Literary Analysis Essay on Silence by Shusaku Endo

Introduction

Silence by Shusaku Endo is a fascinating and thought aggravating work of historical fiction. Aside from offering the readers an exclusive reflection on Seventeenth century Japanese, it arouses many reactions and responses. One of the hardest and complex questions from the novel is how many times one need to forgive. In Matthew 18, when asked how many times an individual should forgive someone, Jesus suggested a shockingly high number: seventy times seven. Rodrigues fathom forgiving someone that many times through the narrative of Padre Rodrigues and his encounter of brutal Japanese persecutions by Kichijiro. Thus, Silence, as an excellent art, reminds people of humanity.

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Rodrigues- A Catholic priest from Portugal covertly goes to Japan during the era of the 17th century when Peasants were sternly forbidden in Japan, and Christians were harshly oppressed- frequently tortured to death in the unkindest manners. Rodrigues is welcomed and taken care of by Christian farmers who covertly keep their faith. Ultimately, however, Kichijiro, an angler from a neighboring village who offered help to Rodrigues to meet the farmers, reports him to the Japan officials. Officials arrest him and transport him to another place in a boat. Travelling on the dark sea night, he passes by a village full of Christians that was established by his predecessors when Christianity was allowed in Japan. Nonetheless, the discovery that the village was burnt into ashes and its dwellers were sent away.

Rodrigues asks God "Why have you abandoned us so completely? [ . . . ] Even when the people are cast out of their homes, have you not given them courage?

Have you just remained silent like the darkness that surrounds me? Why? At least tell me why. We are not strong men like Job, who was afflicted with leprosy as a trial. There is a limit to our endurance. Give us no more suffering." (Silence, 159)

Courageously, Kichijiro goes to Rodrigues and utters, "Father, forgive me! [Silence, 259) acknowledging that he was born as a sinful person while questioning God what he needs to do regarding his status. Relating intensely with Christ, Rodrigues sees Kichijiro as Judah of the Bible as he recalls the story of Judah's Betrayal of Jesus, especially how Judah died. he feels mercy on Kichjiro, this act ascribes to the Christian rule, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself and articles the words of forgiveness ( Lewis, 2001), but later in the movie a reader comes to see that forgiveness seemed by Kichijiro was not from his heart.

In jail, Rodriguez frequently refused to obey the command to renounce his faith; he noticed that if he failed to do so, the authority would go on with torturing him. The other convert families were persistently tormented before the priest, most families gave in and deserted Christianity, but they were still tortured. The priest went before a figure of Jesus Christ (fumie); the authority required the converts to stand on it while renouncing Christianity, he took a moment. He thought, "whenever I prayed, your face appeared before me; [...] when I was captured, your face was as it appeared when you carried your cross gave me life. This face is deeply ingrained in my soul-the most beautiful; the most precious thing in the world has been living in my heart. And now, with this foot, I am going to trample on it." (Silence, 270) Rodriguez puts his foot on the plaque and felt some pain. Christ responded, "Trample! Trample! I more than anyone knows of the pain in your foot. Trample! It was to be trampled on by men that I was born into this world. It was to share men's pain that I carried my cross." (Silence 271) This scene portrays the love of Christ and His understanding of the persecution His people are facing. Christ forgave Rodriguez for abandoning his faith and told him that it was for that reason he came.

Rodriguez was unconfined from prison and taken into house arrest, and he later acknowledged that he had not fought against the Japanese administration. "Gradually, he had come to realize that it was against his own faith he had fought" (Silence, 290). Kichijiro went to visit the priest to confess his sins and asked for forgiveness yet again. Rodriguez took a moment and recalled when he stood on the divine image of Jesus and felt Christ's eyes looking at him with empathy "Looking at him with eyes of pity from the plaque rubbed flat by many" (Silence 297). The priest heard, "Trample! Your foot suffers in pain; it must suffer like all the feet that stepped on this plaque. But that pain alone is enough. I understand your pain and your suffering. It is for that reason that I am here" (Silence, 297). The priest responded to Christ in his heart, "Lord, I resented your silence. " The Lord said He was not quiet and that He suffered along with Rodriguez. "But you told Judas to go away: What thou dost do quickly. What happened to Judas? "The Lord said Rodriguez just as he had asked him to put his foot on the plaque; Christ also told Judas to do as he did. (Silence 297) Rodriguez turned to Kichijiro and said to him that he was forgiven, and he should go in peace. (Silence 297-298). The priest expresses forgiveness, despite Kichjiro several betrayals, the priest decided to forgive him just as Christ did.

Kichijiro is guilty of having in the stress to denounce his Christian Faith; Father Rodrigues views Kichijiro as a kind of Judas because Kichjiro continues believing in God. Still, he is unable to stand up in public to declare his faith, but in his heart, he continues to believe. After asking for forgiveness from Rodrigues more than once, Rodrigues progressively comes to understand that Kichjiro moves back and forth between apostasy and Christianity several times that is a clear indication that is neither Buddhist nor Christian; at the same time, he is both and neither. From a narrow view, he stands a practical outcome of the rattle between Buddhist and Japanese culture, Western, and Christian culture. The culture clash is witnessed at the hardest time in the movie, a time of oppression due to their faith.

References

Lewis, C. S. (2001). Mere christianity. Zondervan. Retrieved from: https://www.dacc.edu/assets/pdfs/PCM/merechristianitylewis.pdf

Silence (1982). The original Japanese version, 1966. The original English edition, 1969. Trans. William Johnston. Tokyo: Kodansha International. Retrieved from: https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/22346157