Silence Lesson Plan

Why does Rodrigues seem to simultaneously pity the peasants for their simple, harsh lives and get upset with them for valuing things like artifacts and an anguish-free afterlife?

Students may be puzzled by Rodrigues's exasperation with peasant beliefs, but the text doesn't really stop to give an explanation for them. Some students might propose that Rodrigues is surprised and frustrated at the way peasants sometimes think about Christianity because he expected something different. After all, missionaries had been coming to Japan for nearly a century before the persecution started. Other students might point out, though, that Rodrigues may not be sufficiently considering...