The Bridge of San Luis Rey

by Thornton Wilder

Thornton Wilder was born in Wisconsin, USA, 1897. He graduated from Yale and then spent a year at the American Academy in Rome. For the next four years Wilder taught French at a preparatory school and later English at Chicago University. During these years he also practised writing as a hobby. Wilder became one of the most popular contemporary American writers. On three occasions within 14 years he won America's most notable literary award, the Pulitzer Prize, for his novel "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" (1927), and for his plays "Our Town" (1938) and "The Skin of Our Teeth" (1942). He died in 1975.

The novel "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" takes place in Peru, South America, and tells us about the destiny of five people. One afternoon in July, 1714, the finest bridge in Peru breaks and precipitates five travellers into the gulf below. The Peruvians are much impressed by this "Act of God". Brother Juniper, a little Franciscan from Italy, happens to witness the accident. He decides to inquire into the secret lives of the five persons that were killed. He wants to know why these five people were killed and whether we all live by plan or by accident. He works for six years and writes an enormous book with all the material he has collected.

One of those killed is Dona Maria, Marquesa de Montemayor. Her childhood was unhappy, she was ugly, she shuttered and her mother tormented her with sarcasm. At the age of 26 she was forced into marriage with a ruined nobleman. All her love centred on her daughter Clara, who took after her father and was cold and intellectual. She was glad to leave her mother's possessive love and go to Spain, where she married a nobleman. After four years Dona Maria visited her but after quarrels she returned to Peru. Now the Marquesa´s life centred on the letters she wrote regularly to her daughter, but which she did not value. Dona Maria started drinking and would perhaps have been burned by the Inquisition had her son-in-law been less influential in Spain and had she not have some friends in the court. She forced herself to go out into society in order to collect material for her letters. One evening at the theatre, the famous actress Perichole saw her in the audience and began to improvise awful couplets at her expense. The Marquesa did not realise the blame at that moment and when the actress visited her later to apologise, she still did not understand and was very friendly. The Perichole left the house deeply ashamed.

The Marquesa had a young girl, Pepita, as a companion. The Abbess of the Convent of Lima had sent this 14-year-old orphan to her to be her maid, without telling the girl that she had chosen her to be her successor as abbess  of the convent. But she sent her first to serve the Marquesa, thinking it would be a difficult case and therefore a good preparation and education for her. Pepita was very unhappy but lived without complaint because she loved Madre Maria del Pilar, the Abbess.

When the Marquesa heard of her daughter that she was expecting a child, she wanted to make a pilgrimage to pray for her and had to cross the bridge.  At the inn where they stayed the night, Pepita in her desperation wrote to the Abbess asking to return to the convent for a few days. The Marquesa read the letter and was much touched by the girl's love for the Abbess. But Pepita decided not to send the letter, saying that it was not brave enough. The Marquesa was so much impressed by the girl's courage, realised her own selfishness and determined to begin a new life. That night she wrote to her daughter the first letter in courage. Two days later while crossing the bridge they fell to they deaths.

About 20 years before the bridge fell, twin boys had been discovered in the foundlings basket before the door of the convent. They were brought up by the nuns and were given the names Manuel and Esteban. The Abbess grew to love them although they were silent and hostile boys. They invented a secret language for themselves and communicated by telepathy. They usual worked as scribes but also did manual work. One day their unit was destroyed. Manuel was asked by the Perichole to write letters for her to her lovers. He fell in love with her and Esteban became very miserable and jealous. Manuel understood that his brother was suffering and promised not to see the actress again. Days later Manuel hurt his knee very badly and began blaming Esteban for coming between him and the Perichole. Manuel died of terrible suffering and Esteban, demented with grief, began to wander from province to province. The Abbess thought that Captain Alvarado could help him and Esteban went with him on a expedition to Europe. Esteban tried to hang himself but the Captain saved him at the last moment. Together they started for Lima. When they reached the bridge, the Captain decided to the river but Esteban crossed the bridge and fell with it.

Two other people, an old man called "Uncle Pio" and a seven year old boy, Don Jaime, were crossing the bridge too when it fell. Uncle Pio came from a good Spanish family. At the age of ten he ran away to Madrid. His life had three aims, the desire to be all-knowing, to be always near to beautiful woman and to the theatre. After a quarrel he moved to Peru where he continued his adventure life. One day he stumbled upon an adventure that combined the three great aims of his life. He discovered Camila Perichole at the age of twelve, singing in cafés, and bought her. He taught her to be a great actress and he loved her. She was very beautiful and famous and became the mistress of Don Andre, the Viceroy of Peru. She bore him three children, two girls and a boy, left the theatre and became very respectable. Pio tried in vain to persuade her to return to the theatre. One day she became very ill with smallpox and lost her beauty. In her hysterical pride she refused to see any of her old friends again. She decided to live in poverty on a little farm in the country. Pio begged her to let him take Don Jaime, her son, to live with him in Lima. This little boy was rachitic and had epileptic fits, but was very intelligent and beautiful. Pio wanted to teach him how to be a gentlemen. Here on the farm he was left among servants and was learning nothing. At last Perichole agreed to let the boy go if he wished it himself. The next day the little boy appeared at the inn carrying a small bundle and Uncle Pio set off with him on his shoulder. As they came near the bridge Jaime felt one of his fits coming on. Uncle Pio said they would sit down and rest when they had crossed the bridge but it turned out not to be necessary.

Brother Juniper starts gathering his proofs of God's will, partly in order to convince a friend, a master in the University. He finds his task more difficult than he has thought before. After making a diagram of the characteristics of 15 victims and 15 survivors, it seems that the dead are the really valuable people in the village. He thinks he sees in the same accident the wicked visited by destruction and the good calls early  to heaven. The finished book is suddenly pronounced heretical and ordered to be burned in the square with its author. A service is held for the five victims in the Cathedral of Lima. The Abbess feels that all her hopes have been in vain. Perichole is also overcome  by a terrible feeling of pain at having lost the two beings she loved. One day she hears that the Abbess also lost two persons who she loved. Perichole decides to visit her, the two become friends and she remains as one of her helpers. Dona Clara comes from Spain to visit the Abbess and reproaches herself for her unkindness to her mother. The Abbess thinks of the five who died and soon the memory of those will have left the earth.

"But the love will have been enough . There is al land of the living and a land of the dead, and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning."

All five people were at a turning-point in their lives, at the beginning of a new way of life. The Marquesa was so much influenced by Pepita that she realised that her love for her daughter had been selfish and she decided to change. Pepita did not write her letter to the Abbess because it was not brave enough and Esteban, Pio and Jaime were all about to set for an new life.

Their deaths at this point change the characters of those who are left behind. Perichole an Dona Clara are filled with remorse and change their selfish way of life. The Abbess is once more filled with happiness when she reads the Marquesa´s wonderful last letter. She knows her work has not been in vain.

The main message of the book for us is I think, the realisation that love and the willing to make sacrifices every day are one of the essential signs of humanity. It is a very interesting and dramatic story and over all an outstanding novel. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to everybody who likes instructive kinds of biography stories.