Journey of Faith: Rodrigues & Garupe's Search for Truth - Essay Sample

Introduction

Silence film was between the mid-17th century, and the basic plot includes two Jesuit priests of Portuguese origin, Rodrigues and Garupe played by Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver, correspondingly. Both receive the news that one of them committed apostasy, and it was their mentor Ferreira while preaching in Japan. Later in the movie, one learns that he did it in all forms of apostasy, a religion apostasy ab Ordine, and apostasy a Fide. To discover out the truth, the two young priests Garupe and Rodrigues set out for Japan with the information that they would be the last priests to be sent by the superior to Japan. The presence of priests in the course of the movie ascertains that they are physically tortured and killed. Mainly they were watching others as they are subjected to intense psychological torture from Christians who relinquish the faith. Gerupe, in this case, is the priest being inferred to because later they go separate ways, and the focus of the movie is shifted to Rodrigues. Gerupe ends up dead while attempting to save a Christian and the other priest is asked to apostatize because he was the reason for other people's pain. He is forced to watch these sorrows, and luckily, he survives this eventually reuniting with Ferreira.

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A breaking point reaches for Rodrigues when he sees and finds out the truth that Ferreira faith his mentor was renounced. He asks for the release of five former Christians who were being in torture by Ferreira, but later, he apostatizes. Because of apostatizing, Rodrigues is not a brave man; both are put in a display after a beating. On display, they push out the western influence by showing the ways of the Japanese, whereby they as lackeys to the Japanese government. They are forced to have wives and family, leaving the ideas of Christianity and live the rest of their days in the country. The choice set by Rodrigues is of vital sense and has no distinction to the nature that all Christians face in their decisions. The carrying of a cross is what Paul in the Bible likens to the Christian life. That is not surprising because Christ died on a cross, and through grace transformation, a Christian life can be the image. There is the failure of understanding by Rodrigues when he did not accept his calling, whether he was to go to Japan or not; the crash on his call would have crippled him eventually. He could have become a heroic Christian because the self-image would be that of a savior who saves the country even if it does cost him life. Far from apostatizing and being forced with false death, he doubles down to renounce Christ publicly. Rodrigues fails to understand that we must die to be resurrected and that there are far worse things than death.

Christians should expect violent and fierce persecution, as Jesus routinely did tell his disciples. People receive through a tradition that is trustworthy what they received. For the twelve disciples, eleven of them died as martyrs, and John, the last one due to lack of Roman emperors effort, did not survive. There is irony in the film for the apostasy of Rodrigues and his conversion of experience having spiritual pride, a sin character throughout the story. The threat is the mission, and he feels that he can handle the dangerous task to Japan. He is unable to trample the fumi-e, like the way Christians in Japan were able. The compassion of pride can even be seen with his loyalty to Ferreira, and for him, no one confessor or past friend would apostatize. Then later, he comprehends that he is no superior to anyone else and apostatizes rather than generously giving up his pride as a manner of speaking to the people of the country by offering his life. The set before him Japanese Christians call was the same given to Rodrigues, but he lacks trust in the goodness of God and that the blood of the Christians will be avenged. Renouncing from the Bible, it is evident whereby Jesus left instructions that "Whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven" (Matt. 10:33). The plot movie condition is inevitable in terms of conflict between love and Christian faith, making it have a lack of integrity.

Isolation and division is a nature of human suffering because it pushes people to seek solitude away from the community, loved ones, and even God. People cannot feel what others do, and for this, there is the desire to shut others and grieve alone emotionally. Rodrigues's most excruciating element of anguish lies in his feeling of abandonment from God rather than the Japanese congregation's torture. The evil persisting in the country makes Rodrigues ask Lord why he has not intervened and cries out with moments of sorrow. It seems simple enough to a modern audience where you repent after stepping into Jesus. It is a paradox, and for Rodrigues, it almost drives him insane when his faith becomes a cage, and the Japanese inquisitor captures him to a jail cell. Through his suffering, he lacks guidance because there was no prayer or scripture for this kind of moral question. The comparison is to that of Jesus, where all of the disciples were horrified with his acceptance of crucifixion. God is asking Rodrigues something that, with his apostasy in the world, makes no sense.

Lamenting is crucial to combat anguish in suffering like the way Jesus, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Job, and David did for their agony and that of others. In the Bible, the existence of the Book of Lamentations means anguishing with the Lord and inquiring 'why' is acceptable. The rawness of tribulation does not make Lamentations to shy away. Rodrigues's hope from Lord perishes when his cries are not answered and grieves his circumstances. Christians need to invite God into their grief so that there is no cut off from Him. Christians are at an honest state in their hearts when they trust in the Lord and offer up the anger and lament. The end of four Christian believers torment makes Rodrigues apostatize and quell the rise of Christianity, like the way Ferreira did in Japan working for the government.

Silence is a kind of movie that shows how the world changes, cuts self-perception for everyone, and it has a cosmic mystery. It is dangerous to become hardened by own belief and growing far from it; therefore, nobody is Christ but Christ himself. Everyone is a faltering rejecter like Judas or Peter, but from everyone, there can be hope. The film is a close reminder that suffering is the path to redemption and that one needs more savings to save the world.

References

Endo, J. (1999). Reflections on Shusaku Endo and Silence. Christianity & Literature, 48(2), 145-148.

Gessel, V. C. (1999). Hearing God in Silence: The Fiction of Endo Shusaku. Christianity & Literature, 48(2), 149-164.