Bridge to Terabithia
In the case of Leslie Burke, her strength came from her ability to adapt to most any situation. Whether it was taking the challenge of running against the other boys in fifth grade, working with her father in the remodeling process of their home, or sympathizing with the mean school bully Janice Avery, Leslie was someone who both boys and girls could relate to. The novel, Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, shows readers that strength comes from within a person, not from what others may think.
Jess Aarons, our main character, deals with the unique situation not often told through children’s literature, the story of best friends who are a boy and a girl. What makes this story unique is that a true affection builds between the characters, an almost “love like” interest brews as the two characters learn about themselves, along with the children and adults around them. While reading the story a sense of hope for a true boyfriend/girlfriend relationship kept coming to mind. While this story may have been about kids in 5th grade, it could have been written from the perspective of older teens. The situations that Jess and Leslie faced are very similar to those that high school age teens face: jealousy, competition and self-concept. Too often, we find stories where the main characters are the same gender. It is few the number of stories that mix the two genders, allowing boys and girls to be equals. Bridge to Terabithia brings many good qualities of both genders together few books today combine.
The qualities Leslie possesses are not unique to females today, or of the past. However, these admirable qualities; confidence, a strong opinion, athleticism, creativity, a caring attitude and having multi-talented abilities are not often written into stories involving 11 and 12 year old girls. Leslie is the kind of kid everyone would be a fool not to like. She seemed to know what to say and when to say it no matter the situation, even though Jess may have not have thought so in the beginning. Jess’s initial impression of Leslie could be described as guarded, but once he was beaten in a foot race, he knew what he had to do. Even though his desire to run ceases, his desire to know Leslie takes over.
Bridge to Terabithia takes the path of creating very real and interesting stories, making them come alive for the reader. Careful to not “pigeon-hole” gender specific roles on the characters, the author takes great strides to make this a believable story. Jess’s infatuation with his music teacher is a very real thing that young boys occasionally face. The ways which rivalries come to be within a school setting are something all youngsters face. The manipulation of school bullies, much like the ones Leslie and Jess face, is all too real. Teachers within the story seem very genuine, even though most have very limited roles. All except for Ms. Edwards, Jess’s, favorite. It is easy to see why she is his favorite, she cares about him and the progress he is making. Surely this caring is what teachers try to do, it is just that Jess sees her attention like “guitar strings strumming to a beat”. This is clearly shown by how the author describes Ms. Edwards appearance and behavior from Jess’s point of view. The competition and cooperation that Jess and Leslie have within the story helps to strengthen the bond between them. Even when Jess learns of Leslie’s death, we see Jess gaining strength in character. While initially saying he hated Leslie, one could tell Jess really missed her and felt guilty for not, in some way, preventing her death. The parental figures in the story are present, but their strengths are not truly revealed until late in the book. Jess is able to see things more clearly by talking with his dad, seeing how Leslie’s family felt about him, and working to become a “big brother” to his younger sibling, May Belle.
Bridge to Terabithia is a wonderful story due to its’ telling theme, vivid characters and highly descriptive language. All of these qualities help to make it a tale that younger readers should hear. The impact strong male and female characters can have on young readers can pave the way to open-mindedness and gender equal opinions, and at the same time, strengthening the self-concept of youngsters, something more children need to see in literature and develop in life.
In the case of Leslie Burke, her strength came from her ability to adapt to most any situation. Whether it was taking the challenge of running against the other boys in fifth grade, working with her father in the remodeling process of their home, or sympathizing with the mean school bully Janice Avery, Leslie was someone who both boys and girls could relate to. The novel, Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, shows readers that strength comes from within a person, not from what others may think.
Jess Aarons, our main character, deals with the unique situation not often told through children’s literature, the story of best friends who are a boy and a girl. What makes this story unique is that a true affection builds between the characters, an almost “love like” interest brews as the two characters learn about themselves, along with the children and adults around them. While reading the story a sense of hope for a true boyfriend/girlfriend relationship kept coming to mind. While this story may have been about kids in 5th grade, it could have been written from the perspective of older teens. The situations that Jess and Leslie faced are very similar to those that high school age teens face: jealousy, competition and self-concept. Too often, we find stories where the main characters are the same gender. It is few the number of stories that mix the two genders, allowing boys and girls to be equals. Bridge to Terabithia brings many good qualities of both genders together few books today combine.
The qualities Leslie possesses are not unique to females today, or of the past. However, these admirable qualities; confidence, a strong opinion, athleticism, creativity, a caring attitude and having multi-talented abilities are not often written into stories involving 11 and 12 year old girls. Leslie is the kind of kid everyone would be a fool not to like. She seemed to know what to say and when to say it no matter the situation, even though Jess may have not have thought so in the beginning. Jess’s initial impression of Leslie could be described as guarded, but once he was beaten in a foot race, he knew what he had to do. Even though his desire to run ceases, his desire to know Leslie takes over.
Bridge to Terabithia takes the path of creating very real and interesting stories, making them come alive for the reader. Careful to not “pigeon-hole” gender specific roles on the characters, the author takes great strides to make this a believable story. Jess’s infatuation with his music teacher is a very real thing that young boys occasionally face. The ways which rivalries come to be within a school setting are something all youngsters face. The manipulation of school bullies, much like the ones Leslie and Jess face, is all too real. Teachers within the story seem very genuine, even though most have very limited roles. All except for Ms. Edwards, Jess’s, favorite. It is easy to see why she is his favorite, she cares about him and the progress he is making. Surely this caring is what teachers try to do, it is just that Jess sees her attention like “guitar strings strumming to a beat”. This is clearly shown by how the author describes Ms. Edwards appearance and behavior from Jess’s point of view. The competition and cooperation that Jess and Leslie have within the story helps to strengthen the bond between them. Even when Jess learns of Leslie’s death, we see Jess gaining strength in character. While initially saying he hated Leslie, one could tell Jess really missed her and felt guilty for not, in some way, preventing her death. The parental figures in the story are present, but their strengths are not truly revealed until late in the book. Jess is able to see things more clearly by talking with his dad, seeing how Leslie’s family felt about him, and working to become a “big brother” to his younger sibling, May Belle.
Bridge to Terabithia is a wonderful story due to its’ telling theme, vivid characters and highly descriptive language. All of these qualities help to make it a tale that younger readers should hear. The impact strong male and female characters can have on young readers can pave the way to open-mindedness and gender equal opinions, and at the same time, strengthening the self-concept of youngsters, something more children need to see in literature and develop in life.
