Date of Award
6-20-2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Theology
First Advisor
John McCarthy
Abstract
I situate this dissertation within the context of the rightly noted deficiencies of dialogue and dialogical hermeneutics, deficiencies that prevent dialogue from effectively addressing the pathological nature of many of today's social issues, e.g., white supremacy, sexual and gender inequality, and climate change. Using the lens and limits of Western dialogical hermeneutics as noted by David Tracy, I conduct a case study of the dialogues of the main characters - Rodrigues, Ferreira, Kichijiro, God—in Endō Shūsaku’s novel Silence, noting the silence active in each of the dialogues at the end of the novel. I then argue that the nature and function of the silence between Rodrigues and Kichijiro is one of silent forgiveness, a phenomenon that I construct using the work of Bernard Dauenhauer (silence), Vladimir Jankélévitch (forgiveness), and Edward Farley (co-intentions, presence/appresence, social mediation of reality). I surface the theological nature of silent forgiveness and conclude that in the case of Rodrigues and Kichijiro, the initiation and maintenance of silent forgiveness by the Transcendent grounds their eventual choice of mutual concern for and "forgiveness" of each other. The paper ends with how opening space for the work of silent forgiveness has the potential to address the social issues currently ravaging our country and the world.
Recommended Citation
Buescher, Catherine, "Diagnosing Silent Forgiveness at the Dialogical Limit in Endō Shūsaku’s Novel Silence" (2024). Dissertations. 4073.
https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/4073
