Literary Devices in Bridge to Terabithia
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Terabithia is created by Leslie and Jess's conviction that they require a space of their own, a magic space where no one will bother them and where they can hang out in peace. On an early day in th...
Setting
The characters all live in a small town called Lark Creek and, except for when Jess goes to Washington, D.C., with Miss Edmunds, all the action takes place there. Lark Creek is a small, almost back...
Narrator Point of View
Paterson's use of third person (limited omniscient) point of view means we see the events and the circumstances as Jess would see them, like we're peeking over his shoulder. We usually know how he...
Genre
Bridge to Terabithia is very much a work of children's literature. The language Paterson uses is honest and age-appropriate. Complicated things happen, but they're always described with the kinds o...
Tone
This book lets actions and reactions speak for themselves. Unlike pure fantasy books like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, for example, where fantasylands are described in loving and exquisit...
Writing Style
There's nothing highfalutin' or fancy about the language in this book. And that's fitting, because the people in it are plain speaking and straightforward, too. Leslie and her family, who are more...
What's Up With the Title?
Let's take this in parts and, just for kicks, we'll even go backwards. Terabithia is the magical, imaginary land invented by the book's two main characters, Leslie and Jess. It's a part of a forest...
What's Up With the Ending?
The ending of Bridge to Terabithia is sad, but it's also beautiful. Leslie dies, and that's awful. She was Jess's best friend and, he felt, the best part of himself: "his other, more exciting self...
Tough-o-Meter
The things that make this book tough aren't big words, complex structure, or anything like that. At first, we think we're reading a nice, straightforward text about friendship and imagination among...
Plot Analysis
Jess wants to be the fastest kid in the fifth grade.In the setup to the book, we meet Jess, learn about Lark Creek (see "Setting"), and figure out a little bit about his family life. We see that...
Trivia
You can meet Paterson or hear her speak at one of these events listed on her website. You can see a memorial for Lisa Hill (the real-life inspiration for the character of Leslie) at Takoma Park Ele...
Allusions
The Chronicles of Narnia (4.102, 4.108) The Bible (4.110, 3.33, 8.68, 8.70, 8.75)Moby Dick (4.125-126)Hamlet (5.62, 5.64)Aslan (8.64)Jesus (8.64)Moses (9.34)Vietnam War (2.20)Abraham Lincoln (8.64)...