Bridge Of Terabithia Character Analysis

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Bridge to Terabithia Friendship is a major theme in the novel Bridge of Terabithia. Describe how Jesse changes/ develops through the novel because of his friendship with Leslie. In the novel Bridge to Terabithia, the author Katherine Paterson captures a different friendship; one where the two is of contrasting backgrounds. Jesse Aarons, a boy in the country is influenced greatly by a city girl, Leslie Burke who just moved to rural Virginia. The two become best friends and found an imaginary land named Terabithia, in a time and place where gender roles are distinct, their friendship seems unlikely. Terabithia is an enchanted kingdom created by Leslie, it plays a considerable role in the development of Jesse and a representation of much more than just imaginary creatures. Terabithia is a perfect childhood, countering the antagonist in this novel; We can see that from the father-son bond of Jesse and his father. At first they were isolated from each other but when Jesse experienced trauma, when he threw away the best part of himself along with the paint set; 'His father pulled Jess over on his lap as if he were Joyce Ann.' (chapter 12) which was figurative too, the two realized that they needed each other, more than ever now, through the Burke girl. Building the bridge means both on a physical and emotional term. Building it to prevent another loss and finally making amends with Leslie's death, 'For hadn't Leslie, even in Terabithia, tried to push back the walls of his mind and make him see beyond to the shining world—huge and terrible and beautiful and very fragile?' (chapter 13) Jesse, in the beginning thought fear as such a despiteful thing, something to be ashamed of and was always tormented by it. Then he came to his senses about this matter, that it was normal, because of Terabithia, of Leslie Burke. Leslie was more like an event that happened in Jesse’s

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