OUTLINE

THESIS: Bridge to Terabithia is a commendable, heartwarming, eloquently written book that well deserves the designation of “one of the most timeless and classical books ever written.”

I. Paterson’s plot is a progressive sequence of events, mixed with several different conflicts and rise and fall action.

II. Endearing friendship is the primary and explicit theme of Bridge to Terabithia.

III. Paterson’s writing style genuinely enhances the story as she makes use of a third-person limited point of view, figurative language, a colloquial and understated tone and an Appalachian dialect for a realistic effect.

Katherine Paterson’s, 1977 award winning novel, Bridge to Terabithia, is a deeply moving, imagination-sparking tale. This young adult fiction novel takes place in a magical kingdom that was created out of the minds of the two unforgettable child protagonists, Jess and Leslie. Through Paterson’s use of literary elements such as: plot, theme, and style, the reader comes to understand and marvel at the benevolence and devotion of youthful friendship, and the power and magic of the imagination. Bridge to Terabithia is a commendable, heartwarming, eloquently written book that well deserves the designation of “one of the most timeless and classical books ever written.”

Paterson’s plot is a progressive sequence of events, mixed with several different conflicts and rise and fall action. Bridge to Terabithia’s plot begins its rise with a person vs. society conflict as Jess and Leslie quickly become best friends while trying to deal with a world that oftentimes does not understand them. Shortly after, the person vs. man is encountered as Jess and Leslie's friendship is strengthened by their encounters with a schoolyard bully. Additionally, over the course of the storyline, Paterson captivates the reader in a realm of imagination as the two children create their own magical world where they ultimately help each other grow strong— something Jess will have to draw upon later to help him cope with Leslie’s tragic and untimely death. The climax occurs when Miss Edmunds takes Jess out for a special day (he has forgotten that he and Leslie had plans), and as Leslie meets her untimely fate. Ironically, Jess ponders the day as being so special that it was worth any sacrifice— not realizing that it has already cost him something immense, his endearing and only friendship. The plot falls as Paterson interjects the story with suspense, a dose of sentimentality, and the person vs. self conflict: The loss of his friend sets Jess on a path of denial, self-condemnation, and blaming himself for not being with her. In the Denouement, Mrs. Myers helps Jess accept his friends passing by reminding him that he has the power of memory to keep Leslie with him. The story is resolved when Jess is inspired to build a bridge to Terabithia, which he accomplishes by using lumber from Leslie's house. And, while Jess knows no one can ever replace Leslie as the Queen, he also understands that Terabithia needs a new one to keep the magic alive; so, he gives the title to May Belle, knowing that Leslie would want that too.

Endearing friendship is the primary and explicit theme of Bridge to Terabithia. And any reader will agree that Jess and Leslie's friendship is indeed charming and magical. It allows them to delight in childhood and basically escape the rest of life’s pressures. Paterson builds upon this explicit theme through the support of a similar secondary implicit theme, in that: friendship can allow a person to find their “true selves” and it can open up whole new dimensions of one's character as a result of the other person's influence. For example, Jess's artistic abilities become unrestricted and increased by Leslie's imagination; thus, Jess discovers within himself an aptitude for ingenuity and creativity. Additionally, Leslie's inner strength and compassion is enhanced with Jess’ encouragement for her to help the school bully. Leslie also uncovers a desire for spirituality when Jess brings her to church. Paterson’s unifying idea of friendship in this story is important to a young reader as it allows a child to see that true friendship enables one to become comfortable with oneself and discover who they truly are. There are also many other secondary themes in this story that include: courage, growing up, and compassion. For instance when Jess and Leslie find the bully crying, the two grow in compassion and console her; thus, within this secondary theme, they learn that even enemies should be treated with dignity. Bridge to Terabithia also became highly controversial due to fear over its “adult” theme of death and the tragic demise of its child protagonist.

Paterson’s writing style genuinely enhances the story as she makes use of a third-person limited point of view, figurative language, a colloquial and understated tone and an Appalachian dialect for a realistic effect. Paterson chose for this novel a third person point of view as the narrator reveals the thoughts and feelings of only one character- that of Jess. Paterson also uses many techniques of figurative language for effect throughout the story. She makes allusion plentiful as the characters allude to many other literary works (mostly through Leslie and Jess's conversations); for example, Leslie describes Melville's Moby Dick and C. S. Lewis's world of Narnia and she lets Jess borrow books, such as Lloyd Alexander's The Book of Three. Paterson even models Terabithia’s imagery after Lewis's Narnia. Other figurative language can be found within the text, such as similes: “Momma would be mad as flies in a fruit jar if they woke her up this time of day” (p.1); and metaphors: “You're the proverbial diamond in the rough," . . . (p.140); and even some descriptive language and personification: “Through the curtainless window he could see the lopsided moon with hundreds of stars dancing in bright attendance” (p. 106) and “I'll just grab that old terror by the shoulders and shake the daylights out of it (p. 96). But, most notable is Paterson’s use of understated tone, which lets actions and reactions speak for themselves. Paterson's use of understatement is particularly poignant when bad things happen. There is no detail about why the bad things are so awful, or even why they happen: we, and Jess, already know… for example:
“Something whirled around inside Jess's head. He opened his mouth, but it was dry and no words came out. He jerked his head from one face to the next for someone to help him. Finally his father spoke, his big rough hand stroking his wife's hair and his eyes downcast watching the motion. "They found the Burke girl this morning down in the creek" (p60).
Paterson also employs an Appalachian dialect for many of the characters to make them more realistic; for instance, the characters often leave the subjects or the verbs out of sentences: "No'm. Thanks" (p35); at other times they use incorrect grammar— as when Jess uses a double negative: “Don’t pay me no mind” (p3).

Katherine Paterson did a superb job of integrating figurative language and details into this wonderful story, which allowed her to illuminate her characters, theme, and plot brilliantly. It is through the skillful development of these elements, that we can enter Terabitha’s magical world, experience the power of imagination, and be deeply moved by the benevolence and devotion of a youthful friendship. That is why the eloquently written Bridge to Terabithia is a commendable book that well deserves the designation of “one of the most timeless and classical books ever written.”