PLOT STRUCTURE ANALYSIS

Although the plot of The Bridge of San Luis Rey is relatively simple to understand, its presentation is fairly complex, for it is not told in chronological order or unified in a normal manner. In fact, the entire story is told as a series of flashbacks that span many years. The novel really begins with the climax of the plot. In the first chapter, there is an introduction to tell about the fall of the bridge of San Luis Rey and the impact that the accident has on the citizens of Peru, especially on Brother Juniper. As an eyewitness to the deaths of the five people on the bridge, Juniper decides that the accident is a providential act of God. To prove his point to his disciples, he decides to research the lives of the five victims and find why they have been punished. He spends six years interviewing their friends and relatives and collects all the information into a large book. The main things he learns about the victims are presented in chapters 2-4 of the book. Each of these chapters is devoted to one of the protagonists of the novel: the Marquesa, Esteban, and Uncle Pio. The fifth and final chapter serves as a conclusion, giving the outcome of Juniper's research.

The rising action of the plot begins in the second section. Wilder first tells about the life of Dona Maria, the Marquesa, and traces her relationships with her daughter and her companion, Pepita. Dona Maria, who was deprived of love by her parents and her husband, showers her pent-up emotion and love on her daughter, who rejects her mother. Deserted by...........

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