Father LaTour as the Hero in Death Comes for the Archbishop
In Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop, the heroic ideal whose definition began with Moby-Dick is again viewed. Father LaTour is clearly seen as having an elevated status, concern and understanding for the people, and a desire to make a lasting mark on the land that becomes his home. These characteristics were seen in differing ways in both Ahab and Jo in Little Women. In The Red Badge of Courage, the concept of courage in the hero was addressed. This quality too is seen in Father LaTour. Father Vaillant also displays many of these characteristics. Both priests are fully consecrated, they just live it out differently. They have committed themselves to self-sacrifice for the sake of those whom they seek to serve and exhibit strong inner courage in the setting aside of self. However, Father Vaillant's very presence has hinged upon the influence of Father LaTour in his life, thus ultimately pointing back to Father LaTour s the heroic figure in the novel.
"The new Vicar must be a young man, of strong constitution, full of zeal, and above all, intelligent. He will have to deal with savagery and ignorance, with dissolute priests and political intrigue. He must be a man to whom order is necessary--as dear as life" (Cather 8). With this opening description, Cather introduces the caliber of man to be found in Father LaTour. When he discovers the juniper tree in the shape of a cross, his immediate response is one of grateful worship. He is described as ". . . a priest in a thousand . . . . His bowed head was not that of an ordinary man . . ." (Cather 18).
Father LaTour's role as a leader is found partly in his position in the church, but it is validated b...
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... the opportunity comes, he recognizes that intellect is not everything and that his life's fulfillment is in his serving until death among his Mexican and Indian populace. The country thought in the Prologue to drain him of his youth (p. 8), becomes in the end the source of life for him. Father LaTour lives what he preaches. This makes it possible for him to say he shall die from having lived (Cather 267).
Father LaTour assumes his role of leadership, impacts the lives of those he encounters, displays great courage, and above all is self-sacrificing. He does not hope for personal gain in his actions. Ultimately, Father LaTour exhibits many heroic characteristics in an unassuming manner that leads to the addition of this quality to the working definition of the heroic.
Works Cited
Cather, Willa. Death Comes for the Archbishop. NY: Vintage Books, 1990.
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