Themes

Contents

• Building Relationships
• Friendship/Belonging
• Trust
• Accepting Differences/Tolerance
• Imagination
• Fear
• Caring for Others/Emotional Support
• Generosity/Giving
• Death/Loss/Grief/Transcendence

Building Relationships

Building relationships on many different levels (Bridge to Terabithia DVD-Bonus Feature-Behind the Book) In Bridge to Terabithia, these relationships include:

• Boy to Girl-Girl to Boy which primarily consists of the friendship between Jesse Aarons to Leslie Burke
• Kids to each other “You may not always become friends with who you expect to become friends with” such as: Jesse Aarons and Gary Fulcher Leslie Burke and other classmates, Leslie Burke and Janice Avery (until later in the story).
• Kids to Parents Jesse to his parents (indifferent to him until after Leslie’s death, especially his father. Leslie to her parents--More of a casual friendship and egalitarian/mutual love between daughter and parents, but also provide more freedom to Leslie in exploring her childhood.
• Kids to Teachers Jesse to Mrs. Myers--His regular 5th grade teacher, who he sees as strict and presumptuous regarding his behavior. His name for her is “Monster Mouth Myers”, Jesse to Miss Edmunds--His music teacher who he has a crush on and who appreciates his talent and encourages him to persevere. (Bridge to Terabithia DVD-Bonus Feature-Behind the Book)

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Friendship/Belonging

• This is the primary theme in Bridge to Terabithia.
• Before Jesse meets and accepts Leslie’s desire for his friendship, he feels alone in the world despite having two parents and four sisters. Due to the backward thinking regarding gender stereotypes, he doesn’t have any real male friends who accept Jesse for who he is in spite of his desire to run as well as to draw. When he begins to accept Leslie for who she is, Jesse realizes that she also likes to run and brings along her imagination and thereby, contributes to his cultivating his artistic talents in making “Terabithia” a special and magical place where they can belong together. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)
• “For the first time in his life, he got up every morning with something to look forward to. Leslie was more than his friend. She was his other, more exciting self---his way to Terabithia and all the worlds beyond.” (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977).
• Jess, in return “gives Leslie the comfort of his friendship, “which helps her survive in a world that is far different from the one she left behind.” (Sanderson, J., Reading Guide, 2004)

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Trust

Like the theme of “Making Connections” Trust is a theme that runs through the story on different levels between characters.

• Trust between Jesse and Leslie is exhibited when Leslie takes the “initial” swing from the rope over the creek when they first discover it. When she describes her experience to Jesse, she does it in a way that makes Jesse trust that it will be okay in spite of the rope’s age. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)
• In spite of their gender differences and family backgrounds (social and economic), Jesse and Leslie are able to build their relationship and trust for each other on their common interests (artistic imagination and running) and their personal experiences (feeling alone and lonely in the world) in spite of parents who love them deep down but who don’t have enough time to spend with them along with having difficulty making friends who can like them for who they are. (DVD-Bonus Feature-Beyond the Book-2007)
• Once building up the courage to approach Janice who is crying in the girls’ restroom, Leslie is able to let her guard down in order to allow Janice to let her guard and “bully” image down to confide in Leslie and tell her about the physical abuse that she suffers from her father. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia,1977)
• In spite of his “crush” on Miss Edmunds, Jesse is able to let himself trust Miss Edmunds when she picks him up to go to Washington, but still wonders on the way and throughout the day if he should have invited Leslie to go with them so that she can also enjoy the museum and its special exhibits. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)

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Accepting Differences/Tolerance

In spite of what Jesse has been taught about gender roles by his family and attitudes of his surrounding community, Jesse is able to move beyond the gender stereotypes of how males and females and especially how girls and boys should act and dress like. There are at least three examples of this:

• One example of this is when Jesse shows Gary Fulcher and the other boys that he is initially, or at least outwardly okay with Leslie running with him and the other boys in the heat of the footrace (until she wins the race). (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)
• Jesse also demonstrates tolerance and accepts Leslie as being different from other kids when he is the only student in their class who doesn’t laugh at Leslie when she tells Mrs. Myers that her family doesn’t have a television to watch the program Mrs. Myers wants the class to watch for that evening. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)
• Jesse is initially annoyed with Leslie’s unique and independent spirit. His music teacher, Miss Edmunds, teaches him by acknowledging his personal uniqueness and by music that it is okay to be who you are and to like who you are. As a result of liking your own differences, you can appreciate other people’s differences as Leslie does by being herself and not worrying what other people think of her or how she dresses. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)
• Leslie demonstrates acceptance of Jesse’s differences when she compliments him on his artwork. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)
• Leslie also demonstrates an acceptance of differences of religious philosophy when she expresses joy after hearing the beautiful story of the resurrection. In addition, that while she accepts that God is all powerful, she tells Maybelle that she doesn’t think that “God goes around damning people to hell.” (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)

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Imagination

A trait that both Jesse and Leslie share in different ways, but that brings them together, cultivates their friendship and maintains it until Leslie dies unexpectedly.

