Alexander's Bridge
by Willa Cather
'Alexander's Bridge ' Summary
Professor Wilson arrives at the Alexanders' house in Boston, Bartley Alexander having persuaded him to attend a Congress of Psychologists in the city. He is greeted by Winifred Alexander. When her husband comes home the men talk; Winifred plays the piano for them. The next day, she tells Wilson how she met her husband through her aunt.
On Christmas Eve, the Alexanders prepare for Christmas dinner. Bartley tells Wilson he is having trouble with a bridge in Canada. Later he gives his wife pearl earrings. On New Year's Day, Alexander makes ready to leave for London. On the ship, he endures sharp gales and goes into a bar, where he gambles at bridge, the card game. In London, Bartley visits Hilda and tells her he cannot go on having two relationships; she must forget about him and leave him alone. She is distressed. The day before he is due to return to America however, he takes her out to dinner.
Later, Hugh MacConnell walks Hilda back to her house on a foggy day. She says she isn't attracted to him; they are just close friends. In her house, she receives a letter from Bartley, saying he is going mad away from her. This prompts her to visit him in America to tell him she will marry another man; Bartley doesn't like the idea. They spend one last evening together.
Soon afterward, Philip Horton calls Bartley to Canada to inspect the bridge. Bartley discovers that one of the lower chords is failing, compromising the structural integrity of the entire bridge. Horton, concerned not to halt construction, had attempted to contact Bartley earlier – the very day Bartley was with Hilda. As Bartley is on the bridge stopping the work crews, the bridge collapses, killing many of the workers. Bartley's body is recovered the next day and taken to Horton's house. Winifred comes back to make arrangements for her husband's corpse. Finally, Wilson visits Hilda. The latter expresses her envy of Winifred. Wilson reminds her that Winifred is now bereft and will be haunted by Bartley's death. Hilda concludes that she will be too.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1912Genre/Category
Tags/Keywords
Author
Willa Cather
United States
Willa Sibert Cather was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including O Pioneers!, The Song of the Lark, and My Ántonia. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Pr...
More on Willa CatherDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
Cane by Jean Toomer
Toomer explores the lives of black people, mostly in the rural south, specifically a tiny hamlet dominated by a sawmill (marked mostly by smells and s...
The Story Of A Modern Woman by Ella Hepworth Dixon
The Story of a Modern Woman is a novel written by English author Ella Hepworth Dixon. The novel was first published in 1894 and is an example of the "...
The Tragic Bride by Francis Brett Young
The story centers on Gabrielle Hewish, only and lonely child of Sir Jocelyn Hewish, a loveable lush and owner of the peaceful Roscarna estate nestled...
The Freelands by John Galsworthy
It is a captivating novel that explores the themes of family, love, and social change. This book takes readers on a journey through the lives of the F...
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded by Samuel Richardson
Pamela tells the story of a fifteen-year-old maidservant named Pamela Andrews, whose employer, Mr. B, a wealthy landowner, makes unwanted and inapprop...
True Love: A Story of English Domestic Life by Sarah Farro
Dive into the intricate tapestry of love, family, and societal expectations in "True Love: A Story of English Domestic Life" by Sarah Farro, where sec...
The Story of Avis by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps
This is the story of a woman who possesses the talent and the discipline to become a great artist, but who loses the opportunity when she finally agre...
Corpus Earthling by Louis Charbonneau
It is an enthralling science fiction novel that takes readers on a thrilling intergalactic adventure. Written by the renowned author Louis Charbonneau...
Madame de Treymes by Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton's 1907 novella explores the milieu of Americans living abroad in Paris. New Yorker John Durham travels to Paris to woo an old flame, Fan...
The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Return of Tarzan is a novel by U.S.American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the second in his series of twenty-four books about the title character T...
Reviews for Alexander's Bridge
No reviews posted or approved, yet...