His cries become our own as the innocent are killed in horrific manners. Rodrigues wonders why God is silent in all the troubles. Thus, the novel of the story takes center stage and throughout, even with the presence of the leader of the witchhunt, there is one enemy above all: God.

As the story barrels on toward difficult circumstances, Rodrigues questions God more and more – not so much His existence as much His lack of answer to the prayers of the faithful. His struggles mirror our own, as he is quick to judge and quick to doubt.

From the early going, we see that Rodrigues isn’t a perfect Christian (who is?). Throughout the trials of hiding, running, and ultimately, imprisonment, Rodrigues battles with his faith. Though their early days are met with some success, even in hiding from the authorities, events soon become disturbing, as the government takes the lives of its own people to burn out the hidden missionaries. In preparations, they encounter Kichijiro, who becomes a Judas-like figure for Rodrigues. The novel begins with Rodrigues and his companion, Francisco Garrpe, accepting their mission and preparing to sail to Japan. The story occurs in 1638, shortly after the Shimabara Rebellion, led by Christian rebels, which resulted in the tighter enforcement of anti-Christian laws and further seclusion of the country. By the early 1600s, the Japanese government had outlawed Christianity, torturing and killing those of the faith. In real life, Ferreira’s apostasy was a major event in the decline of the Christian faith in Japan. Rodrigues and Ferreira are based on real historical figures, and the book revolves around their decisions regarding apostasy. The story revolves around Sebastião Rodrigues, a Jesuit priest who is sent to Japan to encourage the hidden Christians there and to find more information about his mentor, Cristóvão Ferreira, who has apostatized. Although not related to anime, I felt it appropriate to review this book on my blog, as it is an enduring classic of Japanese literature and is about Christianity.

This precise situation, however, is a vital part of Shusaku Endo‘s 1966 novel, Silence. And how likely would an incident like that occur anyway, in which someone else would die in her place? At one point, she mentioned that she was at a point in her faith in which she was unafraid to be martyred for her beliefs but she wasn’t so far that she would allow a loved one to die in her place.Īt the time, I didn’t really understand what she meant. I had always admired her faith, and we naturally began to talk about that topic. When I was in college, a friend invited me to her apartment for tea.

Silence by shūsaku endō