Theme Analysis of Bridge to Teribithia
Theme Analysis of Bridge to Teribithia
All children can relate in someway to Katherine Paterson’s Newbery Medal-winning children’s novel, Bridge to Terabithia.
Jess and Leslie, the main characters in the book undergo many life changing circumstances such as becoming the best of friends and then having to let go of that friendship. Three subjects that mold Jess and Leslie into a more mature person are competition, friendship, and acceptance.
Jess Aarons is a ten-years-old and grows up in a house where he is the only boy with four sisters. He lives in a small town and has a hard time finding ways to entertain himself. His greatest hope is to become the fastest runner in the fifth grade. It is very important for Jess to win: “One time last year Jesse had won. Not just the first heat but the whole shebang. Only once. But it had put in his mouth a taste for winning”(Paterson 4). It was so important for Jess to win because he needed the respect from his peers and his family. Jess’s main interest in life was drawing and no one seemed to understand his passion: “Ever since he’d been in first grade he’d been that “crazy little kid that draws all the time” (Paterson 4). Jess needed something in his life that made him feel normal. Being the fastest kid in the fifth grade made him feel like a star. He was sure that this year he would be the fastest.
On the first day of school, he gets beat by the new girl, Leslie Burke: “He felt it before he saw it. Someone was moving up. He automatically pumped harder. Then the shape was there in his sideways vision. Then suddenly pulling ahead..... The faded cutoffs crossed the line a full three feet ahead of him”(Paterson 27). Jess was not going to be the fastest runner in fifth grade this year. It shocked all the boys on the playground that Leslie had run the race: ”There was no cheering at either end of the field. The rest of the boys seemed as stunned as he”(Paterson 27) After the race Leslie attempts to befriend Jess. He is still embarrassed that she beat him and was not comfortable being friends with a girl. Jess tries hard to ignore Leslie...