Contrary to what many believe, this novel is not about the silence of God. Here's an excerpt from an interview given by Shusaku Endo: “Because I titled the novel Silence, both readers and critics in Japan have gotten the mistaken impression that I was writing about God’s silence. And though I’ve written that, no, God does speak, there are still many people who misread the novel as treating the silence of God. As a result, they overlook the portion of the novel where God does speak, the part that is most significant to me.” Of course, he's talking about the scene where God speaks to Rodrigues through the fumie and says "Trample! Trample! I more than anyone know 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." These words are what causes Rodrigues to apostatize. God is pretty much telling him to choose saving the lives of the Japanese Christians by apostatizing rather than adhering to traditional Church doctrine and indulging in the romanticization of martyrdom that is common in the Bible.
Great analysis! What do you think about Kichijiro? I thought he was a perfect representation of how we all are sometimes. No matter how many times we mess up, Christ' grace still covers us.
Reverend, thank you for making this video. I just finished the book today after having seen the movie twice before. I figured I'd better read the book before I watched the movie any more times! Your video has helped my after-study process, thanks again.
Glad it was helpful! Yes, I affirm your choice to read the book first. The book and the movie emphasis slightly different parts of the story. Books usually have the advantage of being more emotionally and symbolically nuanced than the medium of the movie. Blessings to you!
Fantastic breakdown of the novel. I think you really highlighted the messages Endo was trying to convey. I finished it last night and found it to have even more layers than I expected. I know it's been a couple of years since you published this video, but I was curious if you had any thoughts on the first part of chapter 10 - particularly, the reference to the family who was slaughtered ("man and wife and their two sons"), even after the priests' apostasy. To me this detail (and others in chapter 10) suggests that though some lives were saved, the net result of the priests' denial was still a loss of life. Perhaps I am reading too much into it, though. I find the ending very controversial still, and theologically problematic.
thanks for your take on the book. i just finished it, and am confused about the ending as it wasn't what i expected. what's your take on whether or not what the priest did was noble. i'm just in general confused by the book.
Contrary to what many believe, this novel is not about the silence of God. Here's an excerpt from an interview given by Shusaku Endo:
“Because I titled the novel Silence, both readers and critics in Japan have gotten the mistaken impression that I was writing about God’s silence. And though I’ve written that, no, God does speak, there are still many people who misread the novel as treating the silence of God. As a result, they overlook the portion of the novel where God does speak, the part that is most significant to me.”
Of course, he's talking about the scene where God speaks to Rodrigues through the fumie and says "Trample! Trample! I more than anyone know 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." These words are what causes Rodrigues to apostatize. God is pretty much telling him to choose saving the lives of the Japanese Christians by apostatizing rather than adhering to traditional Church doctrine and indulging in the romanticization of martyrdom that is common in the Bible.
Wow! This blew my mind. I never thought about how deep this book explores those themes! Keep up the amazing videos!
Great analysis! What do you think about Kichijiro? I thought he was a perfect representation of how we all are sometimes. No matter how many times we mess up, Christ' grace still covers us.
Thank you for your kind comment!
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I really wasn't expecting this video to be so interesting. I wish my English teacher gave lectures like you. Also your intro music is cool!
Wow, thank you! Appreciate your thoughtful comment!
Reverend, thank you for making this video. I just finished the book today after having seen the movie twice before. I figured I'd better read the book before I watched the movie any more times! Your video has helped my after-study process, thanks again.
Glad it was helpful! Yes, I affirm your choice to read the book first. The book and the movie emphasis slightly different parts of the story. Books usually have the advantage of being more emotionally and symbolically nuanced than the medium of the movie. Blessings to you!
Fantastic breakdown of the novel. I think you really highlighted the messages Endo was trying to convey. I finished it last night and found it to have even more layers than I expected.
I know it's been a couple of years since you published this video, but I was curious if you had any thoughts on the first part of chapter 10 - particularly, the reference to the family who was slaughtered ("man and wife and their two sons"), even after the priests' apostasy. To me this detail (and others in chapter 10) suggests that though some lives were saved, the net result of the priests' denial was still a loss of life. Perhaps I am reading too much into it, though. I find the ending very controversial still, and theologically problematic.
Thank you for the comment Marian! Yes, Susaku Endo is a multi-layered writer who teases out deeper ambiguities!
thanks for your take on the book. i just finished it, and am confused about the ending as it wasn't what i expected. what's your take on whether or not what the priest did was noble. i'm just in general confused by the book.
Thank you for your kind comment!
great video mate
Great video. Thank you so much!