Endo Shusaku's Silence

“Silence is violence” is a common phrase used by people nowadays which references people who lack initiative when it comes to speaking out against oppression. The same phrase could be applied to the ideas within Shusaku Endo’s novel, Silence. Endo was clever to name his novel Silence, because the word is a very prominent symbol within the story. In fact, it plays a crucial role to the development of the main character. Although some readers may argue that the role of silence in the book is neutral, I claim that silence plays a negative role for the characters because it is what causes protagonist Rodrigues to renounce his faith. In the story, it represents the silence of God, which induces Rodrigues to question his religion through the torture of innocent Japanese Christians.

One of Roderick's fears was death. He was from a well-known and honored family, and he and his sister were the last of the long line of Usher descendants. His sister, Madeline, had been fighting a severe and long-continued illness for quite some time, which had added to much of Roderick's gloom. " Her decease, would leave him the last of the ancient race of the Ushers." Roderick seemed not only to fear the death of his sister and ultimately of himself, but also the uncertainty of the future. "I dread the events of the future, not only in themselves, but in their results. I shudder at the thought of any, even the most trivial incident, which may operate upon this intolerable agitation of soul."

Have you ever heard that curiosity killed the cat or that greed is one of the seven deadly sins? Flannery O 'Connor and Edgar Allen Poe prove these two statements to be true. Both authors leave their readers thinking twice before they go peeking at the Christmas gifts under the tree or sneak that last piece of chocolate cake from the refrigerator. Their Catholic readers may even make a visit to a nearby confession box. "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and "The Cask of Amontillado" are short "dark" stories that use iconic twists that lead to their victims executions. Deception is the unmistakable underling plot in both stories with O 'Connor 's and Poe 's common use of character traits curiosity and greed-differ, ironically they both choose the most significant yet very different events in the Catholic religion; namely, life and death, to symbolize an end to a new beginning, to play out the executions of both, the Grandmother and Fortunado.

(d-11) He notes that the poor often talk about how accustomed they were to that lifestyle in that they can be independent and sleep where wherever they want because they have no worries. This view of the poor can be debated because during the mid-1500s, a peasant revolt occurred and was violently suppressed when Martin Luther expressed his distain for the stupid peasants and their misinterpretation of his teachings. In 1625, cardinal Richelieu suggested that people should give discerningly to the poor because the vagabonds were taking advantage of the situation and were being helped out by the kindhearted. (d-8)

Patria is exposed to the truth that Trujillo was not the god-like entity she perceived him to be. In Patria’s mind there is no separation between god and Trujillo; they are one. Patria is finally coming face to face with the problems within the Dominican Republic. This revelation foreshadows how Patria will become involved with the regime and what part she might play.

The Second World War, lasting from 1939-1945 has had a lasting impact on the world. For some, more negative than others, it is simply a marvel how such a horrific event can potentially lead to equally bright new happenings. In the book Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels, the main character and narrator, Jakob, was serendipitously physically saved from the way by the Greek scientist Athos Roussos. Over time, Jakob grew into a person who could only be defined through true silence, which was seen in his relationship with Athos, his romantic links, and his connection with geographic locations and languages. It is in these ties of Jakob’s life the only language he is fluent in is evident: silence.

During the Middle Ages a peasant’s life was, indeed, very rough, there were anywhere from ten to sixty families living in a single village; they lived in rough huts on dirt floors, with no chimneys, or windows. Usually one end of the hut was given over to storing livestock. Furnishings were quite sparse; three legged stools, a trestle table, beds softened with straw or leaves and placed on the floor; the peasant diet was mainly porridge, cheese, black bread, and a few homegrown vegetables. Peasants had a hard life, yet they did not work on Sundays, and they could travel to nearby fairs and markets. The basic diet of a lord consisted of meat, fish, pastries, cabbage, turnips, onions, carrots, beans, and peas, as well as fresh bread, cheese, and fruit. This is by no means equivalent to the meals the peasants ate, a lord might even feast on boar, swan, or peacock as well.

In Silence, a Portuguese missionary named Father Rodrigues travels to Japan in an effort to convert the Japanese to Christianity. He also hopes to find out the truth behind rumors that one of his old teachers, Father Ferreira, had become apostate during his time in Japan. While on his expedition, Father Rodrigues sees and experiences the torture that Inoue, the magistrate of Chikugo, inflicts on followers of the Christian faith. However, he allows Japanese Christians to be tortured and killed because of his refusal to apostatize, which reveals that he may not be as selfless as he appears outwardly.

