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Sebastien Rodrigues
Father Garrpe, a Portuguese missionary priest, accompanies Rodrigues to Japan in order to be a priest for Japanese Christians and find out what happen to Father Ferreira, their former mentor. Garrpe hides with Rodrigues in the village of Tomogi, where they meet the first Japanese Christians. The two priests are close friends, and Garrpe’s support and good-humor emboldens Rodrigues in their first weeks in Japan. Although Garrpe is separated from Rodrigues when they flee Tomogi and thus absent from most of the story, his own faithful strength provides somewhat of a foil for Rodrigues’s eventual weakness. When several Christians are about to taken to Nagasaki to be persecuted for their faith, Rodrigues encourages them to apostatize to spare themselves and their village from suffering, but Garrpe obviously disagrees. Unlike Rodrigues, who physically suffers little himself, Garrpe drowns himself in the sea—this way, although his refusal to apostatize resulted in the death of several Japanese Christians, at least he can die with them and try to reach their sinking bodies. Garrpe’s death is one of the final events that breaks Rodrigues’s spirit, thus leading him to eventually apostatize himself, even though Garrpe certainly would’ve spurned Rodrigues for his weakness in doing so.
Francisco Garrpe Quotes in Silence
The Silence quotes below are all either spoken by Francisco Garrpe or refer to Francisco Garrpe. 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:
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Prologue Quotes
Their plan was to make their way into Japan in the throes of persecution in order to carry on an underground missionary apostolate and to atone for the apostasy of Ferreira which had so wounded the honor of the Church.
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The priests formulate their mission into Japan after word reaches the Portuguese Catholic Church that Father Ferreira, a great leader in the missionary movement, has apostatized. Significantly, there is no mention of saving or rescuing Ferreira, only covering for the shame the Church feels over his betrayal. The priests’ desire to “atone” for the embarrassment that Ferreira has brought upon the Church reveals that the Church has a great deal of institutional pride; it values its reputation highly and seeks to defend it. Such institutional pride, even arrogance, informs the religious arrogance that Father Rodrigues personally carries within himself, which Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt.
Chapter 1 Quotes
“In that stricken land the Christians have lost their priests and are like a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Someone must go to give them courage and to ensure that the tiny flame of faith does not die out.”
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As the three priests make their case to their superiors for entry into Japan, Santa Marta observes that there are no priests in Japan, and the Christians must therefore be lost. This belief that the Portuguese priests are all that stand between the Japanese Christians and the loss of their faith once again suggests a great deal of self-importance and arrogance in the priests’ minds, even though it is mixed with notions of service and self-sacrifice. Perhaps more sinister, however, is the notion that the Japanese Christians cannot possibly endure without the guidance of Western priests, which establishes a form Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia e
Every day we keep praying that [Santa Marta’s] health may be restored as soon as possible. But he makes no progress. Yet God bestows upon man a better fate than human knowledge could possibly think of or devise […] Perhaps God in his omnipotence will make all things well.
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While the priests are in China, making preparations, Santa Marta falls ill with malaria, and Rodrigues and Garrpe put their faith in God’s provision and trust that He is in control. Santa Marta plays very little role in the story overall, existing mainly in these early chapters to give Rodrigues the opportunity to profess his faith in God’s all-powerful benevolence. As he states, at this point in the story, Rodrigues’s trust in God is unflinching, and even when things do not go well, he assumes that God is carefully orchestrating all events for the greatest possible good. Such faith is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum vo
Chapter 3 Quotes
Never have I felt so deeply how meaningful is the life of a priest. These Japanese Christians are like a ship lost in a storm without a chart. I see them without a single priest or brother to encourage and console, gradually losing hope and wandering bewildered in the darkness.
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After Rodrigues and Garrpe have been hiding in Tomogi for some time, operating as priests only under the cover of nightfall, Rodrigues feels that his life is more meaningful and significant than it has ever been. Rodrigues’s felt significance suggests that, along with the self-sacrificing desire to serve, he is also compelled by the desire to live a meaningful life of purpose and value. While this in itself is not a terrible thing, it leads the priest to an inflated sense of self-importance and thus arrogance. Rodrigues envisions himself as immensely important to Japan, like a ship captain responsible for Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a d
Chapter 7 Quotes
He had come to this country to lay down his life for other men, but instead of that, the Japanese were laying down their lives one by one for him.
