Ultimately, Christian or non-Christian, no matter your age or nationality, faith comes down to these battles in the heart.

my struggle was with Christianity in my own heart' Rodrigues replies. 'You were defeated by this swamp of Japan.' 'No, no. 'Father, you were not defeated by me,' Inoue says to Rodrigues.

It is amazing to consider that this book was a huge seller in Endo's native Japan, which itself is barely 1% Christian. Is it possible to betray your faith but stay true to your God? Endo's frank look at questions like this is part of his universal success. A Catholic himself, it is obvious that Endo has struggled over these questions himself, searching for answers. 'Silence' raises several theological points, but the two that stuck with me the most were the following: how can God remain silent despite the suffering of his people (a question no less relevant with the events going on in the world today), and secondly, is it possible that Christianity cannot 'grow roots' in the 'swamp' that is Japan. That Endo could weave so elegant a tale, using a foreign main character (there are few precedents in Japanese literature) and frequently changing narrative styles no less, is an accomplishment in itself. The Christian period of Japan is regarded as a somewhat curious anomaly by the Japanese themselves, and is largely unknown in western circles. This question, raised countless times by the main character Rodrigues, is just one of many theological issues that Endo explores in this highly emotional, extremely probing novel. This is a moving book, often understated and never melodramatic. While books such as Pearl Buck's 'The Good Earth' gave a deeper view of Asian life, Endo focuses on the Lord's face and silence in the midst of turmoil. The 'swamp' that Inoue refers to is not only Japan, but that of any soul struggling to understand God. I had hoped for a bit more historical and social exploration of this time period in Japan's history, but Endo does a wonderful job of charting the human soul's journey through the quagmires of faith. Where is God's voice? Why is God silent? The beleaguered priest wrestles with these issues, while still longing to see the face of his beloved Lord. It's a question that plagues Rodrigues, even as he faces difficulty and the chance to apostasize. If this is so, Inoue wants to know, then why is the wife so barren in Japan? In Rodrigues' mind, Christianity (namely, Catholicism and the universal church) is the only true wife. In Inoue's words, Christianity is like an extra, unwanted wife in the Japanese household of religion. Rodrigues watches men and women be martyred, then finds himself imprisoned while an interrogator named Inoue slowly breaks his morale through intellectual and physical means. He tells of his fervent love for the face of the Lord, his increasing respect for the Japanese, and his recurring troubles with a cowardly man named Kichijiro, who has already apostasized once before. The majority of the story is told through letters by Rodrigues. Rodrigues and Garrpe arrive in a small seaside village, where they spend much time in hiding, slowly disseminating the gospel to the locals. No word has come from Ferreira, and so two more priests leave Portugal, sailing for Macao, then Japan, in an effort to find their comrade and continue his secretive work. Indeed, it is rumored that one Portuguese man-of-the-cloth, Christovao Ferreira, has done just that. Graham Greene, one of my favorite authors, called this book 'one of the finest novels of our time.' With that high praise, I bought a copy of Endo's 'Silence,' and immersed myself in the missionary world of 17th century Japan.Īfter some fruitful years in this 'swamp,' Christianity has fallen on hard times, with increasing pressure on believers and priests to apostasize.

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