the bridge of san luis rey by thornton wilder

The three sets of victims did not know one another, but their lives were connected through their interactions with others. There are no heroes or villains here - just people living their lives and loving one another and fighting one another. Uncle Pio had just begun to reconcile with his estranged niece and was on his way to Lima with her son Don Jaime.Esteban was on his way to serve on a sailing vessel to help him heal from the death of his twin brother and to earn money for a gift for the Abbess who cared for the boys when they were young.She and her orphaned companion Pepita were returning from praying for the daughter at a nearby shrine. Marquesa de Montemayor was a mother mourning the damaged relationship with her daughter.He spent years investigating - to learn about the five victims.

'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.' Was there something about them that destined them for this tragic end? Was their death random chance or part of a divine plan? Why was I spared? In 18th century Peru, Brother Juniper was out for a walk when he witnessed the bridge collapse, sending 5 people plunging to their death in chasm below.

The bridge of san luis rey by thornton wilder