what is the main theme of the short story " the martyr " by nagigo
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The primary theme is the nature of pure religious faith and the psychology of the martyr, based on a legend dealing with the early Japanese Christians living in the area of Nagasaka during the 16th century.
The story in both the print and animated forms appears, at first, to be a simple and moving children's story working from Christian themes and biblical allusions. On Christmas night, a young homeless orphan stumbles into small, rural Christian church during the Christmas service. Lorenzo is accepted by the congregation because of a Christian rosary on his wrist. But where he came from or who his parents were remain mysteries. He says only, "My home is paradise" and "My Father is the Father of all." Because of the boy's apparent purity and piety, the people see him as, "An Angel sent by god."
For three years Simeon, a former samurai and now a brother in the church, takes care of the boy like a younger brother, directing his saintliness toward some religious role and destiny. But when Ine, the umbrella maker's daughter, accuses Lorenzo of being the father of her unborn child, the village people and Simeon turn on the boy refusing to believe his innocence and banishing him. After a year of wandering in exile, Lorenzo returns just as a raging fire sweeps through the village. Plunging into the inferno, he saves the child he has supposedly fathered, at the cost of his own life. As a tearful Ine confesses over the body that Lorenzo was not the father, the people discover the truth: that Lorenzo was a young woman.
The story in both the print and animated forms appears, at first, to be a simple and moving children's story working from Christian themes and biblical allusions. On Christmas night, a young homeless orphan stumbles into small, rural Christian church during the Christmas service. Lorenzo is accepted by the congregation because of a Christian rosary on his wrist. But where he came from or who his parents were remain mysteries. He says only, "My home is paradise" and "My Father is the Father of all." Because of the boy's apparent purity and piety, the people see him as, "An Angel sent by god."
For three years Simeon, a former samurai and now a brother in the church, takes care of the boy like a younger brother, directing his saintliness toward some religious role and destiny. But when Ine, the umbrella maker's daughter, accuses Lorenzo of being the father of her unborn child, the village people and Simeon turn on the boy refusing to believe his innocence and banishing him. After a year of wandering in exile, Lorenzo returns just as a raging fire sweeps through the village. Plunging into the inferno, he saves the child he has supposedly fathered, at the cost of his own life. As a tearful Ine confesses over the body that Lorenzo was not the father, the people discover the truth: that Lorenzo was a young woman.
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