In the movie The Mission, although Cardinal Altamirano deeply regrets destroying the Indians' missions, he believes it was the right thing to do. Altamirano is a wise man and tries his best to remain fair. He makes a difficult decision that helps the Portuguese create the borders of Central America, and is filled with pain knowing that his influence and decisions will result in many deaths. The cardinal is not only misunderstood by the Jesuits, but is also easily overlooked. He is also quite worldly, as he is rich in wealth, has his own personal servants, and all of his decisions are fueled by greed. He's not the main character of the film, but he's the one who strikes me the most. He makes difficult decisions and has to carry this burden with him. Altamirano is not someone we should strive to be like, but I believe we should strive to analyze situations as deeply as he does. Cardinal Altamirano is a conscientious man, he is also worldly, and he is very tenacious. When making decisions, Cardinal Altamirano was aware of every possible outcome. It is imperative that you choose to do what is necessary, instead of what is right. He is also aware that by choosing to save missions, he will lose not only his reputation but also his position of control over events such as these. He craves power and success and is incredibly good at receiving both. He is also aware that he is essentially causing genocide and, in the Jesuit's eyes, this is considered unforgivable. Because the Cardinal has lived in such a corrupt time, he also assumes that his decision will distance him so much from God that redemption will be out of his reach. He is aware of all the negative effects and positive reasons......middle of paper......and, but this is what I observed from the movie. I like to think that the ending of every good essay is an exclamation point, ending a sentence with a fancy piece of punctuation. I have discussed three different traits of Cardinal Altamirano, I hope I have dug into his mind, perhaps not deep enough or perhaps I have not dug at all and I am writing what is on the surface. I hope I have discovered the conscientious man, the worldly man and the tenacious man. He is a man of many mysteries and questionable paths. Nonetheless he thinks about everything, extremely tactically and takes everything into account. Unfortunately he has conformed to this world, but he blames himself and not the world. He is a tenacious man and resists in the face of danger. I aspire to be half as wise as he is and hope he realizes the extent of God's forgiveness.