Silence

by Shusaku Endo

Mass Market Paperback Audio CD Hardcover Paperback

"Silence" is a historical fiction novel by Shusaku Endo that centers around the 17th-century Jesuit missionary, Sebastian Rodrigues. The novel presents the persecution of Christian missionaries in Japan during the Tokugawa shogunate, as well as the internal religious conflict Rodrigues faces as he witnesses the torture and execution of fellow believers. The novel raises ethical and spiritual questions about faith and morality and tells a story of faith and betrayal. Rodrigues' faith is tested as he is forced to make a choice between renouncing his beliefs or watching a community of devout believers suffer torture and death. Through his relentless struggle to maintain faith, Rodrigues learns acceptance and understanding, ultimately leading to his own personal redemption. "Silence" is a profound exploration of the nature of god, faith, and the human condition.

No activities have been recorded for this book.

No similar books available.

Tags

17th-century 17th-century-japan 20th-century acceptance adaptability alienation ambiguity apostasy belief betrayal buddhism catholicism christian-faith christian-literature christian-missionaries christianity christianity-in-japan christians colonialism colonization commitment compromise conversion convert cruelty cultural-appropriation cultural-assimilation cultural-clash cultural-clashes cultural-conflict cultural-identity cultural-relativism cultural-suppression culture-clash dilemma doubt duality east-meets-west east-west-conflict eastern-philosophy endurance ethics existentialism faith faith-and-doubt faith-crisis faith-exploration faith-struggle faithandreason fiction forgiveness god guilt hidden-christians historical historical-fiction history identity inner-conflict inner-struggle inner-turmoil internal-struggle introspection isolation japan japanese-culture japanese-literature jesuit jesuit-missionaries jesuit-missionary jesuit-priest jesuit-priests jesuits journey literary-fiction literature-and-fiction loyalty martyrdom mercy mission mission-to-japan missionaries missionary missionary-crisis missionary-work moral-ambiguity moral-dilemma morality nagasaki novel oppression persecution personal-struggle priests psychological-exploration psychological-torment questioning redemption religion religion-and-spirituality religious-beliefs religious-conflict religious-conversion religious-crisis religious-devotion religious-doub religious-faith religious-fanaticism religious-intolerance religious-persecution religious-tolerance resilience sacrifice salvation samurai self-sacrifice shusaku-endo silence silence-and-speech silence-of-god sin spiritual-crisis spiritual-journey spirituality strength-of-belief struggle suffering temptation theology tradition