“Religion is
the root of all evil”. A view proffered by one member of the monthly
book group as it met to discuss Shusaku Endo’s book, “Silence.”
This
controversial statement dominated the evening’s discussion and the
group’s attempts to understand and appreciate the complicated themes
tackled in Endo’s novel.
The host and
proposer of the book provided a brief introduction, making the
connections between Endo’s upbringing, his personal experiences and the
novel.
Born in
Tokyo in 1923, Endo’s mother converted to Catholicism and had him
baptized. He found himself in a tiny minority of Catholics in Japan. His
commitment was not strong but his interest in 20th Century
Catholic fiction led him to study French Catholic novelists at Keio
University in the late 1940’s and to enroll in the University of Lyon to
continue his studies. On returning to Japan his writings addressed the
difficulty of reconciling the contradictions within Japanese culture
with Christian ideology.
He
contracted tuberculosis while abroad and had a lung removed. Endo
described faith as being as awkward as a forced marriage and as
uncomfortable as a Western suit of clothes.
“Silence” is
considered by many to be Endo’s masterpiece. It deals directly with the
religious concerns, which plagued his entire life. He died, aged 73, in
1996.
It has been
described as “one of the twentieth century’s finest novels” and
received the “Tanizaki Prize in 1966. A film based on the book, directed
by Martin Scorsese, was released in 2016.
Endo’s novel is set in 17th
century Japan, a country that had initially embraced Christianity
through the efforts of Saint Francis Xavier and had now outlawed it. The
plot is based on the attempt by two young Portuguese Jesuits to
encourage and support those remaining believers in the brutally hostile
environment generated by the politics of the time.
Father
Rodrigues and Father Francisco Garppe travel to Japan where they find
the local Christian population driven underground. Suspected Christians
were forced to renounce their faith by trampling on an image of Christ
(a fumie ) or be imprisoned, tortured and killed. The two priests are
forced to look on as other Christians are tortured and are told that all
they need do is renounce their faith in order to end the suffering of
their flock.
Rodrigues
struggles to come to terms with the suffering of his fellow Christians.
Suffering which he can bring to an end by apostatizing. He is also
tormented by Christ’s silence. Despite his pleadings and prayers and the
torture and persecution he witnessed, God remains silent.
The group
discussed the historical context. The Shimabara rebellion signaled a
tightening of Japan’s national seclusion policy and the officially
endorsed persecution of Christianity.
It was
suggested that the Japanese chose to end relations with the Portuguese
and Spanish because the evangelizing of Catholicism undermined the
authority of the then government and threatened its wider trading
ambitions. This was debated and led to the suggestion that deeper
cultural factors were involved in the eventual expulsion of the
Europeans.
The
discussion focused on the groups understanding of Japanese culture, its
apparent contradictions and how these manifested themselves in the
novel. The traditions of honour and politeness contrasted with a
reputation for brutality, cruelty and aggression. The use of torture as a
means of both physical and mental torment juxtaposed with the caring
and sharing attitude of many of the books characters.
The group
returned to the topic of religion, exploring its impact on society over
the ages for both good and bad. Providing a moral framework for people,
bringing them together on the one hand and inspiring conflict on the
other. It was pointed out that throughout the centuries people of
various religions persecuted and killed people of other religions.
Typically unproven belief is stated as factual by many religions and
taken to extremes by some followers motivated by their belief that their
religion is the “true” religion.
It was
suggested that faith is not a way of understanding the world but stands
in opposition to science and scientific method and as a result is
divisive and dangerous.
Comparison
was made with secular ideologies. While it was asserted that religion or
religious disagreements were directly and indirectly the cause of
conflict and were responsible for the deaths of countless millions, it
was also pointed out that Marxism as practiced in many dictatorships, and
to a lesser extent Fascism and Nazism, were also responsible for the
death and suffering of many millions of people.
This debate
about the worth of religion over the ages was temporarily postponed
while further consideration was given to the novel.
Endo’s
narrative technique of presenting the first half of the novel as if it
were written by Rodrigues in letter form and then switching by adopting a
third person perspective was considered to be a clever device. It was
thought to help to build the reader’s interest, their care for the
well-being of the central character and to intensify the sense of
loneliness and isolation in a foreign land. It was also thought that it
added suspense and uncertainty to the fate of Rodrigues’s who struggles
to hold on to his faith and is driven to question the very existence of
god.
“He had
come to this country to lay down his life for other men but instead of
that the Japanese were laying down their lives for him.”
It was
thought that while this narrative device strengthened the novel, it
resulted in a lack of dialogue and consequently no alternative points of
view were forthcoming. It was thought that this was both limiting and
challenging for the reader.
The vivid
descriptions of the environment - at certain times peaceful and serene
and at other times threatening and foreboding; alternatively
representing the presence and absence of God - were much admired.
Endo’s many
references to Judas throughout the text interested the group. Rodrigues
missionary to Japan was motivated by the news that his mentor, Father
Ferriera, had denounced his faith and apostatized, as a result, he was
considered to have betrayed his faith. The character of Kitchijiro is
also presented as a betrayer and carries a strong Judas likeness, but as
the plot unfolds it is Rodrigues himself who, by committing apostasy and
being complicit in the persecution of the faithful, takes on the mantle
of Judas. Just before he tramples the fumie God’s voice tells
Rodrigues:
“For Judas was in anguish as you are now.”
Endo’s
clever use of these characters to explore whether betrayal is ever
justified or can be justified within Christianity was one of the many
greatly admired features of the novel.
Rodrigues
had doubts about his faith almost immediately after he arrived in Japan,
and Endo skillfully built on these doubts using the silence of God to
further undermine his beliefs.
The
realization that Christ had never been silent but that the internally
conflicted Rodrigues had had “no ears to hear or eyes to see” brought
focus to the novel's central exploration of who God is.
Silence enables the freedom of choice and it is this that Endo tries to reconcile.
The debate
about religion continued. Members of the book group have diverse
religious beliefs. Christian, Roman Catholic, Humanist, Agnostic, and
Atheist. Some appeared apathetic. A significant number are scientists by
profession whose training and experience are based on analytic
thinking. The synergy, or lack of synergy, between Science and Religious
belief has been much discussed. Some suggested that intuitive thinkers
are more likely to be religious but that getting them to think
analytically can weaken their belief.
It follows
that they brought a sceptical view to the conversation on religion. The
need to find evidence to prove or disprove ideas about religion, or the
existence of a god or gods, was considered essential by some. However, it
was one of those scientists who suggested that it was important to
retain an open mind. He reminded us that not too long ago people
believed that the world was flat. Scientific evidence proved otherwise,
demonstrating that what might be considered unlikely or inconceivable
today might be evidenced in the future. The fact that there is little
evidence presently available to support the existence of God does not
mean that God does not exist.
The group
concluded that, while “Silence" was not a comfortable read, it was
intensely moral, challenging and thought provoking. It proved to be a
catalyst for sharing diverse views on religion. It raised profound
questions about faith and culture. About the differences between East
and West and the never-ending debate about who or what God is. Perhaps
the application of science will confirm the existence of a “divine
creator”, but not in my time.
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