Anxious People

The bridge is a primary symbol throughout the novel that represents different things according to the character or timeline. For Jack, Zara, and Nadia, the bridge initially symbolizes despair. Jack was unable to save the man who jumped from the bridge, and that moment still haunts him 10 years later. The bridge represents a personal failure for Jack. Zara views the bridge similarly. She carries guilt over the man on the bridge’s death, and whenever she looks at the bridge, she experiences a visceral reaction to that guilt. Nadia once stood on the edge of the bridge and contemplated suicide, and afterward, the bridge became a symbol of the knowledge that she once almost died by choice. However, these characters’ views of the bridge change after the hostage situation.

Roger is the only character with an initially hopeful view of bridges. He once built bridges and believes they “exist to move people closer together” (253). His opinion eventually becomes reality for Jack, Zara, and Nadia. After they leave the hostage drama, they realize that the bridge that once haunted them now connects them. Jack makes peace with his guilt over the man on the bridge’s death after he learns that he saved Nadia’s life on that same bridge. Zara makes peace with the bridge as well when she realizes that the man on the bridge didn’t blame her for his death. Zara’s encouraging words to Nadia—that she saved herself on that bridge, not Jack who saved her—help Nadia see that she’s no longer a danger to herself; the metaphorical bridge in her mind isn’t a means to die but a lifeline connecting her to others. The bridge is therefore intertwined with the Connection Between Anxiety and “Idiocy”, as it transforms from a symbol of anxiety-fueled desperation to desperation-fueled connection.