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Rodrigues watches from a distance as Garrpe, by refusing to apostatize, condemns several Japanese Christians to their deaths, even though they themselves already apostatized. Rodrigues is horrified—not only to see Japanese Christians die, but also to realize that he is in the same position. Beyond being a horrifying proposition in itself, Rodrigues causing the deaths of other people for the sake of his faith completely subverts his desire to experience noble suffering and even a martyr’s death for the sake of the Japanese Christians. In his arrogance, Rodrigues visualizes himself as Christ, and aspires to be as close to Christ Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrup
Yes, crouching on the ashen earth of Gethsemane that had imbibed all the heat of the day, alone and separated from his sleeping disciples, a man had said: “My soul is sorrowful even unto death.” And his sweat became like drops of blood. This was the face that was no before [Rodrigues’s] eyes. Hundreds and hundreds of times it had appeared in his dreams; but why was that only now did the suffering, perspiring face seem so far away? Yet tonight he focused all his attention on the emaciated expression on those cheeks.”
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Rodrigues, haunted by the image of Garrpe and the Japanese Christians sinking beneath the waves, imagines Christ’s face once again, but this time it seems worn, frightened, and sorrowful. This depiction of Christ’s face marks a major transition for Rodrigues, who spends most of the novel imagining Christ’s face as the most beautiful face that has ever existed. The transformation of Christ’s face into one of suffering and fear reflects Rodrigues’s perception of Christ, as well as of himself. He no longer longs for his own glorious death; he recognizes it as a vain and self-serving goal. Thus, he no Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus poss
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Francisco Garrpe Character Timeline in Silence
The timeline below shows where the character Francisco Garrpe appears in Silence. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Prologue
The three young priests are Sebastian Rodrigues, Juan de Santa Marta, and Francisco Garrpe, men in their late 20s who had entered the religious life together at 17 and...
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Chapter 1
...by Sebastian Rodrigues. Juan de Santa Marta has fallen ill with malaria, though Rodrigues and Garrpe remain in good health and work at a missionary college in Macao. Valignano still refuses...
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...they meet their first Japanese person, a drunk named Kichijiro who is about their age. Garrpe asks Kichijiro if he is Christian, but Kichijiro seems uncomfortable and denies it. He does,...
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...“in the most ugly way you could imagine.” Kichijiro contrasts with every description Rodrigues and Garrpe have heard of the Japanese thus far as stalwart and noble people. Rodrigues, amused, reflects...
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...face of his beloved.” Only a few days out from their final voyage, Rodrigues and Garrpe know that Santa Marta is still too weak to accompany them, but trust that God...
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Chapter 2
...sailors’ and the priests’ contempt of the Japanese man grows. However, in his fearful mumbling, Garrpe and Rodrigues hear him say “gratia” and “Santa Maria,” both Christian words. Though it seems...
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...ship makes its way into a cove between two mountains. At midnight, Kichijiro, Rodrigues, and Garrpe wade ashore. The priests hide while Kichijiro leaves to survey the area, though the priests...
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...more, “crucifix in hand,” though it is dangerous to do so. By night, Rodrigues and Garrpe quietly administer the sacraments and rites to Japanese villagers in their charcoal hut—only one or...
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Chapter 3
...upon them. Rodrigues wants to send someone to Nagasaki to ask of Father Ferreira, but Garrpe insists it is too dangerous both for them and the villagers, since their fates are...
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One afternoon, in a break from the rain, Rodrigues and Garrpe venture out of the hut to ease their nerves and shake the lice off themselves....
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...villagers tell the priests that Kichijiro told them priests had returned to Japan. Rodrigues and Garrpe learn that Kichijiro is in fact a Christian, though he apostatized by stepping on an...
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Chapter 4
...hear rumor that the Japanese officials intend to search the mountains next, and Rodrigues and Garrpe decide they must separate and flee so that at least one priest will hopefully remain...
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Chapter 7
...this will be Ferreira, but looking down towards the trees near the water, he sees Garrpe, led by armed guards and accompanied by Monica and the other prisoners.
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Guards lead Garrpe and the Christian prisoners to a spot on the sand where several straw mats await...
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...drag the prisoners with them, rowing out to the deep. Rodrigues begs God to intervene. Garrpe, shouting, “Lord, hear our prayer,” plunges himself into the sea and attempts to swim after...
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...arguments echo in his mind. The priest was unable to save the Christians, and unlike Garrpe did not even have the strength or opportunity to die with them. The priest had...
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Chapter 8
...solace in the fact that when he dies, he will be united with Mokichi, Ichizo, Garrpe, Christ, and all the other Christian martyrs. The interpreter again asks the priest to apostatize,...
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