Endo's Deep River opens a disturbing encounter with the spiritual vision of India described through the experiences of five Japanese travelers from very different backgrounds, each facing a troubling personal crisis. By exploring the depth of the human need to understand ourselves and our purpose in life, Endo illuminates his appreciation of the works of grace of a God present in the sufferings of humanity. Endo delves deep into the human condition through his characters who reflect the complex individuals and personalities that we are. Endo examines the moral dilemmas each character faces and paints a clear picture of the river and its deeper meaning. In order to visit Buddhist temples in India, five characters on a spiritual quest gather on the banks of the Ganges to recharge their batteries. Endo calls this the “deep river” (Endo 195). Five Japanese travelers express their individual stories of suffering and searching at the edge of the deep river. Each of the characters – Isobe, Kiguchi, Numada, Mitsuko, and Otsu – differ in their pasts and viewpoints, while each feels incomplete in one way or another. With the hope of finding their place through spiritual truth, their journey to the Ganges echoes the powerful exploration of faith that Endo pushes the reader towards, through the use of allegorical motifs and models. This identification of the river as the destination of human consciousness turns out to be more than just a personal symbol. The river tends to serve a function for each character where the human spirit seeks acceptance and a sense of belonging. The extent of this river imagery becomes particularly poignant as a powerful symbol of cultural difference and personal weakness.... middle of paper ......p meaning for these five tourists. Although Endo's Deep River deals with concerns related to faith and God, sin and infidelity, it seems to focus greatly on the depth of spirituality that each character seeks to fill the void in their lives. The picture of the Ganges that Endo paints is one of lush life, filled with onions, God, gods and goddesses, and where the waters carry dirt and rot, but its depths offer personal solace and spiritual elevation. We wonder if this deep river is truly sacred and can, indeed, purify our souls and hearts. Works Cited Endo, Shusaku. Deep river. Trans. Van C. Gessel. New York: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1994. Mase-Hasegawa, Emi. Christ in Japanese Culture: Theological Themes in the Literary Works of Shusaku Endo. Netherlands: Brill Academic Publishers, 2008.