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.
“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
“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).
Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia. New York: HaperCollins, 1977. Print
