Lawren Kinghorn
April 22, 2013
HIS 1307
Dr. Hankins
The Fallibility of Apostasy
Shusaku Endo illustrates a dreadful dilemma in his work entitled, Silence. Father
Rodrigues travels to Japan on a mission to exonerate his mentor, Father Ferreira. However, the
trip becomes a journey of realism for Rodrigues. While he begins the trip extremely pious and
devoted to an everlastingly good God, he completes the experience as a trodden-down, depressed
man who seems to doubt the perfection of God. His outlook on life becomes cynical and jaded
compared to his previously providential outlook. Much of this has to do with his decision to
apostatize. Faced with an impossible decision, Rodrigues decides perform fumie and walk on the
sacred relics in order to save the lives of his parishioner Christians. Rodrigues’ obviously
