modern Usage:
We see this when city governments neglect certain neighborhoods or when corporations ignore worker safety in poor communities.
Grave-digger
Workers who dig graves and handle burials, often from the poorest class. In this chapter, they represent how colonial systems force people to do degrading work without understanding why.
Modern Usage:
Like any worker who has to follow orders they don't understand from bosses who don't explain the bigger picture.
Sacred desecration
The deliberate or careless destruction of things that communities hold holy or precious. Here, it's the casual treatment of human remains and burial sites.
Modern Usage:
When developers tear down historic neighborhoods or when bureaucrats close community centers without consulting residents.
Institutional indifference
When systems and organizations treat people's deepest concerns as unimportant paperwork. It's not active cruelty, but the casual dismissal of what matters most to ordinary people.
Modern Usage:
Like when hospitals treat patients as billing codes or when schools see kids as test scores instead of human beings.
The fat curate
A reference to Padre Damaso, the corrupt Spanish priest who wields power in San Diego. His orders to move bodies secretly shows how religious authority serves political control.
Modern Usage:
Any authority figure who uses their position to cover up inconvenient truths or protect powerful interests.
Characters in This Chapter
The old man
Grieving widower
He searches desperately through scattered bones for his wife's skull, offering his last silver coin to find what should never have been lost. His anguish shows the human cost of institutional neglect.
Modern Equivalent:
The person fighting insurance companies to get their spouse's medical records after a hospital 'reorganization'
The first grave-digger
Reluctant worker
He's squeamish about cutting through recent bones and questions the orders he receives. His discomfort shows he still has some humanity left despite the dehumanizing work.
Modern Equivalent:
The employee who feels bad about following company policies that hurt customers
The second grave-digger
Hardened laborer
Years of disturbing the dead have made him callous and indifferent. His attitude 'You don't know what you throw away nor what you receive' reflects how systems break people's empathy.
Modern Equivalent:
The veteran bureaucrat who's stopped caring about the people affected by their decisions
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when systems make you feel crazy for expecting basic respect and accountability.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when institutions make you repeat your story to multiple people who all claim they 'can't help'—that's the pattern in action.
You have the foundation. Now let's look closer.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"You don't know what you throw away nor what you receive"
Context: Said to the old man searching for his wife's skull among the scattered bones
This reveals the complete breakdown of human dignity under colonial rule. The grave-digger's indifference shows how systems can make people callous to others' pain. It's also a metaphor for colonial society itself - destroying what's precious without knowing or caring about the consequences.
In Today's Words:
That's just how things work around here - stuff gets lost and nobody keeps track.
"The dead have to entrust themselves to the living"
Context: Contrasting how ancient Filipinos honored their ancestors versus the neglect under Spanish rule
This ironic observation shows how 'civilization' has actually made people less humane. The Spanish claim to bring Christian values, but treat the dead with less respect than 'primitive' peoples did.
In Today's Words:
These days, the dead are at the mercy of whoever's in charge of the paperwork.
"Hardly any one believes that the dead rest"
Context: Describing how the cemetery's condition contradicts the peaceful inscriptions on tombs
The gap between what's written on tombstones and the reality of scattered bones shows the hypocrisy of colonial 'civilization.' Pretty words mean nothing when actions show complete disregard.
In Today's Words:
Nobody really buys into the nice things we say about honoring the dead.
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Institutional Neglect - When Systems Stop Caring
When systems become so distant from human consequences that they destroy what people hold sacred while everyone claims they're just following orders.
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
The wealthy have proper graves while the poor are treated as disposable, their remains scattered without dignity or care
Development
Builds on earlier class divisions, now showing how inequality extends even to death and memory
In Your Life:
You might see this when expensive funeral homes treat your family with respect while county services rush you through like paperwork.
Power
In This Chapter
Spanish authorities give mysterious orders that destroy Filipino burial traditions, with no one daring to question why
Development
Escalates from social power dynamics to institutional power that operates without accountability or explanation
In Your Life:
You experience this when corporate policies change overnight and managers can't or won't explain the reasoning behind decisions affecting your work.