• Leslie uses her imagination to create “Terabithia” out of a magic kingdom like “Narnia” in the Chronicles of Narnia book series by C.S. Lewis where “the two of them can be themselves and so much more.” (Sanderson, J, 2004).
• Jess, possibly without knowing it, has helped to create the magical creatures in “Terabithia” through his drawings of unusual animals. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977).
• After Leslie dies, Jesse tries to go to “Terabithia” on his own, but worries that the magic of it is lost, but later realizes that the magic is “still inside him.” Although May Belle may not be aware of her own magic, Jesse shows it to her by putting a wreath of flowers on her head while taking her across the “Bridge.” She has the imagination and sees it where of which to some may only see it as “a few planks across a nearly dry gully.” (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)

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Fear

This is a major theme that is mainly experienced and challenged most by Jesse throughout the story, although Leslie experiences it at least once.

• The fears of Jesse as described by Katherine Paterson are shown from the beginning of the story. Although he acknowledges his fears such as being ridiculed by his father, teachers (except for Miss Edmunds), and classmates for his love of drawing and art, he is also embarrassed by his fears. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)
• Although he doesn’t show it outwardly, he experiences fear of the water and has difficulty breathing when Leslie reads her essay on scuba diving. (Sanderson, J. 2004)
• When Jesse sees the creek with the rising water, Jess is again faced with his fear of water and his inability to swim should he fall into the water. “It wasn’t so much that he minded telling Leslie that he was afraid to go; it was that he minded being afraid.” (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)
• The one time where Leslie shows her fear is having to go into the girls' restroom and approach Janice Avery when Leslie hears her crying. Although Janice is currently in a vulnerable emotional state, Leslie, remembering that Janice is a bully, feels initially hesitant when talking to Jesse, but approaches Janice with caution. Fortunately, with Janice being emotionally vulnerable, Leslie is able to make herself trustworthy in getting Janice to open up to her. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)

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Caring for Others/Emotional Support

• Along with his friendship, Jess, in his own way, teaches Leslie how to care or show empathy for other people. When she goes into the restroom and hears Janice crying, she comes out to tell Jesse. Jesse suggests that Leslie go back and talk to her, but Leslie shows hesitance in not knowing what to say to Janice or even how to comfort her knowing that Janice is the main bully in the school. When Leslie does go in to talk to Janice, she finds out that Janice’s father beats her. The other day when her father beat her so hard, Janice was so upset that she told her best friends who went around telling the whole school. Janice finds out and is so humiliated that she starts crying. Leslie now feels pity for Janice and tells her that she felt humiliated with other kids laughing at her for not having a television. She tells Jesse that Janice actually asked her for advice and Leslie tried to help her in the best way that she could. (Paterson, K., 1977) Miss Edmunds shows caring and support for both Jesse and Leslie. When she first meets Leslie in the classroom for music class, she asks Leslie what song she would like to hear. When Leslie says that she is open to anything, Miss Edmunds sings, “Free to be you and me” in showing Leslie that she cares for Leslie as the special person she is and that she supports Leslie’s individualistic spirit. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, , 1977)
• Following Leslie’s death, May Belle shows her love and concern for Jesse when she tries to follow him into the woods as he runs to find emotional comfort, presumably in “Terabithia.” (Sanderson, J., 2004)
• When his father finds Jesse running through the woods and finds him on the ground, he picks up Jesse and provides unusual fatherly caring and emotional support as Jesse is crying out of grief and guilt for not inviting Leslie to Washington, D.C. with Miss Edmunds and himself. Jesse’s father also reassures Jesse that God will not send Leslie to hell when Jesse expresses worry and concern for Leslie’s spiritual afterlife as a result in not believing the Bible and its teachings. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)
• Mrs. Myers, surprisingly shows caring and support to Jesse after Leslie’s death when she meets him in the hall outside of the classroom. She expresses her sympathy and tells him how she felt when her husband died and how people told her to forget. She tries to comfort Jesse in telling him how special a girl and student Leslie was and if it’s difficult for her, she can imagine how much more difficult it must be for him. She concludes her talk with Jesse by saying, “Let’s try to help each other, shall we?” (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)

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Generosity/Giving

Giving is considered an important theme in Bridge to Terabithia. Jesse, Leslie, and Miss Edmunds give of themselves both emotionally and materially in several parts of the story.

