The novel depicts the rise of nationalism and its effect on the small town of Višegrad. How does the novel begin to introduce the themes of nationalism, and how does nationalism take hold?

As well as the Turks and the Serbians, Višegrad is also home to Jews and Gipsies. How are these communities portrayed in relation to the more populous and powerful demographics?

The titular bridge becomes a symbol of the link between the east and the west. How does this symbol evolve over the course of the text? Is the symbolic meaning the same at the beginning as the end?