Sacred vs. Disposable
In This Chapter
What families consider sacred—their ancestors' remains—becomes literally disposable trash in the hands of indifferent institutions
Development
Introduced here as a new theme showing how colonialism destroys spiritual and cultural values
In Your Life:
You see this when hospitals treat your loved one's final moments as just another shift change, or when schools eliminate programs your kids love for 'budget reasons.'
Systematic Dehumanization
In This Chapter
The grave-diggers have become so desensitized they handle human remains like construction materials, following orders without feeling
Development
Introduced here, showing how oppressive systems corrupt everyone who participates in them
In Your Life:
You might recognize this in yourself when you start treating patients, customers, or students as numbers rather than people because the system demands efficiency over humanity.
Lost Memory
In This Chapter
The old man can't find his wife's remains among the scattered bones, representing how colonialism erases Filipino history and identity
Development
Introduced here as a metaphor for cultural destruction under colonial rule
In Your Life:
You experience this when family stories get lost because no one wrote them down, or when your workplace eliminates traditions that gave meaning to the job.
Modern Adaptation
When the System Eats Its Own
Following Crisostomo's story...
Crisostomo returns from business school to find his father's auto repair shop has been demolished by the city. At the municipal building, clerks shuffle him between departments—Planning says talk to Zoning, Zoning says talk to Public Works, Public Works says the demolition order came from 'downtown.' Each person follows procedures they don't understand, shrugging when he asks why a profitable business with no violations was torn down overnight. A security guard whispers that certain properties get 'flagged' for reasons no one explains, and workers just follow orders. Crisostomo finds his father's tools scattered in a dumpster behind City Hall, mixed with debris from other demolished businesses. The demolition crew supervisor, counting his paycheck, tells him: 'Kid, I don't know what gets torn down or why. I just swing the wrecking ball where they point me.' Standing in the rubble where his father taught him to change oil, Crisostomo realizes his MBA means nothing when the system itself is designed to protect those who give orders while making everyone else disposable.
The Road
The road the old man walked searching for his wife's skull in 1887, Crisostomo walks today. The pattern is identical: institutions destroy what families hold sacred while each person in the chain claims they're just following orders.
The Map
This chapter provides a navigation tool for institutional neglect: when systems treat your concerns as disposable, document everything, demand explanations, and build relationships with the workers who actually know what's happening. The pattern always involves layers of people who 'don't know' protecting those who do.
Amplification
Before reading this, Crisostomo might have trusted that institutions serve the people they're supposed to help. Now he can NAME institutional neglect, PREDICT how blame gets diffused through bureaucratic layers, and NAVIGATE it by refusing to accept 'that's just how things are' when his sacred things are under threat.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific details show how the cemetery has been neglected, and who is responsible for the different levels of care?
analysis • surface - 2
Why do the grave-diggers follow orders they don't understand, and what does this reveal about how harmful systems operate?
analysis • medium - 3
Where have you seen this pattern of 'just following orders' create harm in workplaces, schools, or healthcare settings?
application • medium - 4
If you were the old man searching for his wife's remains, what strategies would you use to get real answers and action from the system?
application • deep - 5
What does this cemetery scene teach us about what happens when institutions stop seeing people as individuals worth protecting?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map the Chain of Responsibility
Draw a simple chain showing who gives orders to whom in the cemetery system, from Spanish authorities down to grave-diggers. Next to each person, write what they know and what they don't know about why they're doing their job. Then think of a similar chain in your own life - at work, school, or dealing with bureaucracy.
Consider:
- •Notice how each person can claim they're 'just doing their job' while participating in harm
- •Look for the points where information gets lost or distorted as it moves down the chain
- •Consider who has the most power to change things versus who faces the most consequences
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you were asked to follow orders or policies that didn't make sense to you. How did you handle it, and what would you do differently now?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 13: A Father's Desecrated Grave
What lies ahead teaches us institutional power can wound families even after death, and shows us seeking truth sometimes leads to devastating discoveries. These patterns appear in literature and life alike.