Read the following excerpt from Leslie Marmon Silko’s story "The Man to Send Rain Clouds." His fingers were stiff, and it took h
im a long time to twist the lid off the holy water. Drops of water fell on the red blanket and soaked into dark icy spots. He sprinkled the grave and the water disappeared almost before it touched the dim, cold sand; it reminded him of something—he tried to remember what it was, because he thought if he could remember he might understand this. He sprinkled more water; he shook the container until it was empty, and the water fell through the light from sundown like August rain that fell while the sun was still shining, almost evaporating before it touched the wilted squash flowers. What inference can be made about Father Paul’s motives for going with Leon to sprinkle holy water on Teofilo’s grave?
By reading the excerpt, it can be inferred that Father Paul's motives for going with Leon to sprinkle holy water on Teofilo's grave was the Father Paul hopes to integrate his beliefs into theirs as much as possible.
Explanation:
"The Man to Send Rain Clouds" is a story written by author Leslie Marmon Silko that was first published in 1969. The story, based on a real incident the author heard about in her hometown in New Mexico that explores the religious and cultural blending between the Native American community and the catholic one. In the excerpt this dynamic is showed clearly, as Father Paul decides to go with Leon in order to sprinkle Holy water on Teofilo's grave, although Teofilo was not a Christian. The action of Father Paul shows how much he wants to integrate his religious beliefs into the Native Americans as much as possible.
The story depicts the death of an old man called Teofilo. His grandsons, Leon and Ken make preparation for the burial. They don'r want Father Paul to be involved with the burial process because they want to bury their grandfather in a traditional way, not in a Catholic one. However, Father Paul hopes to integrate his beliefs into theirs as much as possible by practicing the ritual described in the excerpt.
