How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
But the martyrdom of the Japanese Christians I now describe to you was no such glorious thing. What a miserable and painful business it was! (4.87)
Rodrigues is like that kid who's obsessed with action movies only to realize that violence isn't quite as fun in real life. It's one thing to romanticize the deaths of others when you're on the other side of the planet, but it's a whole different deal when you witness it yourself.
Quote #2
That night the priest thought earnestly about a man who had been dragged from the Garden of Gethsemane to the palace of Caiaphas. (5.2)
Unsurprisingly, Jesus is Rodrigues's number one inspiration. In many ways, Rodrigues wishes that he could sacrifice himself for others as Jesus did. Yet for whatever reason—whether fear or selfishness or doubt—Rodrigues is unable to be make that sacrifice.
Quote #3
He also felt an inexpressible dissatisfaction—a kind of disillusionment that he was not privileged to be a tragic hero like so many martyrs and like Christ himself. (5.4)
Seriously, we'd imagine that most martyrs would gladly trade places with Rodrigues. If Rodrigues really wanted to sacrifice himself for the good of others, he's had a million opportunities to do so—heck, he could have turned himself over the first time a samurai visited the village. But he doesn't.