Who Is Pierre Boulle's The Bridge Over The River Kwai
The Bridge Over the River Kwai was written by Pierre Boulle, a French novelist well-known for another novel, Planet of the Apes. This book is set in Thailand during World War II, and tells the tale of a Japanese POW camp made mostly of British soldiers. The main characters are the determined Colonel Nicholson; Clipton, who was in charge of the medical tent; Saito, the Japanese officer in charge of the prison camp, and Captain Reeves, the engineer in charge of building the bridge.
Tired and gloomy, the prisoners grow restless in the prison camp. Suddenly, the commanding Japanese officer, Colonel Saito, receives word that he is to build a rail-way bridge over the River Kwai. Colonel Nicholson takes this order as a sort of challenge to keep
his men and himself occupied. He eagerly takes on the task, but is grieved when Saito orders the officers to work. So begins a long battle of wits between Saito and Nicholson, neither willing to budge until the other caves. Nicholson demands that absolutely no officer of his will work, that their place is in command of the soldiers. Saito, however, feels that the more people that are working on the bridge, the faster he will get done. Nicholson is even locked in solitary confinement for a few days, at which his men become enraged. The soldiers begin to sabotage the bridge, often destroying what little work the got done. Many times they would use rotten timber, dig holes into deep mud that would never support a bridge, and smash the progress made thus far. Eventually, Colonel Saito realizes what is happening and concedes defeat. At this point, Nicholson is far from angry at Saito; instead he asks for a meeting with Saito and his officers to discuss plans for building the bridge.
At the meeting, Nicholson’s engineer, Captain Reeves, presents an elegant design that will last far longer than the original Japanese engineer’s design. Saito is very impressed, but still a bit disgruntled by Nicholson’s request to move the camp closer to the building site. Eventually Nicholson’s plan is agreed upon and work begins. As the bridge develops, even Saito is amazed at Western ingenuity. Unfortunately, the bridge also fascinates the British military. It becomes a bombing target and is set to be blown up by a special ops team. Plans form to insert a team of three soldiers who will deftly destroy the construct that Nicholson and his men have worked on for so long.
The explosives are set, the men in place. Nicholson walks on the completed bridge inspecting everything to make sure all is in order. As he looks over the side, he notices a shimmering line stretching from the bank of the river to the supports of the bridge. Suddenly, he realizes what is happening and rushes down the river bank, closely followed by Saito. The soldier, waiting for the appropriate time to detonate the charges, sneaks up on the pair while they are still examining the wire and kills Saito. Nicholson stares in disbelief as the soldier repeatedly tells him what is happening, then launches at him and takes him down. The bridge, needless to stay, stands intact.
This dramatic story, filled with twists and turns of the plot, captures one’s imagination so thoroughly that it is hard to put the book down. This masterpiece has survived as one of the greatest war stories of all time, and it will indeed survive for future generations to read in wonder and excitement.
Tired and gloomy, the prisoners grow restless in the prison camp. Suddenly, the commanding Japanese officer, Colonel Saito, receives word that he is to build a rail-way bridge over the River Kwai. Colonel Nicholson takes this order as a sort of challenge to keep
his men and himself occupied. He eagerly takes on the task, but is grieved when Saito orders the officers to work. So begins a long battle of wits between Saito and Nicholson, neither willing to budge until the other caves. Nicholson demands that absolutely no officer of his will work, that their place is in command of the soldiers. Saito, however, feels that the more people that are working on the bridge, the faster he will get done. Nicholson is even locked in solitary confinement for a few days, at which his men become enraged. The soldiers begin to sabotage the bridge, often destroying what little work the got done. Many times they would use rotten timber, dig holes into deep mud that would never support a bridge, and smash the progress made thus far. Eventually, Colonel Saito realizes what is happening and concedes defeat. At this point, Nicholson is far from angry at Saito; instead he asks for a meeting with Saito and his officers to discuss plans for building the bridge.
At the meeting, Nicholson’s engineer, Captain Reeves, presents an elegant design that will last far longer than the original Japanese engineer’s design. Saito is very impressed, but still a bit disgruntled by Nicholson’s request to move the camp closer to the building site. Eventually Nicholson’s plan is agreed upon and work begins. As the bridge develops, even Saito is amazed at Western ingenuity. Unfortunately, the bridge also fascinates the British military. It becomes a bombing target and is set to be blown up by a special ops team. Plans form to insert a team of three soldiers who will deftly destroy the construct that Nicholson and his men have worked on for so long.
The explosives are set, the men in place. Nicholson walks on the completed bridge inspecting everything to make sure all is in order. As he looks over the side, he notices a shimmering line stretching from the bank of the river to the supports of the bridge. Suddenly, he realizes what is happening and rushes down the river bank, closely followed by Saito. The soldier, waiting for the appropriate time to detonate the charges, sneaks up on the pair while they are still examining the wire and kills Saito. Nicholson stares in disbelief as the soldier repeatedly tells him what is happening, then launches at him and takes him down. The bridge, needless to stay, stands intact.
This dramatic story, filled with twists and turns of the plot, captures one’s imagination so thoroughly that it is hard to put the book down. This masterpiece has survived as one of the greatest war stories of all time, and it will indeed survive for future generations to read in wonder and excitement.