Shusaku Endo Silence Analysis

Persecution is widely considered synonymous with Christianity. Paul says it himself in 2 Timothy 3:12 that Christians who seek a godly life will be persecuted. (ESV) This, however, could be a point of contention for many modern Christians, particularly Christians in the United States. Persecution simply is not experienced in the same way in the modern west as it has been throughout history in other areas of the world. Shusaku Endo writes of a man named Sebastian Rodrigues who experiences this very persecution in his novel Silence. As a missionary to Japan, Rodrigues sees first hand some of the most horrendous styles of Christian persecution in history. Ultimately, in the face of this persecution, Rodrigues is forced to choose between apostasy and the lives of Japanese Christians. In the face of this decision, Rodrigues shows genuine, committed faith through his fortitude and his selflessness.

He was not always this way,

however. Rodrigues began his journey as a missionary to Japan with very uneven motives. Rather than being focused on the Japanese Christians, his primary motive lies in the seeking of his mentor, Father Ferreira, and hopefully proving that this man has not denounced his faith. This motive soon falls to the wayside, however, when the trials and tortures of the Japanese authorities move far beyond what he was prepared to endure. Rodrigues was prepared for pain. He was prepared for death. What he was not prepared for was the continual suffering of others on his account. After one of the many executions that occur throughout the novel, Endo writes, “This was the image of martyrdom that he had so long entertained; but the martyrdom of these peasants, enacted before his very eyes—how wretched it was, miserable like the huts they lived in, like the rags in which they were clothed.” (Endo 128) This experience jars Rodrigues into an emotional whirlwind of spiritual confusion and turmoil. With this being said, he manages through the chaos to exemplify constant fortitude. In the midst of the executions and the torture, Rodrigues stands firm. He never allows his faith to take the back seat in his quest. He finds his strength in what he knows to be true.
Towards the end of the novel, it becomes apparent that Rodrigues will either trample on the image of Christ, and in so doing apostatize, or he will die, carrying the lives of many Japanese Christians with him.

It is at this point that the selflessness of Endo’s protagonist becomes readily apparent. Rodrigues cares nothing for himself. In situation after situation, he is concerned only for the name of Christ and the lives of the Japanese Christians around him. He would sooner die than trample on the image of Jesus, but he would also sooner die than stand idly by while others are killed for his fortitude. It is this crossroads of values that leads Rodrigues to do the very thing that he had considered unthinkable. In defense of innocent lives, he presses his foot against the icon of Christ. Right before this moment, his former mentor, Ferreira counsels him, “You are now going to perform the most painful act of love that has ever been performed.” (Endo 182) So in those last moments of captivity, Rodrigues’s selflessness overcame

him.
Many readers will question this decision. Many criticize Rodrigues’ apostasy as a collapse of fortitude. They claim he failed. Ultimately, however, whether right or wrong, this apostasy arose not out of weakness, but out of the very same fortitude and selflessness that characterize genuine faith. The decision of Rodrigues was the fruition of the virtues that had guided him through his journey. It may not have been the right thing to do. As Rodrigues himself ponders in those final moments, what would Christ have done if faced with this conflict of interests? (Endo 181) While no one can, while on Earth, bring forward the answer to this question, there is one thing that can be known. It was out of faith, not weakness, that Rodrigues gave his sacrifice.