The Bridge Of Sanhower Analysis

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In the novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey, the author Thornton Wilder tells of the tragic death of five individuals from a bridge collapse in Peru. Wilder, through an unnamed narrator, tells of a monk, Brother Juniper, who witnessed the accident and spent years compiling information on those deceased just to prove it was God’s divine plan for them to perish that day. Brother Juniper thought, “Either we live live by accident and die by accident, or we live by plan and die by plan (Wilder 6). Juniper truly believes those individuals were meant to die that day. He decides to examine the lives of those deceased to somehow validate their death. Bible scripture is very clear that God has a divine plan for each of us. We must also understand that …show more content…

He writes that she lived a sad, unhappy childhood and even as an adult “she lived alone and thought alone…” (Wilder 14). She was forced to marry an unkind man and had a child she loved dearly, but the child did not reciprocate that love. Her daughter was very loved but it was almost a smothering love and, as a result, this made her daughter turn away from her. Wilder states that Dona Maria had a drinking problem and even had “the knowledge that she would never be loved” (19). It wasn’t until the night before her death, that Dona Maria had an epiphany regarding her life as she stated, “Tomorrow I begin a new life” (Wilder 48). She realizes she has never been courageous and brave. Her life had been full of suffering and pain. However, God knew the plan for her life and she was ready to start over as she indicated, “Let me live now, let me begin again” (Wilder 49). It is clear that the act of rededicating one’s life to Christ can occur at any time. As Isaiah 46:9-10 states, God knows our beginning and end. So is it really a coincidence that Dona Maria’s time of epiphany also marks the end of her life? In reality, God’s timing is always perfect. Like Dona Maria, Esteban is another one of Wilder’s characters that dies in the bridge collapse. He has a twin brother, Manuel, in which he shares a strong bond. They are so dedicated to one another and even share a secret language and way to communicate. However, Manuel dies after receiving a wound to his leg. One can only imagine the grief Esteban had, especially after loosing a twin. Depression and grief overcame him as he even pretended, at

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