BOOK SUMMARY - THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY

PART TWO: The Marquesa De Montemayor and Pepita

Summary

This part of the novel is dedicated to a description of the Marquesa De Montemayor and Pepita, her young companion on the bridge. The Marquesa, known as Dona Maria, was the only daughter of a rich cloth merchant and his insensitive wife. She led a lonely childhood, for her wealthy parents paid her little attention and did not understand her sensibilities. Although she was lovely in appearance, she grew to be a shy young lady who was not interested in any of her many suitors.

At twenty-six, Dona Maria was married off to an arrogant nobleman, who did not give her the love, understanding, or companionship that she wanted and needed. Her life continued in solitude and loneliness until a beautiful baby daughter was born to her. Dona Maria showered the child, whom she named Clara, with constant attention, loving her with all her pent-up emotions and smothering her with possessiveness. As the child grew up, she became like her father and treated her mother with contempt. The more the Marquesa doted on Dona Clara, the more the girl ignored her mother, not wanting to spend time with her.

When Dona Clara was a mature, beautiful young lady, she chose to marry a Lord from Spain in order to escape from her mother. The Marquesa was devastated when her daughter departed for Spain. Having lost all interest in living, she neglected her health and appearance. Soon the people began to ridicule her. In contrast, Dona Clara flourished in Spain, where she led an extravagant life filled with luxury. She became popular with the people because of her intelligence, wit, wisdom, and beauty. She also proved to be very generous, bestowing favors on servants, friends, artists, and scientists.

Dona Maria went to visit her daughter in Spain, but it resolved none of the problems between them. The Marquesa returned home in disappointment. She decided that she would try to reach Dona Clara through writing her letters. In them, she talked about her husband’s poor health and pastimes; she also explained the scandalous happenings in the court. More importantly, the Marquesa constantly revealed her love and concern for her daughter. She suggested remedies for Dona Clara’s health. Additionally, she sent a generous allowance and many gifts. Dona Clara was repulsed by the emotional nature of the letters; she warned her mother against writing about gossip and scandals. Dona Maria ignored the warning and continued writing the letters.

In one of her letters to Dona Clara, the Marquesa mentioned Camila, a great actress whom Uncle Pio had encouraged and supported in her career. Dona Maria went to see Camila act in the theater, taking Pepita with her. During the play, Camila ridiculed the emotional Marquesa. Pepita was embarrassed by the derision, but Dona Maria acted as though she had not noticed anything. After the play, the Viceroy sent Camila to the Marquesa to apologize for her rude behavior. Camila had gone to see Dona Maria with great apprehension, but the Marquesa treated the actress kindly. After Camila apologized, Dona Maria praised her talent and extended her a great deal of hospitality. Camila felt humbled by the experience and left with a heavy heart about her misbehavior.

The Marquesa began to spend her free time in the company of Pepita, a girl she had brought from the orphanage. They went out for walks, to church, and to the theatre. Pepita tolerated the eccentricity and moods of the Marquesa. Then a short letter arrived from Dona Clara, informing her mother about her pregnancy. The Marquesa was concerned for her daughter’s well-being and offered regular prayers and followed old superstitions. “She practiced a degrading system of taboos for her child’s protection. She refused to allow a knot in the house. The maids were forbidden to tie up their hair, and she concealed upon her person ridiculous symbols of a happy delivery. On the stairs the even steps were marked with red chalk, and a maid who accidentally stepped upon an even step was driven from the house with tears and screams.” She then decided to undertake a pilgrimage to the shrine of Santa Maria De Cluxambuqua in order to offer her prayers for her daughter there. She took Pepita with her and stayed at an inn in the city, often visiting the church and praying. She also spent time with the sisters of the convent and waited for letters to arrive from her daughter. When Dona Clara wrote, she censured her mother for her concerns.

Feeling lonely at the inn, Pepita thought about the Abbess. She began to write her a letter, telling her about her loneliness and need for love; however, in a hurry to prepare supper for the Marquesa, she left the letter unfinished. On her return, Dona Maria saw the unfinished letter and read it. Pepita’s words revealed that she truly loved the Marquesa. Realizing that someone cared for her, Dona Maria decided to begin her life afresh. Having made this resolution, she wrote a memorable letter to her daughter, telling her of her new feelings. A few days later, Dona Maria and Pepita set out on their return trip to Lima. As they walked over the Bridge at San Luis Rey, it broke, and they fell to their deaths, two of Juniper’s “five ants.”

