Escape to Terabithia

Being ten years old can’t be too hard.  Most of your life revolves around play, chores, and school.  But being ten can still have it’s difficulties: bullies, annoying teachers, not fitting in, secret loves, secret hobbies, and fears you’re ashamed to admit.  You would need a Terabithia—an imaginary, or physical, place where you can be yourself, leaving the worries of the world behind. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, not only explores the adventures and lives of two 10 year olds, but also shows how each of us has our own Terabithia.  Terabithia represents something different for each child; for Leslie it was a place of refuge, for Jess it was a place to grow.

It was Leslie’s idea to create a place where she and Jess could be themselves.  In fighting off giants, invaders, and paying respect to the spirits of Terabithia, Leslie finds refuge from the school kid’s teasing.  She was a dreamer and made fun of for it. She day dreamed in class (Paterson 44), she read books and recounted the stories to Jess, her hobby was scuba diving, not “watching game shows on TV” or “reading Good Books” like all the other girls (Paterson 33).  It was only in Terabithia that Leslie was truly able to let her imagination and freedom loose, allowing her true self to show.

For Jess, Terabithia was a place where he faced his fears.  As a boy, Jess thought he was supposed to be tough, not some wussy who was afraid of a swollen creek, getting beat in a race, or of the woods.  By facing his fears in Terabithia he grows and becomes a leader.  Perhaps the biggest fear that Jess faced was going to Terabithia without Leslie.  “Jess tried going to Terabithia alone, but it was no good.  It needed Leslie to make the magic.  He was afraid he would destroy everything by trying to force the magic on his own . . . (Paterson 65).  But in the end it is the very magic of Terabithia he feared wouldn’t come to him should he go to Terabithia alone, that ultimately destroyed his fear.  After Leslie’s death, Jess enters Terabithia alone.  At first he struggles to find the magic, telling the spirit of Leslie that he’s “just a dumb dodo” (Paterson 119), and in honor of, the deceased queen.  The spirits, he said, accepted his offering, and the words he spoke “had the ring of the sacred grove in them (Paterson 120). He alone produced the magic he feared he couldn’t create.

In a way Jess feared Terabithia.  He didn’t quite grasp the magic the way Leslie did.  He wasn’t the one to come up with the idea to make the pine forest sacred, or fight off the invaders of Terabithia.  Leslie was the one who always told stories to Jess.  Jess was a follower and listener.  When Leslie died Jess could have abandoned Terabithia, thinking that it wasn’t magical without Leslie.  Instead, Jess became the ruler.  He crowned his younger sister, May Belle, Queen of Terabithia, bringing his own magic into Terabithia (Paterson 128).

Each of us has a Terabithia where we can escape from the world to be our true selves, or a place where we go that allows us to conquer our fears.  It may not be a physical place, it may be a situation, an event, or it could take place inside our own heads.  Nevertheless, Terabithia will always make us grow, and will always be our safe haven.

~
“Between the two of them they owned the world and no enemy, Gary Fulcher, Wanda Kay Moore, Jancie Avery, Jess’s own fears and insufficiencies, nor any of the foes whom Leslie imagined attacking Terabithia, could ever really defeat them.” (Paterson 40).

Works Cited
Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia. New York: HaperCollins, 1977. Print

A "Frozen" Review

I know that this is supposed to be a blog about books, but I did say I’d put a few movies in here.  It turns out the first review is about a movie.   After all, a movie is a story. 

Black Friday my husband and I went to see Frozen, Disney’s most recent animated movie. 

I heard on the radio that this movie was supposed to be the best Disney movie since The Lion King.  I was skeptical.  Very few movies can top the creativity, character development, and depth of The Lion King. 

I didn’t have very high expectations for Frozen.  It had been a year since I had seen a movie come out in the theaters I was willing to buy, and that movie wasn’t Disney.  (It’s Les Miserables, if you were wondering).

After seeing Frozen I’m disappointed it’s not going to be out on DVD until after Christmas, which means I can’t ask Santa for it.  I loved it and wouldn’t be surprised if it became a Disney classic. 

This is what made Frozen a movie I’d be willing to buy:
Warning: This has spoilers in it.  If you haven't watched the movie and don't want it to be spoiled then don't read this until you have watched the movie. 

1)   The two main characters, Elsa and Anna, each have a desire.  They both want to be free.  Elsa wants to be free of her fear of accidently hurting people.  Anna wants to be free of the castle.  Each of their decisions brings them closer to their desire. 

2)   There is a dynamic character.  Elsa, after realizing that her powers can harm people, hides from the world including her sister.  As the movie continues her fear and want of isolation continues to build.  When she realizes that her sister loves her enough to sacrifice her life for her Elsa changes.  She no longer fears hurting people.  She invites the world into her life, using her power to bring happiness to the people of her kingdom.

3)   There is no dues ex machine in Frozen.  The climax is earned.  There is no one that comes, waves a magic wand, kills the bad guy, and ends the everlasting winter.  It is the character’s decisions that create the climax.  Within a second Anna chooses to sacrifice herself in order to save her sister.  Elsa discovers the power love has over frozen hearts and frozen kingdoms.  She is the one who discovers the power of love and uses it to end the everlasting winter.

4)   Disney pulls all the stops.  There aren’t the normal fairy tale clichés in this movie.  Honestly, when the trolls mentioned that Anna could be saved by true loves kiss, I thought, “Of course, and it will follow the plot of Enchanted, the wrong person kisses her before she realizes she and Kristoff are the ones in love, not Anna and Hans.  I was taken by surprise.  There was no “true loves kiss” that saved her.  This perhaps sealed the deal on why I believe Frozen is one of the best Disney movies to be made in recent years.  Anna saved herself by her own actions.  She was not dependent on another person to save her, as what happens in nearly every other Disney princess movie.

5)   Sacrifice.  If there isn’t sacrifice in a story it doesn’t make a good, lasting story.  A character in the story, usually the main one, must choose between one of two things in order to make a story an audience will be able to connect with and love.  My husband and I recently watched Shrek 2.  Shrek is willing to sacrifice is ogre body in order to make Fiona happy.  Fiona, on the other hand, sacrifices her human body in order to make Shrek happy.  In Frozen it is Anna’s sacrifice that ultimately saves the kingdom and brings about the change in Elsa.  As mentioned before, Anna makes a split-second decision, her life, or her sisters?  She sacrifices her life in order to save her sister.  Even if she weren’t going to turn to ice, Hans’ sword would have killed her.  She knew that either way she would die.  This is what I believe makes the movie outstanding. 

Of course I can’t not say anything about the music.  The only thing my husband and I knew about the movie before seeing it was it was about two sisters and one turns the world into a frozen ice land.  “I hope this movie is a musical,” my husband said as we sat through the previews in the theater. 

I loved how it opened with a song.  I loved how the songs kept going, and especially how each song reflected the characters personalities.  “Love is Open Door,” reveals Anna’s fun-loving and adventurous nature.  “For the First Time in Forever,” lets us take a peak into who Elsa has become after years of isolation and fear.  “In Summer,” in which Olaf sings about a snowman in the summertime, introduces us to the innocent and fun-loving snowman.  My personal favorite, “Let it Go” takes viewers into the heart of Elsa.  She is free.  She can use her powers without hurting anyone.  She is happy and comes to terms with who she is and the fact that in order to protect those she loves she needs to live in isolation.  Of course, how can you not love Idina Menzel, and the piano music?

Frozen, though it doesn’t have the depth that The Lion King has, is definitely one of Disney’s best movies in recent years. 

Elsa and Anna from Frozen