The Keyword Surprise in Th. Wilder's The Bridge of Saint Louis the King

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IntroductionThe first time I did read Thornton Wilder's The Bridge of Saint Louis the King I unfortunatelyand fortunately happened to pick up the German translation.

This version fortunately had been followed by an analysis by Helmut Viebruck1, who claims thatThornton Wilder uses explicit verbal expressions to control our interpretation of the novel's text. Healso gives some samples of the keyword's usage.

The explicit keyword Helmut Viebruck specifies is surprise, which in English language may beused in various ways for passive and active actions. In other languages the word surprise maytranslate to different wordings, in which Thornton Wilder's concept may be lost. And unfortunatelyGerman also uses different translations for surprise, which invited me to read the book in itsoriginal version English.

Scribd's Copyright Filter filtered my manuscript (including some of the novel's lines with thekeyword surprise and surprised) out and refused to publish this essay2, which invited me toremove all links and original quotations. This merely requires some searching the novel's text forthe keywords. The quotations for surprise and surprised have been numbered in their order ofappearance ranging from #1...#11, which makes their identification possible without infringing thecopyright (see the overview in the appendix).

Etymology for SurpriseVarious interpretations are connected to the English word surprise (and following a suggestion byHelmut Viebruck also the French surprendre) such as for the verbs:

(1) to strike or occur (in beauty surprises), (2) to discover unexpectedly, (3) to makean unexpected assault, (4) to elicit or bring out suddenly, (5) to lead or bring unawares.

also formerly surprize, late 14c., "overcome, overpower" (of emotions), from the nounor from Anglo-French surprise, fem. past participle of Old French surprendre (seesurprise (n.)). Meaning "come upon unexpectedly" is from 1590s; that of "strike withastonishment" is 1650s. 3

Originally surprise may have been interpreted as overwhelm, overcome by the sheer power. Insurprise-quotation #11 there is no strike or sudden reaction resulting in a surprise.

1 Fischer, ISBN 3-596-20001-62 This is a notification that Scribds BookID copyright protection system has temporarily disabled access to "The

Keyword Surprise in Thornton Wilder's the Bridge of S... L... R.." (id: 271257330). 3 surprise

Surprise in Chapter 1In the first chapter brother Juniper already uses the word surprise to express insight into life anddeath:

surprise-quotation #2

But the divine revelation clearly may be identified in the word surprise to express a discovery:

surprise-quotation #3

Surprise in Chapter 2In reading the novel we observe the communication between survivors and victims, which often inretrospect seems to be ruled by misunderstanding and corrections. The bridge between the livingand the dead must carefully be built by language as a standard communication.

In Part II Thornton Wilder concentrates on written correspondence, especially between Doa Maraand her daughter Clara. And also rereading a letter, written by her companion Pepita (but addressedto the Abbess) plays an important role in understanding Doa Mara's problems in communicationwith her daughter. In this case surprise describes a discovery (to unveil):

surprise-quotation #6

Two days later, returning to Lima, both Doa Mara and Pepita are on the bridge when it collapses.

Surprise in Chapter 3In Part III the twin brothers Esteban and Manuel are scribes for transcribing comedies, ballads forthe crowds, advertisements, etc.

In their youth they are so close that they have developed a secret language that only theyunderstand. No one ever succeeded in telling the boys apart, except Camila Perichole, whoidentifies Esteban as the younger of the twins.

One of the youngster dies and his brother is to become a victim of the collapse. However the readeris unsure whether Esteban or Manuel has been killed at the bridge's destruction. In contrast to thesecond chapter, which had been devoted to letters, the third chapter seems to concentrate oncopying, security, secrets and twin communication. Now the surviving twin brother (Esteban?, but named Manuel) tries to commit suicide, but thecaptain advises him to push on:

surprise-quotation #9

Surprise in Chapter 4In part IV Thornton Wilder describes theater and methods of teaching. As a teacher uncle Pio acts asCamila Perichole's agent and helps her to develop to a great actress in the Old Comedy byexpressing perpetual disappointment with her performances.

surprise-quotation #11

Uncle Pio understands his mistake in applying perpetual disappointment. He begs her to allow him to take one of her children (Jaime) and teach her son as he taught her. They leave the next morning for Lima. Uncle Pio and Jaime are the #4 respectively #5 victims on the bridge to Lima when it collapses.

According to Helmut Viebrock Thornton Wilder reuses the expression in surprise-quotation #11in The Ides of March to symbolize the divine illness of Julius Caesar.

Surprise in Chapter 5In part V the author describes the Abbess as the central link interconnecting the fate of Pepita, thetwin brothers, Camila Perichole, her son and uncle Pio, Doa Clara and Doa Mara.

The novel ends with the Abbess's observation: "There is a land of the living and a land of the deadand the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning."

A bridge as a communication linkThe mechanism of love may be interpreted as bridging communication links, which need to bedeveloped by tools such as writing, telepathy and teaching. In the end the bridges are to be lost bydeath or - in the model of the suspending bridges by a physical collapse.

Appendix I: Keywords in Th. Wilder's The Bridge of Saint Louis the KingAll keywords (Surprise-Quotations) by Helmut Viebrock have been highlighted in green,other surprise-references have been marked yellow.

Chapter Page (156) Quotation surprise Number 1 5 ...so surprising that... 11 6 .. to surprise the ... 21 6 ...could surprise His... 32 14 ...poet?surprising through... 42 16 ... by surprise, hours ... 52 19 ... to surprise, if ... 63 23 ...suddenly surprised and... 73 30 ...fishermen surprised him ... 83 33 ... be surprised at ... 93 37 ... very surprising to ... 104 44 ...so surprised. One... 11

1: Surprise-Quotations in Th. Wilder's The Bridge of Saint Louis the King

ContentsIntroduction..........................................................................................................................................1

Etymology for Surprise....................................................................................................................1Surprise in Chapter 1.......................................................................................................................2Surprise in Chapter 2.......................................................................................................................2Surprise in Chapter 3.......................................................................................................................2Surprise in Chapter 4.......................................................................................................................2Surprise in Chapter 5.......................................................................................................................3A bridge as a communication link...................................................................................................3

Appendix I: Keywords in Th. Wilder's The Bridge of Saint Louis the King....................................3

IntroductionEtymology for SurpriseSurprise in Chapter 1Surprise in Chapter 2Surprise in Chapter 3Surprise in Chapter 4Surprise in Chapter 5A bridge as a communication link

Appendix I: Keywords in Th. Wilder's The Bridge of Saint Louis the King