Point of View

The story is told through two different points of view. The first four chapters are written as excerpts from Sebastian Rodrigues' personal letters. This individual attention to the situation allows the reader to become deeply involved in the plight of Japanese Christians. Rodrigues takes the reader into the depths of the Japanese mountains and the interior of the small hut he shares with Garrpe in Tomogi. The reader physically feels the strength of the villagers in the face of such terrible persecution. The reader empathizes with the struggle of the Christian peasants and tries desperately to understand why the government would do such horrendous things to its own people. Endo's use of Rodrigues' letters grabs the reader and forces him to face the truth of the story immediately, rather than allowing the reader to stand away from the violence as a casual observer.

However, Endo abruptly...