Ray Moore - The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder: A Study Guide

A Study Guide by R. A. Moore

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2014 Ray Moore

Revised January 2016

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Contents

Part One: PERHAPS AN ACCIDENT

Part One: PERHAPS AN ACCIDENT

The Bottom Line

Essay Questions

Works Cited

READING QUIZZES on...

Answers to READING QUIZZES

A prolific playwright and author of sevennovels, Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) was both popular with thegeneral public and highly regarded by the critical establishment ofhis day which heaped honors upon him. The Bridge of San LuisRey is ranked 37 on the Modern Library list of the 100 bestnovels of the 20th century. Nevertheless, Wilders works seem to beunfashionable today, with the notable exceptions of the play OurTown and the novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey which haveboth retained their popularity. The latter gets a rating of 3.8(out of 5) stars on Goodreads with nearly 20,000 votes.

An Overview of the novel is given at the endof this Study Guide. It gives the kind of critical analysis thatyou might prefer not to have before reading the novel for the firsttime. On the other hand, some readers might prefer to read the first.

1897: April 17, born in Madison, Wisconsin, the second of AmosParker Wilder and Isabella Niven Wilders five children.

1920: awarded Bachelor of Arts degree atYale University.

1926: first novel, The Cabala,published.

1927: second novel, The Bridge ofSan Luis Rey, published.

1928: awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fictionfor The Bridge of San Luis.

1930-1937: taught at the University ofChicago (comparative literature and composition).

1938: awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Dramafor Our Town.

1942: awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Dramafor The Skin of Our Teeth.

1951-2: Professor of Poetry at Harvard.

1952: awarded the Gold Medal for Fiction bythe American Academy of Arts and Letters.

1955-7: the play The Matchmaker ranfor 486 performances on Broadway.

1963: awarded the Presidential Medal ofFreedom.

1968: awarded the National Book Award forFiction for his penultimate novel The Eighth Day.

1975: December 7, died in his sleep at theage 78

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Doa Mara, the Marquesa de Montemayor:The daughter of a rich merchant, Doa Mara is starved of lovefirst by her parents and then by her husband. By marriage shebecomes one of the great, noble ladies of Lima. Her estrangeddaughter, Doa Clara, marries a Spaniard and moves to Spain. DoaMara visits her daughter only once, but maintains a correspondencewith her which later becomes famous in Spanish literature. [Thecharacter is based on the distinguished French letter-writer Mariede Rabutin-Chantal, Madame de Sevigne (1626-1696).]

Pepita: A girl raised at the Convent ofSanta Mara Rosa de la Rosas, whom Doa Mara takes as a companionand surrogate daughter.

Esteban [and Manuel]: Twinsleft at the Convent of Santa Mara Rosa de la Rosas as infants:They are virtually inseparable and no one can tell them apart.Manuel falls hopelessly in love with the actress Camila Pericholebut gives up his passion for her. He cuts his knee on a piece ofmetal; it becomes infected, and he dies. Esteban falls into a deepdepression.

Uncle Pio: An independent but culturedman who makes a living in many different ways. He buys MicaelaVillegas when she is twelve and educates her to become the greatestactress in Peru, Camila Perichole.

Don Jamie: The son of Camila Pericholeand Don Andres. He is a sickly child who is going to live withUncle Pio at the time of their deaths.

Brother Juniper: A Franciscan monk who ison his way to cross the bridge when it collapses. He spends sixyears compiling a book which gives every detail of the lives of thefive victims of the tragedy.

The Abbess Convent of Santa Mara Rosa de laRosas: Takes a particular interest in Pepita and the twinbrothers, Esteban and Manuel, all of whom are orphans raised in theconvent.

Camila Perichole (aka Micaela Villegas):Under Uncle Pios strict guidance she develops into the mosthonored actress in Lima. She becomes the mistress of the Viceroy bywhom she has three illegitimate children and retires from the stageto live the life of a respectable lady. [This character is based ona later historical figure Mara Micaela Villegas Hurtado(1748-1819).]

Doa Clara: Daughter of Doa Mara, whomarries The Conde Vincente dAbuirre, a nobleman with greatinfluence at the Spanish court.

Captain Alvarado: An adventurer who hiresEsteban to sail with him just days before the bridge tragedy.

The Catholic Archbishop of Lima: An obeseman who enjoys the company of the nobles of the city. He performsthe service at the cathedral for the five accident victims.

Don Abdres, The Viceroy: Takes thebeautiful actress Camila Perichole as his mistress. He is based onthe historical figure Manuel de Amat y Juniet.

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The questions are not designed to test you butto help you to locate and to understand characters, plot, settings,and themes in the text. They do not normally have simple answers,nor is there always one answer. Consider a range of possibleinterpretations - preferably by discussing the questions withothers.

Spoiler alert: AnOverview of the novel is given at the end of this Study Guide.It gives the kind of information that you might prefer not to havebefore reading the novel for the first time. On the other hand,some readers might choose to read the first.

Part One: PERHAPS AN ACCIDENT

Pre-reading

The spring of 2011 saw a succession of tornadoes(estimated at 1,475) hit the South and Midwest of the U.S.A.causing 536 deaths. The worst single incident occurred in the lateafternoon of Sunday, May 22nd, 2011, when Joplin, a cityof about 50,000 people in southwest Missouri, was hit by a massivetornado that cut a path through the city nearly six miles longkilling 154 people. The area impacted by this devastation fallswithin Americas Bible Belt a name which reflects deep faithrooted in socially conservative evangelical Protestantism.

1. When something like this happens, it islegally referred to as an Act of God. What does this mean?

2. Incidents like this test the faith of thosewho believe in an omnipotent God. (Obviously the example hererelates to Christians, but this challenge to faith is certainlyshared by many religions including Judaism and Islam.) What answersdo ministers give to explain why good people die apparently soarbitrarily?