Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather describes the struggle of Father Latour and Father Vaillant to re-establish Catholic authority in their newly formed diocese of New Mexico. They have the task of straightening out a territory that has fallen back into pagan conduct under the jurisdiction of priests who neither observe nor impose various Catholic sacraments (celibacy, marriage, confirmation). As Latour becomes familiar with his diocese, he discovers that Indian cultures have a parallel value to European and Catholic cultures, and his humility wins over the natives. Cather uses Latour as a friendly colonial vessel, a paradoxical character who believes in both the futility and necessity of her work. Latour understands that his and Father Vaillant's efforts are nothing more than superfluous attempts to impose a culture on a group of people who already possess one. Although Latour recognizes the futility of his work, his continued insistence on meddling in New Mexico betrays a certain measure of vanity and hypocrisy, unsavory characteristics of an archbishop. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Near the beginning of his reign as archbishop, Father Latour recognizes that the quickest way to restore Catholicism in the dioceses is to replace entrenched Catholic but corrupt Mexican priests with more traditional priests. Latour undertakes these tasks because, as he wrote in a letter, he believes he “can help [Mexican priests] more than they think. The Church can do more than the Fort to make these poor Mexicans "good Americans". And it's for the good of the people; there is no other way they can improve their condition.” (p. 35-36) The words “assist,” “poor,” and “condition” reflect an unabashed white savior complex within the Younger Latour and establish the supposed moral elevation of the Church over the people over whom it presides. Father Martinez, the current presiding priest of Taos, feels the same way. Martinez warns Latour against interference in Taos, saying, “here we have a living Church, not a dead arm of the European Church. Our religion has grown from the ground and has its own roots... The Church... planted here has been cut down; this is the second growth and it is native.” (p. 146) Martinez defends his jurisdiction by invoking nature, claiming that his diocese is indigenous. A similar incident occurs when Vaillant visits Manuelito Lujon's ranch. Upon his arrival, he requests that the men be brought from the fields and married to their mates. The women of the ranch discuss the futility of Vaillant's efforts. They say, “No, times are not so good anymore,” agrees the other. “And I doubt this whole wedding will make them any better. What is the point of marrying people who have lived together and had children?” (p. 194) The women on the ranch recognize that the situation in their community is serious, but they question the effectiveness of marrying people who have already had children. Both Martinez and the women of Lujon raise a good point: How can priests impose foreign Catholic traditions on a group of people governed by cultures and temptations that the priests cannot understand? Father Vaillant and Father Latour, both convinced that they have a clear vision of right/wrong, place themselves on a vain pedestal above the Indians. Thus, Martinez and the women of Lujon identify a problematic aspect of Catholic intervention in New Mexico dioceses: without the necessary integration into Indian communities, the assumption of moral superiority of priests makes true connection impossible. Several characters in Death Comes for the Archbishop laud The tolerant acceptance of Indian cultureson Latour's part, yet his role as a white missionary belies his admiration for Indian tradition. While exploring the surrounding dioceses with his Indian guide, Jacinto, Latour realized that "there was no way he could transfer his memories of European civilization into the Indian mind, and he was quite willing to believe that behind Jacinto there was a long tradition, a history of experience, which no language could translate for him." .” (p. 92) Cather uses words like “civilization” and “transfer” to suggest domestication, a transfer of enlightenment and religion from one higher society to another lower society. So, not only does Latour believe that the Indian mind would not be able to understand the nuances of European culture, he believes that Indian culture is so deep that he could never understand it. Yet, throughout the second half of Death Comes for the Archbishop, Latour actively pursues his dream of building a Catholic cathedral in Santa Fe, choosing the exact site and stone himself. For Latour, the cathedral would serve as a physical manifestation of his legacy. Cather writes that, "as [Latour] cultivated this desire and meditated on it, he came to feel that such an edifice could be a continuation of himself and his purpose, a physical body filled with his aspirations after he had passed from scene." (p. 175) Vaillant does not support the proposal, apparently surprised by Latour's materialism. He says, “I had no idea you were into fine building, when everything around us is so poor – and we ourselves are so poor.” (p. 241) Vaillant's objections are well founded; in his years as archbishop, Latour witnessed firsthand the poverty in which many Indians live. Yet, he says, «the cathedral is not for us, [Vaillant]. Let us build for the future... It would be a shame for any man from a seminary which is one of the architectural treasures of France, to make it another ugly church on this continent where there are already so many" (p. 212). Construction of the cathedral can only be financed by the indigent inhabitants of the diocese, yet Latour claims that the cathedral will demonstrate the strength of the Catholic church in the New Mexico region, a symbol that a man from the “architectural treasures of France” would appreciate despite his respect for Native culture, Latour sees nothing wrong with taxing his diocese to fund a vain paean to his heritage and his religion, a religion that, in many ways, is not that of the Native Ironically -west that Latour loves most is the very thing it is his duty to destroy. Latour, as he wanders the desert in retirement, revels in the wild air. He notes that “this peculiar quality in the air of the new countries has disappeared after they have been tamed by men... the air [loses] that lightness, that dry and aromatic smell... which could only be breathed on the luminous borders of the world, on the great grassy plains or in the sage desert”. (p. 444) And, in the quote above, Latour points out that the air of New Mexico is light and pure because it has yet to encounter “men” who seek to tame it. As a missionary, Latour is one of these “men,” chosen to inundate the people of New Mexico with different aspects of a foreign culture that the Indians neither need nor necessarily want. “Men” transform the “aromatic” air of the region into something heavy and impure. Cather leaves the reader wondering whether Latour realizes that he, through his vocation, is part of the problem contaminating the region he so admires. It is particularly interesting that, at the beginning of the book, Latour questions the European habit of calling Indian males "boys", wild, adventurous and”,.