• Around Christmas time, and low on money, Jesse sees and picks up a free rescue puppy to give to Leslie for Christmas and who she names, “Prince Terrien.” Jesse also goes over his budget to buy May Belle the Barbie doll that she wants for Christmas. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)
• Leslie, in return, buys and gives Jesse an expensive art set which includes a pad of heavy art paper, tubes of paint and water colors, and paint brushes in order to provide encouragement and further cultivate his artistic talents. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)
• Miss Edmunds not only gives of herself in teaching and bringing music into school children’s lives, but also gives of herself in encouraging Jess to develop his artistic talent. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)
• She also gives of herself to Jesse when she invites him to go with her to the Smithsonian or National Gallery. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)

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Death/Loss/Grief/Transcendence

The authors of the article, "Coping with Grief" utilize the definition of grieving proposed by Pfohl, Jimerson, and Lazarus: “Grieving is defined as personal thoughts and feelings associated with loss.” (Pfohl, Jimerson, & Lazarus, 2002; Worden, 1996) Any loss that triggers a child’s grief is experienced on a “continuum of severity.” (Heath, M., Leavy, D., 2008) While children are for the most part unique in their grief, they also experience many similar emotional and physical reactions in their reaction to death and loss. Although adults and parents want and hope to protect their children from the harsh realities of life, “all children will inevitably face the challenge of coping with loss.” (Heath, M. et. al., 2008). Furthermore, due to childhood innocence, vulnerability, and lack of well-developed coping skills, a child’s grief is much more complicated than most adults who would suffer a similar loss. (Heath, M. et. al, 2008).

Although many dying patients, experience the five stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance that Elizabeth Kübler Ross developed in her book, On Death and Dying, these stages have also been applied to the grieving experience. Elizabeth Kübler Ross, however, does caution people to be aware that grief is a process and not to expect that these stages will always be linear and orderly. (Huntley, T., 2002). Theresa Huntley in her book, Helping Children Grieve, provides a general listing of the stages of grief including the following which is very similar to what Jesse experienced after hearing that Leslie died:

1. Shock and disbelief
2. Searching and yearning
3. Disorganization and despair
4. Rebuilding and healing

• When Jesse comes home from the museum and finds his family waiting for him in the living room and staring at him while waiting to deliver the dreaded news of Leslie’s death, all he could initially say was, “What---?”
• When his sister, Brenda and their father tell Jesse about Leslie’s death, he reacts with shock and disbelief saying, “No.” he said, finding his voice. “Leslie wouldn’t drown. She could swim real good.” (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977).
• When Jesse gets over his initial shock, disbelief, and even anger over Leslie’s death, he runs into the woods and keeps running and searching in hopes that he will find Leslie alive. When his father finds Jesse, Jesse still feels regret over not inviting Leslie to come with him and Miss Edmunds to the museum. In his yearning for Leslie to come back, his mind engages in a fantasy where he expresses his regret to her and talks with her about the museum. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)
• Jesse shows the stage of disorganization when he is eating breakfast in the kitchen. After his mother stops giving him more pancakes, he is feeling lost about what to do next until his parents tell him that they were planning to go to the Burkes and pay their respects. Jesse’s father tells him that he thinks it would be appropriate for Jesse to go with him “Seeing’s you was the one that really knowed the little girl.” Jessie, also still in a stage of disbelief and disorganization, responds with, “What little girl?” (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)
• Jesse feels or experiences the most despair when interacting with Bill, Leslie’s father while paying his respects to his dear and deceased friend. When Jesse heard his father asking Bill about Leslie’s funeral service, Bill states that she will be cremated. In hearing this, Jesse is thinking, “Cremated. Something clicked inside Jesse’s head. That meant Leslie was gone. Turned to ashes. He would never see her again. Not even dead. Never. How could they dare. Leslie belonged to him. More to him than anyone in the world. No one had even asked him. No one had even told him. And now he was never going to see her again, and all they could do was cry…” (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977)
• Although rebuilding and healing are stages that could work sequentially, for Jesse, these stages worked somewhat concurrently with each other. In order for Jess to heal, he also had to rebuild “Terabithia” and create the bridge from death (the broken/frayed rope) to the (new connections and possibilities symbolized by the bridge to Terabithia). When Jesse takes the lumber from the Burkes' home after they leave, he builds the bridge from the rural side of the creek to the “Terabithia” side of the creek. With the physical enhancement of “Terabithia”, Jesse is then able to rebuild not only his emotional relationship with his sister, May Belle, but his other familial relationships with his new found confidence that Leslie gave to him. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977).
• Jesse’s emotional healing of his loss is accomplished when he rises above his sadness to recreate the magic of Terabithia that he thought was lost when Leslie died. With the physical building of the “Bridge to Terabithia”, he was also able to use that bridge to make connections or reconnections with his family such as his father or even his sister May Belle when he escorts her across the bridge to “Terabithia”. (Paterson, K., Bridge to Terabithia, 1977). Through this healing, Jesse is able create a new connection from Leslie to May Belle as the new queen of “Terabithia”.

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