Silence Book Review

The book, Silence, was written in the 1960’s by a Roman Catholic author by the name of Shasaku Endo. This novel has become one of Shasaku Endo’s finest and has become a very well known novel that describes the time in Japan throughout the seventeenth-century. This novel is based on a story and life of Japan missionaries who lived within the years of the seventeenth-century. This was approximately within the years of the 1630s and the 1640s in the seventeenth-century. The author describes how these Japanese missionaries had to live a life and go through a time in history where they were tested on their faith. This time in history was called “the Christian century” (Endo, p. vii).

The historical background of this novel starts off with the start of Christianity that was brought into the country of Japan. This religious faith was brought to this country a Jesuit priest by the name of Basque Francis Xavier. Xavier first came to the country of Japan in the year of 1549 (Endo, 1969). Francis Xavier originally came form a region in northern Spain by the name of Biscay. It was in the mid 1500s where Xavier found an interested in becoming a missionary in the country of Japan and become a priest. Upon arriving to Japan, the Japanese welcomed Xavier; it was there where he was the first to preach of the Christian faith and converted many people to the Christian faith. “Altogether Francis, the first to preach the Gospel in Japan, made perhaps 2000 converts there” (Kiefer, p. 1).

The book’s most centralized character is a young Portuguese Jesuit priest by the name of, Sebastian Rodrigues. The majority of this novel consists of Rodriuges’ journey as he experienced his life as a young missionary priest in the country of Japan. It is in Japan...

... middle of paper ...

...and prayer is that one-day we do not have to go through the same torture and conviction as these individuals did in this specific time in history.

Works Cited

Coles, Robert. "New Oxford Review." New Oxford Review. Harvard Diary, n.d. Web. 21 May 2014. .

Endo, Shusaku. “Translator’s Preface, Chapter 8.” Silence. New York: Taplinger Pub. Co., 1969. vii, 168. Print.

Kiefer, James. "Francis Xavier, Missionary."Francis Xavier, Missionary. Society of Archbishop Justus, 29 Aug. 1999. Web. 21 May 2014.

Parker, Adam. "Bring the Books: Book Review: Silence by Shusaku Endo." Review. Web log post. Bring the Books: Book Review: Silence by Shusaku Endo. N.p., 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 22 May 2014. .