Essay Questions

What is the significance of Jess building a bridge across the creek and leading his sister May Belle across?

Jess decides to build a bridge across the creek not only to ensure no one else will ever be hurt or killed trying to cross the creek when the water is dangerously high as Leslie was but also as a way to ensure Terabithia is accessible for other future generations, his sister May Belle and in the future, his infant sister Joyce Ann. This shows the meaning of Terabithia has changed for Jess. In contrast, before he saw Terabithia as a sacred, private place unique to only him and Leslie, Jess now wants the magic and refuge of Terabithia to be available to help others, just as Leslie made Jess a king, Jess is now prepared to help make May Belle and Joyce Ann the new queens of Terabithia after Leslie.

How does Jess change throughout the novel?

At the beginning of the novel, Jess is very much in his world, he is angry and depressed due to his duties on the farm and constantly annoyed with his four sisters and both his parents. He is single-minded, only wishing to be the fastest kid in his grade. After being beaten by Leslie, he is initially angry and personally shuns her. Jess is also very eager to confirm, he refuses to talk to Leslie partially because he knows he will be teased for his friendship with a girl and lies about having football as a hobby along with all the other boys to hide his artistic nature. He is also keenly aware of Leslie’s tomboyish attire and the social status of others. Jess’ friendship with Leslie and Terabithia allows him to gain self-confidence, empathy for others, and a broader sense of the world. After Leslie’s death, Jess learns through his grief to pass on Leslie’s memory by doing for others what Leslie did for him, starting by introducing his sister May Belle to Terabithia, demonstrating Jess has grown into a much wiser person as he enters adolescence.

How are gender roles expressed in Bridge to Terabithia?

Many of the women in Bridge to Terabithia, such as Jess's sisters and female classmates in particular, are shallow and vain, with exceptions being Jess’ mother, Miss Edmunds, and Mrs. Burke, who are different caring maternal figures towards Jess. Jess’s father, on the other hand, from whom we see the most insistence on Jess's conformity to the masculine gender role, is awkwardly undemonstrative of his care for Jess until the end. Jess is led to believe that he must live up to this masculine ideal and that his love for painting is a betrayal of the ‘true man’ his father expects him to be. In Jess’ friendship with Leslie, Jess is unbothered by the teasing about his ‘girlfriend’ because he can't imagine Leslie doing any of the actions he associates with the girls he has seen, appearing almost androgynous. Leslie is a clear challenge to stereotypical feminine roles, there are never any imposed gender roles that affect their friendship, Leslie helps Jess learn that he must become his own person, not merely his own man.