"Bridge to Terabithia": Friendship, Imagination and Death

Bridge to Terabithia is a novel published by award winning author, Katherine Paterson, The book is viewed worldwide in multiple schools, this is because many themes that are present within the book can help the growth of many teenagers / older children when studied. During this discussion three themes main themes applied within the book will be discussed, Friendship, Imagination and death.

The death of Leslie Burke is huge twist in the stories plot. Even though its somewhat foreshadowed (Pg. 119, Chapter 8: “But Leslie” she insisted. “What if you die? What’s going to happen to you if you die?) It comes at an unexpected moment in the book, just as Jesse’s life hits a high note at the end of chapter 10 (The PERFECT day) it suddenly takes a drastic turn for the worst, the announcement of Leslie’s death The next chapter is spent describing the sorrow and guilt Jess is feeling. When going deeper into the overall meaning you’ll quickly realise just how fast lives can be taken from you and even though it’s a fictional story, it’s one based on a real-life event that accord and was experienced firsthand by the writer, it gives the overall sense of enjoy what you’ve got while you can because someday you’re not going to be able have that opportunity forever.

Friendship is another theme explored within B.T.T and can be found in many places throughout the plot. During the introduction to the book it becomes clear that Jesse isn’t the type to make friends easily, that all changes with the introduction of Leslie, even though Jess isn’t quick on the trigger to become even acquainted to Les, with her being so different and all, the story takes us on a journey to bear witness an unlikely friendship develop. Even with the big differences Les and Jess have (City girl-Country boy, fairly wealthy-Struggling with money etc.) the story shows that the relationship is still possible despise zed differences, thus showing us that difference isn’t always a bad thing and that it could perhaps be the better option in scenarios. The relationship lets them truly discover who they are as individuals, this is further strengthened by the mixture of jess’s more artistic side and Less’s creativity/imagination, showing him the freedom and escape that he can achieve.

Imagination is a huge focus in B.T.T, with Jess’s day to day life being a constant austerity and discontent, Jess struggles to find a place of peace within himself. Although his artistic ability is a sort of getaway it’s not enough for him, and he’s certainly not proud of it after having it thrown back at him on multiple occasions. Jess has no reason or motivation to show his true self, this is because of the constant negative feedback and others trying to make him someone he’s not. However, with the power of Leslie’s imagination Jess is able to escape from his troubles and show his true self, her power lets him view the world in a more simplified manor, letting him breakdown real world problems and resolving them. It lets him become a more true, better version of himself, this version of him is slowly implemented into his real life him, but is most powerful when coupled with Les and their imaginary world, Terabithia. When Leslie dies Jess must take it upon himself to harness the power of imagination, causing him to reach his full potential, allowing him to find a place and reason within himself.

Bridge to Terabithia had many themes throughout both the book and the movie, today we analysed three of them and discovered their meanings, and thus concluding are discussion.