In the Class Meeting 12 PowerPoint and the You-Tube video of the Katherine Patterson interview, you learned about the author’s writing interests and you learned that she wrote this book in response to her son’s loss of a school friend. She says she wrote Bridge to Terabithia to “throw light on the chaos”.
Her description does not seem to lead to an explicit moral or didactic meaning to the novel. Rather her phrase seems to invite reflection upon a tragic event which, no matter how sad, must be coped with by the family and friends who remain. Having read the book and discussed Jess’ character with your classmates, how would you describe the “light thrown upon the chaos”? If Jess is supposed to be the character whom a reader primarily identifies with, what light has Jess found by the end of the book? Please respond in a paragraph of 200-250 words. Be sure to focus on Jess and not solely on your own reaction.
– Watch this interview with Katherine Patterson watch