Bridge to Terabithia

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1977

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-11

Chapters 12-13

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Themes

Finding Connection as an Outsider

Bridge to Terabithia explores the fine line between being alone and being lonely. The experiences of Jess, Leslie, and others show that being an outsider is isolating. However, when shared with someone else, being unique is what can connect us to one another.

Separately, Jess and Leslie are lonely children. Jess is the “only boy smashed between four sisters” (2), and at school, he has few friends. Both classmates and parents denigrate his creativity, and he feels so different from his family that he imagines he is a “foundling” who was found in a basket on the river. Leslie is an only child who, although she gets along well with adults, has no friends and is gawked at for her tomboyish appearance and “unusual” hobbies. Being outsiders is part of what draws Jess and Leslie together; while being different is initially painful, it helps them develop a strong friendship. Creating Terabithia is how they celebrate their unique creativity. The fact that Terabithia is exclusively theirs is what makes it special: “Terabithia was their secret, which was a good thing, for how could Jess have ever explained it to an outsider?” (59). Terabithia proves that being an outsider does not need to be an isolating experience.

Jess also feels a sense of connection to Miss Edmunds, not just because she compliments him, but because she is different from the rest of the community. She dresses how she wants and plays the songs she wants, even if people make fun of her for being a hippie. Jess feels that they are alike because “we don’t belong at Lark Creek” (17). It is her uniqueness that draws Jess. By encouraging him in his art, Miss Edmunds helps Jess feel comfortable and less alone in his difference from others.

Sharing our loneliness with others is a powerful experience that can bring the most unlikely people together. When Leslie shares with Janice Avery about being mocked for not having a TV and being seen as weird, Janice goes from being their enemy to at least a “half” friend. Similarly, by connecting over the loneliness of loss, Jess bonds with his teacher; when Mrs. Myers confides in Jess that she also knows what it is like to lose someone, she stops being an imposing figure, and Jess wants to write her a thank-you note one day. Bridge to Terabithia shows how some of our deepest connections are forged when we find we are not alone—even in our loneliness. By finding someone else who is an outsider, or lonely, we can connect deeply with one another.

The Stages of Grief and Finding Meaning Within Suffering

Bridge to Terabithia is famous for breaking readers’ hearts as they watch Jess grieve his best friend, Leslie. Traditionally, the stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. While these stages do not always unfold in chronological order, Jess demonstrates how grief jumps from one stage to the other as he processes Leslie’s death. As Jess traverses some of the stages of grief, the novel suggests that meaning can be found within inexplicable losses.

At first, Jess experiences denial; he refuses to believe Leslie died. He runs down the street, knowing that when he stops running, he will need to face Leslie’s death. That night, he believes that Leslie’s death was a part of his dream, and he convinces himself that “Leslie could not die any more than he himself could die” (134). This denial suppresses the guilt he feels. He imagines himself apologizing to Leslie for not inviting her to Washington. Days later, Jess imagines Leslie running to catch the school bus, then tells himself that perhaps her father is driving her to school.

Jess’s grief fluctuates from denial to anger when he is at the Burkes’ home. He imagines Leslie running out of her room, revealing that her death was just a joke—until he hears the word “cremated.” This is when it hits Jess: “He would never see her again” (144). This shows how grief can shift in a second, without warning. This one word cracks the walls Jess has put up. Like many people do when grieving, Jess suppresses his pain with anger. He blames Leslie’s parents for cremating her and for moving in the first place. His anger turns to Leslie for dying just as he started changing as a person. When he runs down to the gulch before Terabithia, he furiously throws the paints that Leslie gave him into the creek. Anger is a secondary emotion that numbs Jess’s deep sorrow. By blaming himself, Bill, Judy, and even Leslie, Jess avoids confronting his loss.

