From East to West: Adapting Shūsaku Endō’s Silence Across Medium and Culture

Abstract

Christianity has historically been a contentious subject within Japan. There have since been several works of literature and film that engage with the question of whether or not it can exist in Japan at all. One such work is Shūsaku Endō’s 1966 novel Silence and its film adaptations by Masahiro Shinoda in 1971 and Martin Scorsese in 2016. This thesis explores how each of these works approach the theological debates surrounding Christianity’s place in Japan. We approach the works from a narratological standpoint, creating a framework that allows for an intermedial analysis. Through an analysis on narrative style, we argue that each work has its own distinct approach to focalization and narration that establishes parallels between the protagonist, Rodrigues, and various other characters. These parallels reveal sentiments in which Endō and Scorsese favor assimilation of Christianity and Japanese culture, whereas Shinoda favors a renunciation of faith in favor of Japanese culture. An analysis of sound illustrates how each work establishes patterns in their soundscape, and how they either adhere to or deviate from these patterns. We argue that Endō and Scorsese have a similar approach to their soundscape whilst Shinoda utilizes sound in a way that speaks to Japanese sentiments. An analysis of language shows the ways in which the auditive narrator is used to show Rodrigues’ affinities towards the Japanese people. By highlighting the use of English and Japanese language across the works, we argue that Shinoda positions Rodrigues as being favorable towards the Japanese people, whereas Endō and Scorsese’s use of language show an affinity for compromise. An analysis of the endings showcase the distinct ways in which each work utilizes the strategies discussed in previous chapters to arrive at their own conclusions regarding theological debates in Japan. We posit that Endō and Scorsese argue for the importance of private over public faith, and Shinoda argues in favor of the importance of culture and a renunciation of faith.