Character Analysis
The Homely Cook
Two of the first things we learn about Father Joseph Vaillant are that he's not all that much to look at and he's a great master of food. One of the first descriptions Willa Cather gives of him comes when he and Father Latour are standing over an open fire:
Crimson from standing over an open fire, his rugged face was even homelier than usual—though one of the first things a stranger decided upon meeting Father Joseph was that the Lord had made few uglier men. (1.3.11)
But don't let his outward appearance fool you. Father Vaillant is totally glowing on the inside when it comes to his devotion for the church. In fact, his ugliness might even be one of the reasons he has turned to religion for fulfillment.
Father Vaillant's biggest love, apart from his Lord, is definitely food. The guy isn't just a great gardener; he's an excellent cook too. He's so good at cooking that he won't even let his servants or hosts prepare meals for him. He insists on doing it all himself instead. As he asks one family, "Will you permit me to go into the kitchen and cook my portion in my own way?" (2.1.18). Father Vaillant is very much the kind of guy who does things himself if he wants them done right.
The Passionate Catholic
Unlike Father Latour, Father Vaillant doesn't do a whole lot of deep philosophical thinking. He's more of a doer, which means that he's very effective as a priest, but also a little more closed-minded than Latour.
When Latour mentions, for example, that the non-Christian people of Africa are responsible for the silver in Father Vaillant's favorite church bell, Vaillant remarks, "What are you doing, Jean? Trying to make my bell out an infidel?" (1.4.8). In other words, he doesn't want his Catholic bell tainted by a connection to any race or religion other than Catholicism.
But while Father Vaillant's passion often makes him intolerant of other cultures, it also gives him a lot of energy for spreading Catholicism. As he tells Latour later in the book:
"I confess I am covetous of that mission. I desire to be the man who restores these lost children to God. It will be the greatest happiness of my life." (7.1.26)
It's this passion that eventually leads Vaillant to move away from Father Latour. The two of them are very close, but in the end, Father Vaillant will always follow his values and choose duty over everything else.