Shusaku Endo's "A Summer in Rouen": A Tragicomedy of Virtues Unhad and Goods Ungained (Critical Essay‪)‬

Introduction Western interest in Shusaku Endo's works has grown steadily since the appearance of Silence in its English translation in 1969. (1) That novel established Endo as a writer of great religious insight, someone with noteworthy views about redemption, mercy, and the problem of evil. The Samurai (J 1980, E 1984) and Stained Glass Elegies (E 1985) confirmed this reputation. Endo's works have also been recognized as lively commentaries on the deep differences between Japanese and European ways of thinking. Silence and the novella And You, Too (J 1965, E 1989) are powerful psychological portraits of characters whose eventual grasp of a foreign culture is as destructive of their personalities as it is enlightening. Other works, such as The Samurai, White Man, Yellow Man (J 1955, E 2004), Volcano (J 1959, E 1988), and The Sea and Poison (J 1958, E 1972), dramatize the cultural differences as Endo sees them. What critics have not recognized, however, is the remarkable contribution that Endo's works make to the field of ethics. The Sea and Poison, for instance, is a masterpiece of moral psychology, exploring the social and psychological processes by which people acquire the power of conscience, or in this case, fail to acquire it. Volcano vividly paints a world of petty vices and illuminates the psychology of self-deception. Another gem of ethical insight is the short story "A Summer in Rouen," the focus of this essay.