Silence

by

Shūsaku Endō

The One-Eyed Man Character Analysis

The one-eyed man is a Japanese Christian whom Rodrigues meets, along with Monica, after he is arrested. The one-eyed man is placed in the same prison as Rodrigues. One afternoon, after refusing to apostatize by stepping on the fumie, a Japanese official casually makes conversation with the one-eyed man before swiftly and unexpectedly decapitating him. After the one-eyed man’s head falls to the ground, separated from his body, Rodrigues is disturbed by the afternoon’s stillness and God’s silence, as if one of his followers had not been struck dead.

The One-Eyed Man Quotes in Silence

The Silence quotes below are all either spoken by The One-Eyed Man or refer to The One-Eyed Man. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Apostasy Theme Icon
).
Chapter 6 Quotes

On the day of my death, too, will the world go relentlessly on its way, indifferent just as now? After I am murdered, will the cicadas sing and the flies whirl their wings inducing sleep? Do I want to be as heroic as that? And yet, am I looking for the true hidden martyrdom or just for a glorious death? Is that I want to be honored, to be prayed to, to be called a saint?

Related Characters: Sebastien Rodrigues, The One-Eyed Man
Page Number: 128
Explanation and Analysis:
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Silence PDF

The One-Eyed Man Quotes in Silence

The Silence quotes below are all either spoken by The One-Eyed Man or refer to The One-Eyed Man. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Apostasy Theme Icon
).
Chapter 6 Quotes

On the day of my death, too, will the world go relentlessly on its way, indifferent just as now? After I am murdered, will the cicadas sing and the flies whirl their wings inducing sleep? Do I want to be as heroic as that? And yet, am I looking for the true hidden martyrdom or just for a glorious death? Is that I want to be honored, to be prayed to, to be called a saint?

Related Characters: Sebastien Rodrigues, The One-Eyed Man
Page Number: 128
Explanation and Analysis: