![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() While Silence would be perfectly enjoyable, even memorable, without the historical background, it is all included in a succinct yet helpful preface (following a brief forward by Martin Scorsese, whose adaptation will likely hit theaters at the end of the year) that will help the reader get the most out of the novel. The upcoming film adaptation takes place in the 17th century, when Christians had been driven underground and their numbers greatly diminished. The struggles of faith are, of course, a theme in the life of most individuals, but the particularities of Silence add nuance to the age old question of a silent God. At one point, Kichijuro sells out Rodrigues for 300 pieces of silver –10 times the price paid to Judas for Christ, Rodrigues observes – but Rodrigues can never determine why he, in the steps of Christ, ought to encourage such behavior. During his time in Japan, Rodrigues is assisted and betrayed by Kichijuro, whom Rodrigues fancies as his personal Judas. He has traveled from Portugal to Japan to determine whether his mentor and predecessor Ferreira has apostatized due to torture and to nurture the small number of remaining Christians. ![]() “What thou dost, do quickly.” Those are the words Jesus spoke to Judas predicting his betrayal and they haunt Sebastião Rodrigues, the protagonist of Shūsaku Endō’s Silence, throughout the novel. ![]()
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