Death Comes for the Archbishop · Theme
Tradition vs. Change
How Death Comes for the Archbishop develops Tradition vs. Change.
The novel contrasts the old Spanish and Native American ways with the encroaching American influence, as seen in the changing architecture of Santa Fe and the resistance of figures like Padre Martínez.
Where it surfaces
- The Wooden Parrot
Latour's mission to reform the diocese clashes with entrenched local customs, such as Gallegos's laxity and the Pueblo Indians' ancient reverence for parrot feathers.
- Book V: Padre Martínez
Martínez resists the bishop's reforms and attempts to preserve the old ways, leading to a schism that divides the community.
- The Old Order
Padre Martínez embodies the old order resisting American influence, while Bishop Latour represents the new ecclesiastical authority and the coming of change.
- II: The Lady
The legal challenge to the will reflects tensions between old Spanish customs and new American legal practices.
- IV: Eusabio
The Navajo and Pueblo peoples maintain ancient customs—using old paths, natural stairways, and traditional materials—while resisting innovations like glass windows, highlighting a tension between enduring tradition and the encroaching changes brought by Europeans.
- Cathedral
Latour's preference for Midi Romanesque over American styles like Ohio German or red brick represents a tension between European tradition and American innovation in church building.
- III
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.