Silence â€� Reader Q&A

Questions About Silence

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Answered Questions (5)

Does anyone know Endo's personal beliefs and his relationship with the Japanese government? The Japanese government paid for his education. Do you think they paid for the ending of the book?

Roxana ChirilÄƒ I can't know for sure if my hunch is true, but your question strikes me as very American. I come from a country where the best education you can get iâ€¦m´Ç°ù±ðI can't know for sure if my hunch is true, but your question strikes me as very American. I come from a country where the best education you can get is in state universities. If I'm not much mistaken, the same is true in Japan. You see, education isn't just a personal asset - if the people in a city will be better educated, they will be able to do more, produce more, and improve the life of those around them.

(Alternately, you could be Russian - but I think in Russia the government is more likely to demand, rather than pay for what it wants.)

Japan is very much aware that education can be a national asset: their borders were closed until 1868, when they were still a feudal empire. When they opened their borders, they realized they were behind in all sorts of ways, culturally, technologically etc. Perhaps others would have been overwhelmed, but not Japan: they sent students abroad, brought them back to teach others, invited foreigners to teach, started the industrial revolution and so on.

While Susaku Endo wasn't part of the first wave of students who got scholarships, the point remains: students are given access to tools in order to improve themselves and therefore improve things back home, rather than to promote any specific political or patriotic purpose.

So, to answer your question: we can't know for sure, but it's highly unlikely that they did. They'd want him to write well and improve Japanese literature, surely, but I doubt they'd micro-manage their writers and artists in that particular way.(less)

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Saw the movie, loved it, bought the book, oping for more but the writing seems dryer than a mathematical paper. Is it the translation?

TRS Here to answer 5 years later!
I haven't watched the movie but picked up the novel. I think it depends on the person? Ironically, I have such little patâ€¦m´Ç°ù±ðHere to answer 5 years later!
I haven't watched the movie but picked up the novel. I think it depends on the person? Ironically, I have such little patience for any sort of dry writing and this flowed faster than I expected even from the start. On the other hand, people are riveted by books I find so bland and pointless--really is subjective I guess.(less)

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Is the book Christian propaganda?

Elizabeth I think it is more of a doubt and denial story, having this Christian persecution history as a background. From what I read in the preface, Endo was iâ€¦m´Ç°ù±ðI think it is more of a doubt and denial story, having this Christian persecution history as a background. From what I read in the preface, Endo was indeed Christian and had various internal conflicts regarding his rasing and his country's culture. This kind of story, though, could happen using any religious background. Also, some could argue that it is actually anti-Christian propaganda due to what happens.(less)

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Electronic version of SIlence?

Jinny there's a movie.â€¦m´Ç°ù±ðthere's a movie.(less)

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isn't suitable for non-christian reader?

Cy I'm agnostic and it's one of my favorite books. It's still a gorgeously written book, with haunting prose, and features a character that struggles to â€¦m´Ç°ù±ðI'm agnostic and it's one of my favorite books. It's still a gorgeously written book, with haunting prose, and features a character that struggles to reconcile their view of the universe with their experiences. The latter, in particular, is a universal experience regardless of your faith. (less)

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