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Book 8: A Letter from Leavenworth
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Death Comes for the Archbishop, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Spirituality vs. the Material World
Friendship and Compromise
Humanity’s Relationship with Nature
Colonialism, Industry, and Loss
Memory, Death, and Afterlives
Summary
Analysis
It takes a month for Vaillant to prepare: with Fructosa and Magdalena’s help, he sets up a wagon, containing both the personal possessions he will need and the materials for a new chapel he plans to build near Camp Denver. While Latour respects Vaillant for his willingness to go wherever the work calls, the bishop cannot help but feel hurt by his friend’s eagerness to leave. Indeed, when Vaillant declares that it was “Providence” that caused Latour to call him back from Tucson, Latour disagrees, insisting that the request was a result of his own “selfish” desire for companionship.
Even as they disagree on how to best honor their friendship, Latour and Vaillant always share a remarkable transparency with each other. This passage, which mirrors Jacinto’s reflection that Latour never shows a “false face,” especially demonstrates Latour’s unusual capacity for honesty, even when it means painting himself in an unflattering light.
Themes
Privately, Vaillant realizes that Latour does not share his friendly demeanor; though Vaillant has no problem making friends wherever he goes, Latour is lonelier and more withdrawn. The next day, Vaillant is writing letters to his siblings when Latour interrupts, insisting that Vaillant must take Angelica alongside Contento in his journey to Colorado. “They have a great affection for each other,” Latour explains. “One could not explain to them. They have worked long together.” Vaillant says nothing, but Latour notices a drop of water fall onto Vaillant’s letters; seeing this, Latour hurries out of the room.
This critical exchange closes the loop on the two mules’ symbolism. When the sometimes-cold, introverted Latour struggles to outright express his sadness at Vaillant’s absence, he uses Contento and Angelica’s bond as a proxy for his own lifelong friendship. Indeed, Latour’s mention of the mules’ “affection” and “long” history of “work[ing] [] together” hews so closely to the priests’ own collaboration that it brings Vaillant to tears. Even then, though, Latour’s reserved personality prevents him from openly feeling the depth of emotion these two men have for each other.
Themes
Literary Devices
On the day of Vaillant’s departure, Latour rides with him to the edge of Santa Fé; together, the two men take in the mountains one last time, and Vaillant sighs out “auspice, Maria!” Then Latour returns home. He reflects that he is 47 years old and has lived in the New World for 20 years, Mexico for 10; unlike a parish priest, Latour has no children or real community. But instead of feeling lonely, Latour feels a Presence, which he attributes to the Virgin Mary. Latour marvels that everyone from the poorest villagers in Mexico to Rafael and Titian work to honor Mary with their art.
“Auspice, Maria!” is Latin for “under the protection of Mary”; in calling out these words as he leaves, Vaillant expresses both his anxiety and his excitement about the new life he is heading into. Thinking about Mary, such a central figure in New Mexican Catholicism, also then helps Latour feel close to his departed friend—and reminds him of the continuity between his life in Europe and his existence in the New World.
Themes
Though Vaillant occasionally returns to Santa Fé to visit, he spends the rest of his life in the various mines and mountains of Colorado. Over the course of this time, Vaillant wears out wagons and wagon drivers; on one trip, he wounds himself so badly that he can never ride horses again. Still, Vaillant remains committed to begging money for new churches in Colorado, and even the poorest New Mexicans want to contribute. Vaillant’s fundraising is especially successful because he emphasizes the hardships he faces in Colorado, like the lack of bedding and fruit. In short order, Vaillant is able to gather enough linens and produce that he needs to take an ox-cart in order to carry it all.
Structurally, Cather’s decision to zoom out here—giving readers a broad gloss of Vaillant’s adventures in Colorado rather than going into great detail—reflects the vicar’s own personal way of thinking. Whereas Latour pays attention to small moments of quotidian experience, Vaillant prefers to think big picture, of the funds and supplies he will need to start new church initiatives and gain new converts.
Themes
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Before he leaves, Vaillant pauses for the first time in his entire trip. He wants to see Latour, and to acknowledge that they are both aging. But though death could come at any moment, Vaillant feels peace and pride in all the things he has accomplished. Latour assures Vaillant that “you are a better man than I,” and the two men embrace, “for the past—for the future.”
Though Latour’s concern with his church project is one way he thinks about legacy, his friendship with Vaillant is another way he tells time: their bond represents both their shared history (“the past”) and “the future” the two of them have worked together to create.
Themes
