The Man to Send Rain Clouds: Contemporary Stories by American Indians

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1974

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Themes

Death as a Beginning

Death as a beginning is a theme that is manifested throughout the entirety of Silko’s “The Man to Send Rain Clouds.” Upon finding Teofilo’s body, Leon and Ken begin preparing his body for the afterlife. They paint his face with different colors, tie a “small gray feather in the old man’s long white hair,” and “throw pinches of corn meal and pollen into the wind” (1). The preparation of the body suggests that Leon believes that Teofilo will exist beyond his life on earth. Death does not mark an ending, but rather, the beginning of something different. Rather than weep at Teofilo’s death, Leon’s reaction to the completion of the first burial rites is a smile, and a request: “Send us rain clouds, Grandfather” (1). Though Leon is the main character of the short story, he does not speak many lines of dialogue. Most of the text is description of the character’s actions. As a result, Leon’s direct address of his grandfather at the beginning of the text is significant. In his direct address to Teofilo, by asking him to “send us rain clouds,” Leon displays his own understanding of death as a beginning rather than an end (1). His belief that Teofilo can hear him even in death, and that he can proceed to send them rain, reveals an understanding of death that runs slightly counter to Christian faith.

Instead of speaking about Grandfather in the past tense as Father Paul does, Leon talks about Teofilo in the present tense. He says to Father Paul, “we just want him to have plenty of water” (3). On the other hand, Father Paul is upset at the inability to perform “the Last Rites” for Teofilo, a custom that betrays the finality of Christian understandings of death. For Leon and his family, the sprinkling of holy water and corn meal on Teofilo’s body is to ensure that “he won’t be thirsty” or hungry in the afterlife (3). The diction that Leon uses to talk about his grandfather shows his faith in Teofilo’s continued existence in the afterlife, and the belief that death is only a new beginning.

Community as Family

Different manifestations of community and family appear in Silko’s “The Man to Send Rain Clouds.” Though Father Paul does not understand Pueblo customs and attempts to convert the townspeople into Christians, he does still care for his parishioners. When he first encounters Ken and Leon at the beginning of the short story, he calls out, “Did you find old Teofilo?” (1). That the young priest should know and care about Teofilo’s disappearance showcases his commitment to the community around him, regardless of their presence in his church. The theme of community and family in the text is even more evident in the collection of people who support Leon. Teresa and Louise clean and dress Teofilo’s body for burial. At the actual burial, “The people stood close to each other with little clouds of steam puffing from their faces” (4). Despite the cold, Teofilo’s family and community are present to watch over his transition into the afterlife.

The theme of community and family in the text is even clearer when Leon and Ken tell the others about Teofilo’s death. Silko writes, “the neighbors and clanspeople came quietly to embrace Teofilo’s family and to leave food on the table because the grave-diggers would come to eat when they were finished” (2). Community care is manifested here not only through emotional support but also in tangible help with the preparation of food and the digging of Teofilo’s grave. The ground is slightly frozen, and even Father Paul marvels at the successful digging of a grave in such weather. Silko’s emphasis on the food brought by neighbors being for the gravediggers rather the family once again highlights the strong community bonds depicted in the text. Community functions as a larger family that cares for their own.

Tension and Resolution Between Cultures

The tension and resolution between Pueblo beliefs and Christian faith is a prevailing theme in Silko’s “The Man to Send Rain Clouds.” Depicted through her use of juxtaposition, contrast, and irony, Silko repeatedly draws the reader’s attention to the schism between Pueblo tradition and Christianity. The tension manifests most evidently when Leon goes to Father Paul to ask him to bless Teofilo’s grave. Despite Teofilo’s own adherence to Pueblo traditions, the priest is frustrated, insisting: “There should have been the Last Rites and a funeral mass at the very least” (3). Leon does not attempt to argue with Father Paul, only stating: “[I]t’s getting late, Father. I’ve got to go” (3). With this, Silko draws the reader’s attention back to the gradual passage of time and emphasizes Leon’s dedication to the Pueblo custom of burying the dead before nightfall. Leon does not try to convince Father Paul to come with him, nor does he try to explain their customs to him. He simply states that he wants Teofilo blessed because they want him “to have plenty of water” (3). Leon’s reconciliation of both Pueblo customs and Christian faith highlights the shared qualities of both traditions. They are both equally nonsensical and vital to the people who believe in them.

Despite Father Paul’s agreement to bless Teofilo’s grave, he continues to harbor distrust in Leon and the Pueblo people. As he blesses Teofilo, he wonders “if it wasn’t some perverse Indian trick–something they did in March to insure a good harvest–wondering if maybe old Teofilo was actually at sheep camp corralling the sheep for the night” (3). Father Paul’s immediate instinct of distrust in a moment of uncertainty betrays the inherent conflict and tension between him and the Pueblo community at large. By refusing to call them by their proper name, generalizing them as “Indian,” and assuming their customs to be “perverse” and tied to a harvest, the priest falls back into ignorant stereotypes of Indigenous Americans (3). In contrast to Leon who embraces aspects of the Christian faith that ties into his own beliefs, for example, Father Paul exemplifies why the tension between Pueblo customs and Christianity exists. Father Paul’s instinctive return to assuming the worst of the Pueblo community displays his prejudice and inability to respect their traditions.