The Bridge is Love

A detailed Summary of The Bridge is Love

In the Book The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Thornton Wilder portrays love to be both the cause of misery in life and the cause of meaning in life.

The book begins in Peru with the collapse of the bridge of San Luis Rey. The catastrophe results in five people plunging to their deaths. A Franciscan monk named Brother Juniper witnesses the event and wonders, "why did this happen to those five?"

In an attempt to prove theology an exact science, Brother Juniper researches the lives of these five people.

The first victim of love introduced in the book is the Marquesa de Montemayor, better known as Doņa Maria. Doņa Maria had been plagued her whole life with Ugliness and a speech impediment. She was not married until the age of twenty-six. This marriage resulted in the birth of her daughter, Doņa Clara, to whom all her love was given. From an early age mother and daughter had an odd relationship, as shown in this passage:

"...and when an exquisite daughter was born to her she fastened upon her an idolatrous love. ... At the age eight she was calmly correcting her mother's speech and presently regarding her with astonishment and repulsion."pg14

This shows how much love Doņa Maria poured into Doņa Clara, and how she in turn o

Even Brother Juniper was tortured by love. He loved his book and in turn was named a heretic and burned, along with his book, at the stake.

When Doņa Clara was old enough for marriage she married off to Spain and far away from her mother. This caused the Marquesa great pain such that the only joy she found in life was writing letters, seldom receiving replies, to her daughter. Eventually Doņa Maria became increasingly lonely and decided to adopt a girl named Pepita. Pepita became a great help to Doņa Maria. When a letter arrived from Spain confiding that Doņa Clara was to have a child the Marquesa, following in Peruvian tradition, made the pilgrimage to the shrine of Santa Maria de Cluxambuqua along with Pepita. It was on this trip that Doņa Maria received a contemptuous letter from her daughter. Once again her undying love had been criticized. It was from this letter that an epiphany overcame her; instead of being made miserable by her love she decided to only give love where love was due. With her life full of new resolve she and Pepita headed home and fell with the bridge as they crossed it.

"..., Uncle Pio is the most delightful man in the world,...If he weren't so disreputable I should make him my secretary. ...He is only like an ant, he is like a soiled pack of cards. And I doubt whether the whole Pacific could wash him sweet and fragrant again."pg76

Three people tortured by unreciprocated love have died just as they have found new meaning in life. Yet at the same time their enduring love has helped to build new meaning in the lives of those they left behind.

1. Wilder, Thornton, The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Some time after the incident Camila out of curiosity and pain makes her way to Lima to talk to the Abbess because s

Some common words found in the essay are:
Doņa Clara, Uncle Pio, Madre Maria, Doņa Maria, Luis Rey, Directly Pio, Don Jamie, Marquesa's Esteban's, Thornton Wilder, Captain Alverado, uncle pio, doņa maria, doņa clara, san luis rey, bridge san luis, luis rey, bridge san, san luis, meaning life, collapse bridge, miserable love, don jamie,

Approximate Word count = 1185
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English