Death Comes for the Archbishop · Chapter
III explained
In his old study near the cathedral, an aging Archbishop Latour reflects on his life and work in New Mexico.
What happens
In his old study near the cathedral, an aging Archbishop Latour reflects on his life and work in New Mexico. He feels a deep contentment at being back, having arrived with the buffalo and now seeing railways in Santa Fe. He contrasts the heavy, misty mornings of his native France with the light, dry, liberating air of the desert, which makes him feel young and free. Despite the allure of returning to France, he has chosen to die in exile for the sake of that wild, free spirit of the New World.
Themes in this chapter
Landscape and Place
The chapter contrasts the heavy, misty mornings of Auvergne with the light, dry, aromatic air of the New Mexican desert, which Latour finds spiritually liberating and essential to his well-being.
Mortality and Legacy
Latour contemplates his own mortality, viewing the cathedral as his tomb, and reflects on having 'accomplished an historic period' by witnessing the transformation of the frontier.
Tradition vs. Change
Latour notes the arrival of the railroad in Santa Fe, symbolizing the encroachment of modernity on the wild landscape he loves, and reflects on how the air of new countries vanishes once they are tamed.
Characters to notice
- Bishop Jean Marie Latour
The aging Archbishop awakens in his old study near the cathedral, feeling safe and content. He reflects on his life's work, his love for the New Mexican landscape, and his decision to return to die in exile rather than retire in France.
Key passages
“He had come with the buffalo, and he had lived to see railway trains running into Santa Fe.”
He arrived when the land was wild and untamed, and now he has witnessed the arrival of modern transportation.
Highlights the dramatic change Latour has witnessed in New Mexico over his lifetime.
“In New Mexico he always awoke a young man; not until he rose and began to shave did he realize that he was growing older.”
The New Mexican mornings made him feel youthful, and only the routine of shaving reminded him of his age.
Illustrates the rejuvenating effect of the desert landscape on Latour's spirit.
“Something soft and wild and free, something that whispered to the ear on the pillow, lightened the heart, softly, softly picked the lock, slid the bolts, and released the prisoned spirit of man into the wind, into the blue and gold, into the morning, into the morning!”
A gentle, untamed force in the air frees his soul, lifting him into the beauty of the dawn.
Captures the mystical, liberating quality of the New Mexican environment that Latour cherishes.