Similarities Between San Luis Rey And The Bridge Of Anthony

Death is inevitable and when you do die life will continue on without you. Some people may question whether or not the universe will care about their life and death after they die. In Thornton Wilder’s, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, and Leo Tolstoy’s, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, both authors seem to believe that the universe does care about peoples lives and their deaths. In The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Tolstoy evaluates the subject of death and dying by describing the story of a worldly careerist and a high court judge who is brought face-to-face with his own death. In The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Wilder analyzes the lives of five individuals who all hurtled to their deaths when a bridge collapsed. He tries to answer the inescapable question: Why those

five? So, in both of these books the authors reflect their opinion on whether or not the universe cares in two different ways.

When reflecting upon the book, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, you can get an idea of the authors opinion on death. He takes his time to evaluate Ivan Ilyich’s life and learn about the story of him dying. “Ivan Ilyich’s life had been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible” (Tolstoy 43). The author has come to the conclusion that Ivan believes his life was simple. Not in a good way but in a bad way, therefore, he thinks he did not live his life in the correct way. Towards the end of the book and near Ivan’s death he has come to a realization about his life. “It is as if I had been going downhill while I imagined I was going up. And that is really what it was. I was going up in public opinion, but to the same extent life was ebbing away from me. And now it is all done and there is only death” (Tolstoy 101). Ivan finally understood that social status does not truly matter. Following in the tracks of society robbed him of his life because it was not giving him fulfillment like he thought it was. Through the book the author reflects on Ivan’s life and death and the theme becomes evident. The theme is the inevitability of death which can be connected to the authors opinion on whether or not the universe cares.

After looking over the theme for the book, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, you can recognize the authors opinion on the universe caring. He takes the time to reflect on Ivan Ilyich’s death so he does believe that when you die the universe will care. “‘Perhaps I did not live as I ought to have done,’ it suddenly occurred to him. ‘But how could that be when I did everything one is supposed to?’” (Tolstoy 102). In this quote, the values of Tolstoy are shown. He values compassion and love and believes in their importance of living a happy and correct life. Because he values these things he also values the importance of peoples lives, showing the universe does care in his eyes. It is also evident in this, “At that very moment Ivan Ilyich fell through and saw a light, and it was revealed to him that his life had not been what it should have but that he could still rectify the situation” (Tolstoy 112). At this moment Ivan is finally reaching death, but instead he see light. He feels pity for his son and wife but in his final moments he is filled with joy. Once again, Tolstoy’s values of love and compassion are portrayed and you can see that he believes the universe does care.

When examining the book, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, the themes become obvious.

The author takes his time to analyze the lives of five individuals who hurtled to their deaths in an inexplicable tragedy. One important theme of the book is the question of whether our lives are destined by fate or assembled by random factors. It is portrayed in this, “Either we live by accident and die by accident, or we live by plan and die by plan” (Wilder 6). Thornton Wilder believed that the five people who were killed in the bridge collapse were meant to die there and he was trying to prove that. Another noticeable theme represented through the book is the theme of love. Some of the characters like The Marquesa and Esteban learn about love throughout the book. They learn that love requires courage and they also learn that love can survive death. “There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning” (Wilder 148). This quote shows the theme of love and how, although these five individuals were killed in a tragedy, the love represented in their lives did not die with them. These two themes expressed in the book can be connected to the authors opinion on the universe

caring.

After studying the themes of the book, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, the authors opinion on whether or not the universe cares about peoples lives and deaths becomes very obvious. He takes his time to learn about the lives of five individuals. “Some say that we shall never know and that to the gods we are like flies that the boys kill on a summer day, and some say, on the contrary, that the very sparrows do not lose a feather that has not been brushed away by the finger of God” (Wilder 9). Some people may not believe the deaths of those killed on the bridge are important, but Thornton Wilder does believe their lives were important and the universe does care. The universe does care and the tragic event that occurred on that bridge will not be forgotten. “A new bridge of stone has been built in the place of the old, but the event has not been forgotten” (Wilder 133). The author explains in this that those who lost their life when the bridge collapsed will always be remembered. As you can tell, the themes represented in the book show that the author does believe that the universe cares.

Ultimately, in the books, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, by Leo Tolstoy, and The Bridge of San Luis Rey, by Thornton Wilder both authors share their opinion on whether the universe cares or not. Leo Tolstoy studies the subject of death and dying and shares his values of love and compassion. This shows he does believe the universe cares about people’s lives and deaths. Thornton Wilder evaluates the lives of five individuals who died when a bridge collapsed and determined they all died for a reason. This tells the reader that the author thinks the universe does care when you die. Death is inevitable and is bound to happen one day, but will the universe care when it happens to you? Tolstoy and Wilder both believe so.