Death Comes for the Archbishop · Chapter
VI explained
In the final weeks of his life, Bishop Latour reflects on the past, finding that calendared time has ceased to matter and that all his memories are equally vivid.
What happens
In the final weeks of his life, Bishop Latour reflects on the past, finding that calendared time has ceased to matter and that all his memories are equally vivid. He is visited by the old Navajo Eusabio, who has come by train, and they share a poignant reunion. Latour notes the end of black slavery and the restoration of the Navajos to their homeland, while reflecting on the profit-driven nature of the Indian wars.
Themes in this chapter
Mortality and Legacy
The Bishop contemplates his own death, the fading of the present, and the enduring significance of his past experiences and relationships.
Friendship and Loyalty
Eusabio's journey to visit the dying Archbishop underscores a deep, enduring friendship across cultural divides.
Cultural Clash and Harmony
The reunion between Latour and Eusabio, and Latour's reflections on the Navajo restoration and Indian wars, highlight both conflict and reconciliation.
Characters to notice
- Bishop Jean Marie Latour
In his final weeks, Latour contemplates death, memory, and the past; he is visited by Eusabio and reflects on the end of slavery and the Navajo restoration.
- Eusabio
The old Navajo travels by train to Santa Fe to visit the dying Archbishop, sharing a quiet reunion and speaking of Manuelito.
- Magdalena Valdez
Mentioned as one of the minor characters who comes into the Bishop's room and asks him questions.
- Bernard Ducrot
Mentioned as one of the minor characters who comes into the Bishop's room and asks him questions.
- Manuelito
Mentioned by Eusabio as still leading his people.
Key passages
“During those last weeks of the Bishop’s life he thought very little about death; it was the Past he was leaving. The future would take care of itself.”
In his final weeks, the Bishop was not preoccupied with dying but with the past he was leaving behind, trusting the future to unfold on its own.
Reflects the Bishop's shift in focus from future to past as death approaches.
“He was soon to have done with calendared time, and it had already ceased to count for him. He sat in the middle of his own consciousness; none of his former states of mind were lost or outgrown.”
Calendared time no longer mattered to him; he felt centered in his own consciousness, with all past experiences equally accessible and relevant.
Illustrates the Bishop's transcendence of linear time in his final days.
“Men travel faster now, but I do not know if they go to better things.”
People travel more quickly nowadays, but Eusabio questions whether they are heading toward anything better.
Eusabio's reflection on technological progress versus moral or spiritual improvement.
“I have lived to see two great wrongs righted; I have seen the end of black slavery, and I have seen the Navajos restored to their own country.”
The Bishop feels he has witnessed the correction of two major injustices: the abolition of black slavery and the return of the Navajo to their homeland.
Highlights Latour's sense of historical progress and justice.