Edgar Allen Poe tells his macabre story “The Cask of Amontillado” through the eyes of a man so obsessed with family pride that he turns his back on acceptable society and gets swept away by his thoughts of revenge and murder. The reader watches as Montresor leads his victim, Fortunato, deeper into the catacombs of his family home to exact his murderous vengeance. However, it is not madness that led Montresor, a noble aristocrat, to murder, nor is it passionate love or hate. It is pride that led to Montresor’s murder of Fortunato, but not just Montresor’s pride in his family. A combination of Fortunato’s foolish self-pride and Montresor’s deadly pride in his family lead to Fortunato’s untimely death. The central theme of Poe’s story is deadly pride, as represented through Fortunato’s actions, Montresor’s actions, and how, eventually, it leads to their downfall.

The Life of Lazarillo De Tormes was written in 1554. This novel was an inspiring and great representation of a segment in the 16th century Spanish society. Even though the Author is unknown, it was translated by W.S. Merwin and introduced by Juan Goytisolo. The Life of Lazarillo De Tormes is centered on a young boy who has to adept in the world daily struggles for existence and goes through many experiences along the way ,becoming a servant for many different masters. He also discovers the world’s injustices, and adapts to what he has to go through in his journey to survive. Throughout the novel The Life of Lazarillo De Tormes shows how the fictional literature plays a huge part in social criticism, the Spanish economy has a big effect, and how the squire and other characters reflect upon the novel.

Writers often employ recurring events to show significance. In Joy Kogawa’s, Obasan, a novel about the Japanese persecution during World War 2, silence is used repeatedly to show protection. The silence of events in the book serves as a portrayal of love and protection from whatever it may be that is kept a secret. The silence in the novel shapes Naomi’s life in that it leads her to question the silence and suppress it.

Silence, by Shusaku Endo, describes Portuguese missionaries, Sebastian Rodrigues and Francisco Garrpe, and their journey from Portugal to Japan. Rodrigues finds himself teaching the Japanese Christians about his faith until he is betrayed to the authorities by an apostatized Christian. While in confinement, he meets his apostatized mentor, Ferreira, who convinces him to renounce his faith, and save the lives of the Japanese Christians being tortured in the pit. In effect, Shusaku Endo’s Silence describes the extensive isolation that Sebastian Rodrigues experiences that ultimately alters his perspective from caring about his own faith, to caring about the lives of others.

The readers comes across the daughter of a Pope; a Catholic priest must be celibate; a powerful Catholic interrogator who deceitfully keeps a mistress; and a Franciscan friar who is an ornament thief, despite the testament of poverty taken by members of the Franciscan order. Finally, Voltaire presents a Jesuit colonel with homosexual tendencies. Religious leaders carry out coldhearted campaigns of religious suppression against those who vary with them on even the minimum of religious matters. For example, Pangloss’s study tyrannizes him for stating his ideas and Candide for just presence of them. Voltaire inscribes about public oppression of heretics. Persecution itself is opposing to Christian principles. Moreover, it seems like the Inquisition is looking for people to persecute. After the earthquake, Pangloss tries to comfort the victims by saying, this is all for the supreme...and if there is a volcano under Lisbon, then it can’t be found anywhere else; as it is impossible for things to be anywhere than where they are. So, all is well (14). Though Pangloss' purpose may be perplexing, nowhere do we see him saying anything unorthodox in this statement. Inquisition overhears Pangloss and put his words to be a stab at the Church. He accuses Pangloss that he do not believe in Original Sin at all. Therefore, Pangloss is hung

Compared to Simplicissimus, Lazarillo’s highest ranking position is that of a city employee, specifically the town crier. In this position, he is still reliant on businesses and the city itself in order to provide for himself. Lazarillo also becomes reliant on his friend the archbishop. By agreeing to marry the archbishop’s maid Lazarillo hides their affair and in return he receives “a whole load of corn; I get my meat on Christmas and Easter, and now and again a couple of votive loaves or a pair of old stockings” (Lazarillo 59). Lazarillo’s reliance on others to provide for him is a key feature of a picaresque novel, unlike Simplicissimus who is able to live quite well on his own terms.

In the medieval world, to sin was not to choose evil over good, but it would be choosing to desire something of a different being on the hierarchy. To wish to rise above one’s given rank would be a sin most grave, a sin which abandoned God and the structural nature of His universe, punishable by eternal damnation. Obeying God was to be the ultimate goal of a medieval Christian (Synder). Fear of an afterlife of suffering and pain and the promise of eternal salvation in Heaven drove feudalism’s success. As religion was highly influential in the life of a medieval serf, they had believed that serfdom was a fate that God had chosen for them, a fate that they deserved. Never questioning the social order nor the hierarchy within the manor, they accept a life of service for those of greater power. Believing neither that they could or were meant to defy the role they were born in, they had no desire for anything better, no desire to be anything better. The rules the Medieval Church had implemented led serfs to believe that defiance and disobedience in any form against their master was a sin, a sin so great that an eternal life in Hell would be waiting for