Escaping to another world
Jess’s passion is drawing and painting and while his father considers his preoccupation for drawing and painting as something unsuitable for him, drawing and painting allows Jess to cope with the harsh reality in which he lives in. Because of this, painting becomes a metaphor for the capacity to access another world, an idea one where everything is perfect.
Diamond in the rough
In the second chapter of the novel, Jess describes his favorite teacher, Miss Edmunds, the only person who encourages Jess to nurture his artistic personality. Miss Edmunds is different from the other teachers because of her attitude and of her way of teaching. In many ways, Miss Edmund represents the slightly more educated society that is more prone to accept new ideas and can evolve more easily that the rest. Jess compares his favorite teacher with a diamond in the rough, comparing her with something precious that is unfortunately surrounded by a cruel environment.
Terabithia
Terabithia is the most important metaphor in the novel. The protagonists are two children who are unable to adapt into the world they live in so they create a made-up world where everything is perfect and where they feel safe. Terabithia is the place where Jess and Leslie are able to express themselves without fearing they will be criticized for who they are. Because of this, it is clear that Terabithia was used as a metaphor for freedom.
The Golden Room
Towards the middle of the novel, Leslie helps her father renovate the house and she and Jess stop going to Terabithia for a while. Feeling that Jess started fearing that their friendship will be overshadowed by her relationship with her father, Leslie asks Jess if he wants to help them renovate the house to which Jess agrees to do. Jess is able to see what kind of relationship Leslie has with her father and realizes quickly how different is from the relationship he has with his father. The Golden room mentioned in the chapter is metaphorical when taking in the consideration the context. Jess associates the Golden Room with the relationship Leslie has with her father and thus it is safe to assume that the Golden Room is a metaphor for the perfect relationship Leslie has with her father and just like the room seems to be something out of a fairytale, Leslie’s relationship with her father is also fairytale-like for Jess.
Rope
The rope the children used to swing to Terabithia is an important element because it has a metaphorical value. From the beginning, Leslie claimed that the only way a person could reach Terabithia is by using the rope. Even though there were easier alternatives, the children continued to use the rope. In many ways, the rope was a metaphor for their friendship and connection. When the rope broke, the friendship ended as well.
