Tension and suspense
Although the novel is actually defined for the most part by the fact that the novel starts by spoiling the climax, showing the outcome of the characters' fates before showing the characters themselves. However, this does not mean that tension and suspense do not make a strong impression on the reader. The imagery of suspension and tension are part of the stories, both in their plots and in the concrete imagery of these characters' deaths on a broken rope bridge in Mexico. The novel plays on the abstract imagery of tension by highlighting various kinds of social tension among various characters.
Peru as Europe and Native
The imagery of Peru is shaped through two cultural imageries that converge as they did historically. The native imagery of Peru shapes the religious mysticism of those who travel to ancient Incan ruins and risk their lives crossing the rope bridge. Then, there is the Spanish imagery of Clara's life and the influence of Catholicism (which is highly pronounced). Together, the reader sees that Peru's cultural imagery is shaped by the convergence of two major historical influences. The Latin aspect of the book is especially beautiful and poignant.
Time and human life
Time is a part of most novels, but it bears mentioning in this book especially because time is a major part of why these characters die. Why does the rope bridge fail? Because it is old. Time kills the characters in the plot, but as the monk notices in the novel's opening sequence, time is the cause of death in every human life. The connection between time and human death is also portrayed through the generational aspect of the characters. We see mothers and children, families, and a religious tradition that is designed to survive time through monastic obedience.
Meaning and choice
The characters often experience serious crises, so that tension is shown in their own hearts and minds. They try to understand what they are supposed to do in light of life's complexity, but this is only half of the imagery that defines the human quest for meaning in this novel; the other half of the imagery is death. The imagery of death provides a "chiaroscuro"—a balance of brightness and darkness for the illusion of depth. The imagery does this by contrasting the drama of human decision making with the painful silence of whatever lies beyond the grave.
