Silence
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10
Themes
All Themes Apostasy Religious Arrogance Faith Western Religion vs. Eastern Culture Persecution
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Sebastien Rodrigues Francisco Garrpe Christovao Ferreira / Sawano Chuan Kichijiro Inoue The Interpreter Mokichi Ichizo The One-Eyed Man Valignano
Terms
All Terms Apostasy Fumie
Symbols
All Symbols The Sea Christ’s Face
Download PDF
Download Teacher Edition
The LitCharts.com logo.
Sign In Sign up for A+
The LitCharts.com logo.
AI Tools
  • Ask LitCharts AI
  • Discussion Question Generator
  • Essay Prompt Generator
  • Quiz Question Generator
Guides Guides
  • Literature Guides
  • Poetry Guides
  • Shakespeare Translations
  • Literary Terms
Sign In Sign up for A+ Sign up

Silence

by

Shūsaku Endō

Upgrade to A+
Introduction Intro
Plot Summary Plot
Summary & Analysis
  • Prologue
  • Chapter 1
  • Chapter 2
  • Chapter 3
  • Chapter 4
  • Chapter 5
  • Chapter 6
  • Chapter 7
  • Chapter 8
  • Chapter 9
  • Chapter 10
Themes
  • All Themes
  • Apostasy Theme Icon
    Apostasy
  • Religious Arrogance Theme Icon
    Religious Arrogance
  • Faith Theme Icon
    Faith
  • Western Religion vs. Eastern Culture Theme Icon
    Western Religion vs. Eastern Culture
  • Persecution Theme Icon
    Persecution
Quotes
Characters
  • All Characters
  • Sebastien Rodrigues
  • Francisco Garrpe
  • Christovao Ferreira / Sawano Chuan
  • Kichijiro
  • Inoue
  • The Interpreter
  • Mokichi
  • Ichizo
  • The One-Eyed Man
  • Valignano
Terms
  • All Terms
  • Apostasy
  • Fumie
Symbols
  • All Symbols
  • The Sea Symbol Icon
    The Sea
  • Christ’s Face Symbol Icon
    Christ’s Face
Theme Wheel Theme Viz
Download this Chart (PDF)
Download the Teacher Edition
Download this Chart (PDF)
Previous
Valignano

Silence Terms

Next
Apostasy

Apostasy

Apostasy is the act of renouncing Christianity, regarded by the Catholic Church as the ultimate, unpardonable sin. Within the novel, apostasy is always committed by stepping one’s foot onto Christ’s image on a fumie. read analysis of Apostasy

Fumie

A fumie is metal engraving of Jesus Christ’s face fixed onto a plank of wood. The Japanese government makes its own fumies specifically so its citizens and prisoners can step on it to declare their… read analysis of Fumie
Previous
Valignano
Previous
Valignano
Next
Apostasy
Next
Apostasy

Company
About Us Our Story Jobs
Support
Help Center Contact Us
Connect
Facebook Twitter
Legal
Terms of Service Privacy Policy Privacy Request
Home About Contact Help
Copyright © 2025 All Rights Reserved
Terms Privacy Privacy Request
The LitCharts.com logo.
Save time. Stress less.
Sign up!
  • AI Tools for on-demand study help and teaching prep.
  • Quote explanations, with page numbers, for over 47,946 quotes.
  • PDF downloads of all 2,156 LitCharts guides.
  • Expert analysis to take your reading to the next level.
  • Advanced search to help you find exactly what you're looking for.
  • Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more.
  • Expert analysis to take your reading to the next level.
  • Advanced search to help you find exactly what you're looking for.
  • Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more.
The LitCharts.com logo.
Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account
You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes.

or

Already have an account? Sign in
Complete your free account to request a guide
Already have an account? Sign in
The LitCharts.com logo.
Get your answer with a free account
You’ll also get tons of other helpful features, including free quizzes and saving guides.

or

Already have an account? Sign in
Last step: complete your free account
Already have an account? Sign in
The LitCharts.com logo.
Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account.
You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles.

or

Already have an account? Sign in
Complete your free account to access notes and highlights
Already have an account? Sign in
The LitCharts.com logo.
Saving guides requires a free LitCharts account
Easily access your saved guides anytime.

or

Already have an account? Sign in
Complete your free account to save guides
Already have an account? Sign in