Read the excerpt from Leslie Marmon Silko's story "The Man to Send Rain Clouds."
His fingers were stiff, and it took him 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?
He hopes that Teofilo's family will allow him to hold a funeral Mass.
He hopes to integrate his beliefs into theirs as much as possible.
He is performing last rites for Teofilo without the knowledge of Teofilo's family.
He is curious about the funeral customs of the Pueblo people.