The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Is it possible to show that each of the ‘gesticulating ants’ had in some way reached an ‘end’ to his or her life, and what are the main themes of each of these lives which might account for their deaths? Love is an intricate emotion, expressing itself in almost every conceivable form (except romantic attraction in this novel). As Wilder philosophizes “Many who have spent a lifetime in it can tell us less that the child that lost a dog yesterday.” Wilder endeavors to expose the complex underlying elements, which cause the inability to love without ulterior motive, which characterizes each of the relationships in the novel, Bridge of the San Luis Rey. Through exploring Wilder’s ultimate question whether or not a divine plan organizes and validates life and death, we discover life does not require a plan, as love is the only meaning to life. It is what links the land of the living to the land of the dead and brings light to the darkness of suffering. Five seemingly unconnected lives plunged to their deaths when the bridge collapsed. Unconnected, apart from their experience with a perverse kind of love. From Pepita’s almost religious idolatry of the Abbess to the Perichole’s disbelief that someone could love her for whom
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Dona Clara, Uncle Pio, Don Jaime, Esteban Manuel, Uncle Pios, Luis Rey, , Abbess Pericholes, Captain Alvarado, Camilla Pio, don jaime, dona clara, separated people, perverse love, love pepitas, passion love, chance love, love love, died bridge, chance life,
Approximate Word count = 1449
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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