The Saint and the Old Man (fourth quarter)

In the fourth and final quarter of the book, the story's main focus is on Catherine Tekakwitha's life just before her death and how she became a saint after her demise. Just like Jesus, she was resurrected on Easter day. She was described as a virgin saint, a pure saint with a skin that glows white. This of course symbolizes racism because only after her passing did Catherine became a white saint. it refers to how the religion is fixated on the purity of whiteness. 

In the epilogue, we are introduced to an old man with pedophilic tendencies. He seems to be running away from his life choices while also being chased by the police. This is how Leonard Cohen concludes his story. He leaves us more confused now than we were a the beginning of the novel. He leaves us to interpret the ending. Personally, we think that this novel is the story of one man. The unnamed man, F., and the old man are one entity and we are reading about his life.

This is a painting of Saint Kateri Takawitha (Catherine Takawitha).