After her death, the Marquesa’s letters to Dona Clara were collected and published. They became known as masterpieces of literature, often studied in educational institutions.

Notes

The longest chapter in the book, the second section traces the life of the Marquesa de Montemayor and her relationship with her daughter, Dona Clara. Wilder develops her strong, unique, and complex personality through description, narration, dialogue, and letter writing. The variety of tools used to describe Dona Maria breaks the monotony and builds interest in this emotional and eccentric woman.

When she was a child, the Marquesa’s parents provided her with the luxuries of life, but not with love or understanding. As a result, she grew into adulthood craving affection. At twenty-six she married to a ruined nobleman, who also failed to give her love or understanding. Lonely and miserable, she lived a quiet life of isolation. Then she delivered a daughter on whom she placed all of her hopes. She showered the girl, Dona Clara, with love and attention to the point of possessiveness; however, the daughter, endowed with brains and beauty, resented and looked down upon her mother. When she was old enough to marry, she chose a Spanish lord as her husband in order to move away from her mother.

The Marquesa, devastated over the loss of her daughter, wrote endearing, emotional letters to Dona Clara; they were filled with professions of love and maternal concerns. For example, she wrote, “Oh, my treasure, how can we punish you enough for letting your cold endure so many weeks?” Dona Clara, embarrassed by the sentimentality, largely ignored the letters. When she did respond, her letters were filled with criticism of her mother. Then a letter arrived stating that Dona Clara was pregnant. Filled with concern for her daughter’s well-being, the Marquesa took Pepita and went to Cluxambuqua to offer prayers for Dona Clara at the shrine. Pepita, a young girl from the orphanage, truly cared for Dona Maria. She watched after her, prepared her meals, and spent time with her. When the Marquesa realized that the girl loved her, it gave her a new lease on life. It was the first time ever she had really been loved. It is, therefore, ironic that shortly after she finds what she has been seeking in life, she is killed on the bridge.

In addition to giving the detailed portrayal of the eccentric and love-starved Marquesa, this section also develops the characters of Pepita and Camila. Pepita is an unfortunate child who was abandoned in an orphanage and reared by the strict and unemotional sisters in the convent. Instead of spending her days in fun and laughter like other girls her age, she performed a variety of duties assigned to her by an authoritarian Abbess. As a result, she was mature beyond her years. She was also a pawn in the hands of fate. She was sent by the Abbess to keep the Marquesa company and to get a taste of the outside world. She became a devoted servant to her mistress, caring for her every need. In return, she expected love, but Dona Maria was blind to her feelings. Writing a letter to the Abbess about her loneliness, Pepita said that the Marquesa failed to return her love. When Dona Maria read the unfinished letter, she realized that for the first time someone truly loved her. She decided to change her ways, by taking Pepita into her care and loving the child. Unfortunately, her plans are thwarted when she and Pepita die on the bridge.

Camila, the theatre actress, was a total contrast to Pepita. A lovely young woman, she was showered with love by Uncle Pio and her fans, including the Marquesa and her husband. Uncle Pio had discovered her singing in a café and became her guardian and teacher, preparing her for a career on the stage. As she matured into a beautiful woman, he found himself in love with her, even though he tried to keep it a secret. The Marquesa wrote to her daughter about Camila and Pio. She said that people wondered whether “Uncle Pio is her father, her lover, or her son.” Camila did not return Pio’s affections; instead, she fell in love with the Viceroy, who “suspected that she was deceiving him with a matador, perhaps with an actor.”

Proud of her beauty and sure of her talent, Camila often ignored the feelings of others, as seen when she ridiculed Dona Maria from the stage. The sensitive Pepita, at the theater with the Marquesa, was embarrassed by the derision, while Dona Maria seemed not to notice it. Shamed by the rude behavior of Camila, the Viceroy demanded that she go to the Marquesa and apologize. The actress went to the home of Dona Maria, filled with trepidation. To her surprise, the Marquesa treated her like a friend and complimented her talent, which made the proud Camila feel guilty, revealing that she did have some shallow emotion.

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