Perhaps an Accident – Perhaps an Intention
A review of The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
By Julia A. Keirns
We all have regrets. Whether we are the ones who are destined to die at the next tragic accident, or the ones who are destined to survive it. A tragic accident like the collapse of the rope bridge of San Luis Rey will make everyone stop and think about their life, what is right about it and what is wrong about it – and how does divine intervention determine whether we are on the bridge at the time of the collapse or not? How was it determined that destiny put those certain characters on the bridge and not the others? Brother Juniper was sure that the collapse of the bridge was a sheer act of God, and that God had settled upon that person and upon that day, and he set out to prove it.
Set in the year 1714, the walking bridge was a staple feature of the area. Everyone used it on a regular basis. As I read this book, I couldn’t put it down. Thornton Wilder’s writing style kept me turning the page to see what I would learn next. It was interesting and compelling, and I didn’t want to stop reading it. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the inner lives of the people affected by the accident.
The story flowed exceedingly well. It was an easy read. This is a short novel and I was able to finish it in one sitting. I did not get bored at any point through the story where I felt like I wanted to put it down and take a break. I was moved by the sad lives of so many of the characters. Even though this was set in the year 1714, and written more than 90 years ago, it is still relevant today.
We are surrounded by people who have such sadness and despair in their lives, and yet they hide it well and we don’t see it. People today would most likely take one of the same two thought processes as they did back then. According to Wilder, “Some say that we shall never know and that to the gods we are like the 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.”
We are not just told about a character and how they are. We are given insight into what parts of their life made them the way they are, and this causes us to care about them and feel compassion toward them and their daily struggles. I thought Wilder did a great job of characterization. It is a wonderfully written book that we don’t seem to hear a lot about.
This book is definitely a classic. Written by Thornton Wilder in 1927 and still widely read 90 years later. I would call that timeless.