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Allusion
Explanation and Analysis—Jupiter and Semele:
Describing how the Abbess's mentorship overwhelms her young charge Pepita, the narrator makes an allusion to the myth of Jupiter and Semele:
[...the Abbess] had unthinkingly turned upon Pepita the full blaze of her personality, as Jupiter had turned his upon Semele.
In Greco-Roman mythology, Jupiter, the god of the sky, was one of the most powerful and fearsome deities. Semele was one of his human lovers. While Jupiter initially took on human form in order to woo Semele without frightening her, she eventually demanded that he show himself as a god in order to prove his divinity. However, this religious tradition held that it was deadly for humans to look at gods. So, when Zeus complied, Semele instantly died.
In the context of The Bridge of San Luis Rey, this allusion highlights the imbalance of power between a powerful authority figure and her humble apprentice. Because she's so determine that her charitable works will survive her, the Abbess has adopted Pepita as a successor. During the novel, she puts her through an intense and difficult training process that includes sending her to live with Doña Maria in order to learn to interact with members of the wealthy upper class. This relationship is hard on Pepita intellectually (as a teenager, she's been asked to take on a very adult level of responsibility) and emotionally (although Pepita and the Abbess are not romantically involved, their relationship carries the force of this mythical love affair). While Pepita struggles with the Abbess's expectations of her, she ultimately makes her peace with the relationship and accepts responsibility for carrying out her mentor's wishes shortly before dying in the bridge collapse.
This allusion also shows how the Abbess's desire to do good has led her astray. Even though she's motivated by the best intentions—she wants to make sure that someone is taking care of the city's poor after she dies—she ends up harming Pepita through her focus on her legacy, just as Jupiter harms Semele. Only when the Abbess learns how to concentrate on her work in the present moment is she able to find tranquility and form more equal relationships.
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