Silence: That Riddle You Hate
I feel like this book is one of those impossible moral riddles written out into a novel. You know the ones; "if you have a choice to save your best friend or three strangers from a burning building who do you save?" Wrestling with the decision denying everything he has been taught since childhood or ending the persecution of the Japanese Christians, our Catholic priest faces just such a riddle. Except for him, there is an additional layer. Supposedly, there was a God who told him to spread the gospel to the hopeless Japanese peasants, but this God has become strangely quiet. He hasn't spoken a word since Rodriguez set foot on the island. Doesn't God care? Just one word to break the silence would be enough. This riddle would be far simpler if God would just say something. Because of the silence, the riddle is now about self doubt. Initially, Rodriguez went on this trip because he felt compelled to go by the face of Jesus, but now that this Jesus hasn't spoken in a while, the trip has shifted to a confirmation of belief. Rodriguez doesn't want to be taken as a fool. It would be an insult to his pride if God never so much as whispered in this hostile country. For this reason, the riddle is about denying the belief of God rather than God Himself. Rodriguez can't doubt that God is silent, but he would rather die than admit that his belief in God's work through him is false. Die? Yes. Have other people die? No. Here we see that the priest's struggle is an internal one. He admits to himself that he would have apostatized to save the Japanese Christians from drowning, but what does that make him? A coward? A hypocrite? Will he turn his back on God the way God turned His back on Japan? That's what Ferreira did, and now he's helping the Japanese instead of getting them killed. Perhaps this riddle isn't so complicated after all. If you're best friend isn't speaking when you call their name, what's stopping you from saving the three strangers?
P.S. I commented on Noah and Will's posts. Zelda's too, but that one doesn't count.
P.S. I commented on Noah and Will's posts. Zelda's too, but that one doesn't count.
Definitely can say your final question is a very true and heavy one. We like to think we would be able to stand firm even when those we love and trust seem to be silent, but perhaps our pride throws us into a place of great offense, leading us to run to the strangers, hoping that maybe they will offer some kind of love and comfort to us we once longed for from our old friend.
ReplyDeleteI talked in my post about my disgust with Rodriguez and how I have more respect for Garrpe and even Kichijiro. Rodriguez separates the idea of denying God and denying knowing God. However, there is not really a distinction. We are called to be bold with our faith, and yeah, it's difficult (as seen repeatedly with Kichijiro), but I think as much as Rodriguez is bothered by Kichijiro, he is more like him than he would like to admit...
ReplyDeleteI understand where you are coming from, the longer that Rodriguez was in Japan the more his faith slowly withered away. I feel pretty bad for Rodriguez in a way, I cannot imagine what it would be like to be in his position. I guess that when your faith is tested you either lose it or come out with a faith that is stronger than ever before. It reminds me of what Kichijiro said, about how if he had been born in any other country he would have lived his whole life being a "good Christian". The more I think about the book and what happened, the sadder I become.
ReplyDeleteSo Rodriguez tells himself he still believes in God as a matter of pride, you’re saying? And he also holds pride as a reason that he won’t apostatize, after thinking about what happened to Ferriera’s reputation and what will happen to his own. Taking prideful credit for God’s work is one thing, but this would essentially mean Rodriguez’s entire faith is built on his own pride. That’s a religion built on himself—he’s his own god. I wonder if THAT’S why God was silent throughout the novel: he didn’t worship the Yahweh of the church, he only worshipped himself? If every prayer uttered to God is whispered to pump up your ego, you’re only praying to yourself.
ReplyDeleteSophia, I admire how well you have spoken this tension. I cannot dislike Rodriguez because his struggle is too real, too relatable. Should he not separate the concept of denying God and denying god's existence? Of course not. Can I understand how he has arrived at this crossroad? Most definitely. As much as we would like to make all situations and hardships black and white, the reality is they are not. Is there hot and cold truth? Yes. Are there many greys in life? Most definitely.
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