Bridge Allusion Essay

Christians often view salvation as a heavenly resting place of love and comfort; in reality, however, salvation is a lifelong journey that bridges the gap between Heaven and Earth. Believers cross this spiritual bridge through faith coupled with good works. “Bridge,” a short story by Daniel O’Malley, features a young, boy who struggles to comprehend, and find, salvation. In the story, “Bridge,” various Biblical allusions express the motif of a path to salvation.

Two biblical allusions immediately propel the reader into the complexities of salvation; as the narrator contemplates his daily routine, he remembers two Bible stories as he says, “...but also about the flood and locusts and frogs and other plagues that had happened before and could

happen again…(192). Here, the narrator references the stories of Noah and the Flood in the Book of Genesis and The Ten Plagues in The Book of Exodus. These stories discuss the consequences nonbelievers face if they fail to recognize the God of the Hebrews as the one, true God. They, however, also express the graces that believers will receive. Noah and his family, always following God’s law, escape drowning and establish a new covenant stating that God would never harm humanity as He once had. Promoting the overall motif of salvation,, O’Malley alludes to the hopes and the promises God made with Noah, therefore giving the readers the same confidence and hope the narrator feels as he remembers a cherished Bible story and. When discussing the capabilities of his memory, the narrator displays his feeling of confidence when he proudly states, “[b]ut his memory was strong”(192). Although the narrator may forget, his hope for salvation, or more locally his hope for his parents’ mercy, prevails.
Like Noah’s tale, the Ten Plagues is the tale of Moses as he leads the enslaved Hebrews to freedom and eventually, their promised land. In the Book of Exodus, Moses narrates the condemning, harmful, and hellish plagues that fell upon the Egyptians for refusing to free the Hebrews; however, it also conveys the blessings, protections, and miracles that will come to the followers of God. The narrator feels protected as he climbs under his bed, “he found it easier to think this way, easier to concentrate”(194). Like the Hebrews, the narrator feels frightened; however, he manages to find safety under his bed as he concentrates on his lessons. The bed represents God’s protection, and since the narrator is under it, he receives all the physical, emotional, and spiritual protection he requires. O’Malley achieves the feeling of miraculous protection through graciously executed allusions.
The motif of salvation becomes solidified with the final Biblical allusion which occurs when the narrator discusses the lost souls who consume the fish in the log cabin, “On the other side of the bridge, he knew, was an enormous building built to look like a log cabin where people came to live for a few days at a time and eat fried fish…[a]s for where the fish came from, he wasn’t sure”(192-193).

This lesser known story recounts that, while out preaching, Jesus, rather than sending a hungry crowd away to starve in their barren, unfruitful city, performed a miracle and fed them all with fish and bread. The story of Jesus feeding Five Thousand from the four Gospels indicates a strong and significant Biblical allusion. O’Malley uses the final allusion to show that those still learning can begin to receive the fruits of salvation. The narrator, still learning his faith, receives this blessing as he witnesses the miracle of the suicidal couple turning into birds, “... their bodies shrank and their arms turned flat and wide, flapping”(195). For any child, witnessing death, especially suicide, can cause negative psychological side effects. Because of this, God grants the narrator peace of mind, one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, as he begins his personal path to

salvation.
Although the narrator could be focusing on the punishments described in Genesis, Exodus, and the Gospels,readers learn he is not..

Like all believers, he learns to comprehend the stories in the Bible and view them as stories of hope and happiness. Having understood this, he expresses feeling of content, rather than fear as he says, “...he wasn’t upset anymore”(195). His feeling of contentment allows readers to allow for “Bridge” to contain the motif of salvation.

The uncrossed bridge of salvation represents the motif of salvation. Unused, mistreated, and practically forgotten, the bridge represents the neglected path of salvation seen with modern young adults and teenagers. “Bridge” uses Biblical support to encourage readers to reconnect with salvation and begin the journey that starts in the soul. At the end of the story, the narrator questions, “[p]eople crossed it now...usually only halfway….”(195). As the story concludes, the narrator strengthens the motif by showing that Christians must not simply expect salvation, they must actively seek it

out.
Easy to find, yet hard to cross, the bridge to salvation in “Bridge” shows readers that study of the Bible will only get believers so far; like in all three Bible stories, believers have to completely cross the bridge to find eternal peace. The stories found in both the Old and New Testament portray the spiritual completeness and perfection that believers can find on the path of salvation which can change heathens to devout believers. “Bridge” by Daniel O’Malley illuminates the saving bridge to eternal happiness that every reader, like the narrator, should begin to think about crossing.