October 7, 2008

• Foreign Studies - Shusaku Endo

  Philippians 3:20-21 "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body."

  I wish that as a Christian writer, Shusaku Endo could have taken hold of this verse.  This book has two prologues.  The first, "A Summer in Rouen" portrays a Christian Japanese student studying literature in France shortly after World War II.  He encounters great frustration to find that he is not viewed as himself, but is seen through the tinted glasses of all the well-intentioned people who provided his scholarship.  His benefactors assume to know all about what he should do with his life, and that is to become a pastor and spread the Gospel in Japan.  This may or may not be what the student wants to do, but he feels guilty that he may not necessarily fit the pattern into which they are trying to squeeze him.  His benefactors also have many mistaken assumptions about life in Japan, but the student lacks the language ability to be able to explain his country.  Perhaps even if he had the ability, his benefactors already have their uninformed minds made up and would probably continue on in their mistaken assumptions because they have never experienced the facets of Japanese life that the student is attempting to explain. 

  The second prologue, "Araki Thomas" is set in the early 17th century and is about the first Japanese student in Rome.  Araki also falls victim to the assumptions of the Europeans around him, who naturally expect that he will return to Japan as a priest.  During this time in history Christianity was outlawed in Japan, and those discovered practicing it were given a choice to apostatize or die.  Those around Araki were well aware of this, but expected him to return to Japan as a priest anyway, giving Araki a choice between death in Japan or life as a coward.  Araki eventually returned to Japan, apostatized, and was given a job of encouraging other Christians to throw away their faith.

  The main body of the novel "And You, Too" is about a university lecturer, Tanaka, who goes to France in the 1960's to do research on the Marquis de Sade.  He will be in France for two or so years, and  is determined to embrace French/European culture.  He shuns the tightly knit Japanese community in Paris only to find that that French/European civilization is not so anxious to reveal its secrets to him.  Tanaka goes to visit a Mr. Ruby, an expert on Sade.  Rather than being impressed with Tanaka's efforts, Ruby says that he simply cannot understand why a Japanese would be interested in researching the topic.  Tanaka discovers that as a Japanese he can do nothing but cheaply imitate great European literary works, and that he can never really understand the heart from which they sprang.  He becomes deeply aware of his own inferiority and feels an unsurmountable barrier between his own Japanese civilization and that of the Europeans.  In some ways he feels alienated from both.  Tanaka eventually becomes exhausted, contracts tuberculosis, and returns to Japan without finishing his research.

  I read one review of this book that stated that "the price for integrating the force of a foreign culture is life."  I would beg to differ.  Integrating the force of a foreign culture is not a simple process, and requires more than a few short years.  One must redefine one's self in the face of another culture to some degree, and must undergo a process of swinging between the two as does a pendulum, deciding what to absorb and retain, and what to discard.  One can neither remain as one was nor totally adapt, but will eventually stop swinging and make a unique place to settle between the two cultures.  There is perhaps no total embracing of either. 

  There is something more universal that one must embrace if one is a Christian.  We are actually citizens of Heaven.  We have been hand planted as seeds by God himself in whatever culture or country that we find ourselves.  God makes no mistakes, and will give us the proper nourishment to allow us to bloom where ever He thinks it proper to plant us.  Perhaps we need to occupy ourselves with doing the will of our Father instead of being obsessed with embracing something that will eventually fade away.  Of course we must make an effort to understand ways of thinking and acting that are different than our own, and this does require mental and emotional effort which can be exhausting.  But if we are engaged in a struggle to assimilate in a different culture, rather than feeling self pity because we may be experiencing feelings of alienation, might it not be better to ask God how our struggles will conform us to the image of Christ and  equip us to be of service to the place where our citizenship really lies, namely Heaven?

  Although I understand some of his struggle, I am sorry that Mr. Endo could find no better answer for himself.

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