Fate and Choice
The concept of Choice or Free Will focuses on the idea that humans decide upon matters without any external forces influencing the result. This concept brings to the fore the idea of accountability for ones actions since every individual acts freely upon internal impetus and nothing more. On the other end of the concept spectrum is Fate, or the idea that events are pre-determined by forces greater than the individual, implying that one cannot be held responsible for the actions and decisions they make. These themes are discussed primarily through the investigation done by Brother Juniper in an attempt to make sense out of the deaths of the victims of the collapse of the San Luis Rey Bridge. He sets out to determine if the casualties were destined to die or if they had done something in their lives to merit their deaths. He discovers connections in the lives of sufferers as he researches their identities and he finds out that many of them have lived genuinely tragic lives of rebuffed loved, profound loneliness, or consuming obsession. He also finds out that as these characters were heading towards a positive change in their lives as they were crossing the bridge but they meet their unfortunate demise instead. Enter the theme of Fate: as Brother Juniper discovers more and more about the lives and identities of the casualties he finds less validation for their deaths.
Solitude
The novel is rife with the theme of solitude and there is a strong sense of isolation that affects the decisions of the characters. The condition of solitude pushes each of the characters in the novel to change or altogether eradicate the condition, for example in Brother Juniper’s zeal to discover the greater meaning behind the deaths of the five victims of the bridge’s collapse distances him from other members of his order, especially those who were skeptical of his beliefs. The twins Esteban and Manuel were known for their solid fraternal bond, but when sickness and death befalls Manuel, Esteban is isolated from society because of a deep, inconsolable grief and guilt. All the characters, at one point or another, go through a period or periods of isolation and it directly afters their development.
Love and Obsession
The theme of love and obsession affects all the characters and it is often so pervasive that it endures well beyond a character’s demise. Love is the primary motivator of all the characters; however, it can also be very quickly pushed to extremes becoming an unhealthy, all-consuming obsession and all the characters go through iterations of these themes. Brother Juniper loved his work for the nobility that he saw in it, in time however he started to be consumed by it, attempting to draw rhyme and reason from matters that very likely had none, eventually literally dying for his work. The twins Esteban and Manuel had strong fraternal love for one another. This love sustained them until Manuel falls madly, deeply, and obsessively in love with Camila. Doña Maria’s love for her daughter, Doña Clara, is an example of an unhealthy, smothering love that drives her daughter away rather than endearing her to her mother. All of the characters in the novel agonize greatly because they have at one point or another felt profoundly unloved and/or love far too much and this pattern of love turning into obsession over time becomes their tragic legacy as well.
