The Symbolic Nature of Bridges in Literature

Coleridge called it Symbol, Blake called it Imagination. The purpose of symbolism and the closely related device of allegory engage the reader in deciphering meaning. The quote below, by French anthropologist and historian, Jean-Pierre Vernant sums up the symbolic value of the bridge in fiction writing.

To cross a bridge, a river or a border is to leave behind the familiar, personal and
comfortable and enter the unknown, a different and strange world where, faced
with another reality, we may well find ourselves bereft of home and identity.

—Jean-Pierre Vernant

Perhaps, nowhere can this be more evident than in Wordsworth’s poem, Composed upon Westminster Bridge, 1803. Leaving behind the familiar landscapes of the past; the rural way of life, in favour of the industrialised city. It is perhaps quite fitting that Wordsworth captured not only the social change, but an entire movement to the unfamiliar reality. The creation of an entirely new social/cultural identity.

The bridge itself, can be actual or abstract. It can be used as a literary device to show the reader there will be some crossing; a journey --  between the earth and the sky or a sentimental link between people. The bridge is also used to depict life and death, usually from suicidal intentions, by jumping off, or hanging from. To digress momentarily from literature to film. It’s insightful to watch how film-makers utilise landscape features, bridges, or lack of a bridge, to convey the story premise or create an atmosphere in a particular scene. With the written word, describing a bridge and its role in the story, or placing it within the character’s life creates dramatic tension.