Content Warning: The source text and this section of the guide discuss substance addiction.

Initially, this novel appears to be a meditation on faith and redemption, and the “five wounds” of the title seem to have great religious significance. However, the narrative’s relationship with religion is uneasy, and Valdez Quade has been vocal about her Catholicism’s role in the often-violent colonization of the region’s indigenous populations. Ultimately, Amadeo comes to find redemption through acts rather than faith, and his journey of self-discovery and growth is much more about embracing his family than embracing the church. The “five wounds” thus symbolize sacrifice and growth, but it is a sacrifice born out of forgoing individual desire in favor of doing right by one’s family.

During the weeks leading up to the procession and during the Passion Play itself, Amadeo is consumed by how he will appear to Tío Tíve and the rest of the attendees of the ceremony. He wants desperately to be seen as worthy of the role of Jesus, and he asks to be nailed to the cross rather than tied to it so that everyone will see the depth of his commitment. And yet, his desire is for recognition, not to truly know God.