Finding Peace in Death Comes For The Archbishop

Finding Peace in Death Comes For The Archbishop

Willa Cather's Death Comes For The Archbishop is a novel set in the nineteenth century in New Mexico. The story follows the adventures of Father Vaillant and Father Latour, two refined French priests on a mission to promote Catholicism in Santa Fe. The story follows each man's experiences in these unrefined surroundings causing them to go through dramatic changes as they experience the westward movement of the frontier. Through the struggles and journeys of a host of characters, we discover the underlying tensions of worldly distractions that can create a divided character between oneself.

The first example of a divided character I would like to discuss is that of the cardinals in Rome. It seems as if the heads of the Catholic Church indulge in worldly possessions to fulfill their spiritual desires. "...I had this wine brought up from my cellar especially to warm away the chill of your twenty Canadian winters. Surely, you do not gather vintages like this on the shores of the Great Lake Huron?"(9). These high cardinals seem to have grown devoted to luxuries of life than to God and the Catholic Church. This behavior contradicts the teachings of Catholicism itself, where worldly matter is not of importance. This passage constructs a clear warning to the reader, making it clear that these characters seem to have jumped on the bandwagon of globalization, thus at times forgetting their religious ties. It is hard to say if these cardinals have ever experienced the meaning of true devotion to God, a point of faith where material luxuries have no value. Latour may be looked down upon to do the hard work of the missions but his experie...

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... cathedral, distracting him from his mission to reach the native people.

Although Father Latour may possess few worldly desires, one may argue he wants what others can benefit from as well as pleasing himself. Along his journeys, Latour encounters various people, most associates of the Catholic Church like himself. It seems as each time Latour detects a sense of deceit in a person, he progresses in his own mission of morality. When one is trying so hard to embrace and follow the rules and restrictions of religion, as well as enjoy the worldly luxuries, a divided character is created within oneself. It is not until true and total devotion is committed to ones religion that material things become irrelevant and one can be at peace.

Work Cited:

Cather, Willa. Death Comes for the Archbishop. NY: Vintage Books, 1990.