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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 by the fact he deserves the position--he is qualified to lead the efforts of Christianizing
this new diocese. These qualifications include a love of God and His church, a strong intellectual
background which enables him to deal with the church hierarchy, the social training to fit
comfortably with the social elite he encounters, but also a compassionate nature which equips
him to deal with the peasants who populate his diocese. Father LaTour's leadership is also
portrayed through the way people turn to him for guidance. Without his leading, Father Vaillant
never would have made it to the mission field as is revealed through Father Vaillant's vacillation
as a youth first contemplating leaving home for missionary service.
Although Cather does not tell a great deal about Father LaTour's service as an active
entity, his action is revealed through the reaction of the different people to him. He has earned
the respect of his servants, the well-to-do in his community, the poor Mexicans and Indians in his
community, and his peers. Father LaTour is defined by how he reacts to others and how they
react to him. He earns their respect and that is a response that is not given lightly. "The Bishop
kept his word . . ." (Cather 132). In these few words much of the respect Father LaTour received
from all people everywhere is explained. When Jacinto takes Father LaTour to the secret cave,
he demonstrates complete trust in the priest's character. Jacinto recognizes that Father LaTour
has a respect for the people that will cause him in turn to respect one of their holy places and that
out of respect he will keep silent about where he has been. Had Father LaTour not been actively
involved among the people, Jacinto would not have had any basis for truly assessing his
character, much less trusting him in this way.
The truth was, Jacinto liked the Bishop's way of meeting people; thought he
had the right tone with Padre Gallegos, the right tone with Padre Jesus, and that he had good
manners with the Indians. In his experience, white people, when they addressed Indians, always
put on a false face. There were many kinds of false faces; Father Vaillant's, for example, was
kindly but too vehement. The Bishop put on none at all. He stood straight and turned to the
Governor of Laguna, and his face underwent no change. Jacinto thought this remarkable.
(Cather 93-94)
The response of the people at Agua Secreta when Father LaTour is newly arrived in the
country demonstrates the two-way street of mutual respect that continues throughout his life.
They view him as a direct answer to prayer. His response is one of concern for the people. He is
interested in them and their plight; he truly desires to know all there is to know about these
people who are so foreign to him so that he can gain understanding of them; and he appreciates
them for who and what they are with no qualifications.
Father LaTour exhibits a love of nature, God's handiwork, and of man's attempts to
represent it. His one ambition is to leave something of lasting consequence to the land and the
people--his cathedral. ; But in his plans, he does not seek a traditional cathedral such as those
found in Europe, not a church typical of the American countryside. Instead, he seeks to find a
means for creating a building that will grow out of its surroundings and, thus, capture the totality
of Father LaTour's ministry. It is not a building for himself, but for God and the people who
worship him as only they know how. He sees its significance as an artistic expression of nature
and as a religious object. In recognizing the comfort he finds in his own rituals and icons, he
becomes tolerant of the natives in their practices even when they do not necessarily meld with the
Christian ideal. Through his openness, Father LaTour allows for the people to approach God on
their terms rather than on his.
It is easy to overlook the actions and characteristics Father LaTour is so consistent in,
because he does them in a quiet unassuming manner which enables him to display an almost
Christ-like persona. In confronting the killer, Scales, Father LaTour displays an almost Christ-
like inner toughness. He acknowledges that he has failed to keep his pistol dry, but does not let
that deter him in standing up to Scales. Anyone who has ever attempted to attain a Christ-like
nature easily recognizes the heroic strength of character and self-denial that are essential to even
beginning this journey to being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Whether the source of
his courage comes from himself or his faith, Father LaTour is courageous. This is more apparent
when held against his own periodic moments of self-doubt and failure (Cather 210-211).
Father LaTour sacrifices much to achieve what he does. However, because of his
quiet, introverted nature it can easily be overlooked. He acknowledges his loneliness and selfish
desire to have Father Vaillant remain always with him as a companion (Cather 251). But, in
putting others first, Father LaTour sacrifices his own needs for the good of others--specifically,
the many lives that Father Vaillant can and does touch.
Father LaTour exhibits a great love for learning, but he also knows how to keep it in
its place so that although at one point a place in his home college would have been the fulfillment
of life, when 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.
© 1993, 1998--Faye Kiryakakis
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