When Jess is able to make meaning from Leslie’s death, he reaches acceptance. He creates a “funeral wreath for the queen” (152) and lays it in the castle stronghold, as a monument to Leslie. He says, “Father, into Thy hands I commend her spirit” (153), mimicking the type of language that Leslie used in Terabithia. Honoring Leslie allows Jess to move on and connect with others. Right after this memorial, Jess saves May Belle and comforts her instead of lashing out in anger. He also connects with Mrs. Myers when she shares about losing her husband. He realizes that he does not need to suppress what happened. Instead, he will create meaning from this loss by “pay[ing] back the world in beauty and caring what she loaned him in vision and strength” (161). Knowing that he will never forget Leslie, he builds a bridge to Terabithia, extending to May Belle the same opportunity for connection and transformation that Leslie’s life and friendship gave him. Bridge to Terabithia shows that grief is complex and transformative. By going through the stages of grief, we can create meaning out of horrible sorrow.

The Impact of Wealth and Education

Part of the magic of Terabithia is that it separates Leslie and Jess from the real world, where they could be divided by their differences in wealth and education. Bridge to Terabithia shows how socioeconomic status impacts individuals, families, and communities.

Struggling with poverty impacts Jess’s family and community. From the beginning of the book when Jess runs in “worn out sneakers” (1), his family’s struggle with poverty is evident. His mother is regularly stressed about not having enough money, whether counting out “wrinkled bills” to give Brenda and Ellie for school supplies or wondering whether there will be enough money for the children to have Christmas gifts. Jess’s father is exhausted from working so hard. This is common for their rural Virginian community; before meeting the Burkes, Jess never knew anyone unburdened by finances. The impact this has on the community is clear. Lark County Elementary is under-resourced. There is only enough athletic equipment for the upper grades, and the music teacher, Miss Edmunds, can only be brought in once a week. The classrooms are so crowded that when Leslie, the 31st student in their class, arrives, her desk must be crammed in the front of the room. By portraying poverty’s impact on the school, Paterson shows how struggles can be cyclical, passed down from one generation to the next.

The novel also illustrates socioeconomic status’ impact on self-esteem. For example, when Miss Edmunds takes Jess to the Smithsonian, Jess is horrified to realize “that he would need money, and he didn’t know how to tell her that he hadn’t brought any—didn’t have any to bring, for that matter” (127). While Jess likes the Burkes, their engaging conversations make him feel inadequate and scared to speak. This same self-consciousness is why Mrs. Aarons feels threatened by Leslie. She criticizes Leslie’s appearance, likely because she does not want to be looked down on herself. When Jess wants to bring Leslie to church, she says: “I don’t want no one poking their nose up at my family” (105). Children are also protective of their own family’s image. For example, when Janice confides in her friends about her father’s physical abuse, they mock her—even though many children in her community have similar stories: “It didn’t matter if their own fathers were in the state hospital or the federal prison, they hadn’t betrayed theirs, and Janice had” (97). In low-income communities, people can feel defensive about their families because they do not want to feel inferior.

The Burkes provide an example of the hugely consequential privilege that wealth and education bring. They are well-read, fulfilled, and attentive in their daughter’s life. They have “mountains of records” (58), an impressive stereo, and an expensive car. Their wealth’s impact on their family is clear. Mr. and Mrs. Burke are easy-going and have time to discuss altruistic ecological concerns. Leslie is more academically advanced than her peers, having grown up with educated parents who regularly discuss politics, poetry, art, and culture. Before Lark County, she attended a large school in the suburbs, with a music room and a gym. The Burkes are not inherently superior; their socioeconomic status affords them opportunities the Aaronses do not have.

These socioeconomic differences can separate children. When Jess discovers the Burkes’ wealth, he makes a mental note not to bring up money around Leslie. Part of the magic of Terabithia is that it is a world apart from these anxieties. On the school bus, Jess wonders why “someone like Leslie would even give him the time of day” (75). In Terabithia, they are equally king and queen. When Jess does not have boots to cross the muddy stream in, they both go barefoot. It is significant that Prince Terrien, the puppy that Jess gives Leslie for Christmas, is free. While Prince Terrien cost nothing, Jess and Leslie name him the “Guardian of Terabithia” (77). This is fitting since Terabithia is a place where Jess learns to be proud of himself, even if he comes from a low-income background. Bridge to Terabithia suggests that while wealth and education impact quality of life, they do not define a person.