About the Book
The Bridge of San Luis Rey is a Pulitzer Prize winning fiction novel written by Thornton Wilder in 1927. The story begins in eighteenth century Peru when an ancient Incan bridge breaks, plunging five unsuspecting travelers to their death. This tragic event was observed by a Franciscan monk, Brother Juniper. He sees the tragedy as an opportunity to investigate the workings of God, by asking a key question in the novel, “Why did it happen to those five?” Brother Juniper spends several years investigating the lives of the victims, in hope of finding proof that nothing happens by accident. The complexities of human existence and interaction keep him from achieving his goal.
About the Author
Multiple Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, Thornton Wilder, was born April 17th, 1897, in Madison Wisconsin. He was born to a well educated family and spent time living in various locations across the globe. Wilder joined the military during World War I, and once again in World War II. As a testament to his versatility, he was able to write in many different genres. His word included essays, plays, short plays, collections, and novels. An accomplished writer, Wilder’s best known works include not only the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, but two of his plays, Our Town (1938) and The Skin of Our Teeth (1942), also won this prestigious award.
Characters and Conflict
In the opening pages of the novel Wilder introduces Brother Juniper, a monk who witnesses five faceless characters plunge to their death. The rest of the novel is divided into sections, expanding upon the triumphs and tragedies of their existence. All the characters on the bridge had crossed paths in one or more ways throughout their intricate lives. The colorful cast of characters includes: religious but self involved Marquesa De Montemayor, and Pepita, the orphan under her care, brilliant actress Camila Perichole and her sagacious mentor Uncle Pio, and Esteban, a grieving gentleman mourning the loss of his twin brother. The terrifying scene witnessed by Brother Juniper inspired him to embark on a journey in hopes of proving the existence of a divine plan.
Theme
The common thread that united the five individuals that faithful night on the bridge was not a divine plan by