Death Comes for the Archbishop Literary Devices

Explanation and Analysis:

Willa Cather’s writing style has a strong, clear narrative voice and relies heavily on intricate, intense descriptions of land, sky, and culture. Her writing can be deceptively simple, but is layered with symbolism and metaphor below its frank surface. The deliberate pacing of the novel mirrors the wide and unhurried setting of the Southwest. Cather takes her time in unfolding the story, allowing readers to appreciate the vivid world she describes, and dig into the conflicts and successes Latour and his companions experience. The non-chronological structure of the book adds to this sense of unhurried exploration, enabling readers to delve into the characters' pasts and experiences at a measured pace.

Cather's precise and period-appropriate diction is an important and distinctive element of her writing style. Her use of local vernacular and speech in many different languages reflects the area in which the novel is set, and contributes to its authenticity and realism. This attention to detail enhances the strong sense of place and time in the book, making the setting and characters feel genuine and believable. Her literary worlds are always immersive and rich with sensory language, and Death Comes for the Archbishop is no exception.

Cather's syntax is full of long sentences and intricate descriptions of thought processes. It invites readers to slow their pace and engage deeply with the novel. The novel's syntax mirrors the complexity of her characters' experiences, as they often struggle with intricate cultural and moral dilemmas. Furthermore, Cather's use of figurative language draws distinct and regular parallels between desert life and religious life. Cather loves contradictions, and the novel employs them for several ethical and existential juxtapositions: for example; death and vivaciousness, religious piety and the need for adaptiveness, and sexuality and chastity. The novel is full of romantic images of the glowing landscape of the Southwestern United States. Cather glories in the imagery of sunset on adobe, the glow of candlelight on stone, and the starkness of the juniper-spiked desert.

Death Comes for the Archbishop: Style 1 key example