Blog Post #1: Bridge to Terabithia Archetypes

So far in my book, my classmates in my book club and I were trying to get a better understanding of what the word archetypes mean, and who were they in our book, Bridge to Terabithia. And now, we understand what it means, and what role, each character plays.

Jess is the Hero in the book. He doesn't seem it at first, because he was always bubbled up in his own world and kept everything to himself, he was afraid to take risks and always thought about what everyone else thought. But in the end, Jess grows, learns about himself, and also the world around him. He learns that he doesn't have to follow what society does, and be what others want him to be. He shows courage and is changed by his journey, and he does experience a "loss of innocence" because he grows up and realizes he should listen to himself more often then let others make him feel alone.

Leslie is the Mentor in the book. She assisted Jess, by showing him the way in his journey. She was sort of the path he followed. She taught him how to be who he wants to, and how to stand up for himself and what he wants. She was sort of the opposite of what Jess was in the beginning, yes they were both outcasts, but she knew how to speak for herself and be herself. She very much symbolized wisdom, knowledge, and experience. And her task/journey was to show Jess Terabithia and teach him to imagine a world where no one can judge you.  

The Shadow in the book is also Jess (oddly) because he does oppose himself sometimes. He might think about doing something or wanting something, but then he would think to himself, "No! I'm not supposed to do this or be like this!" he wouldn't think about himself, he would think about how society works. He isn't necessarily "the dark side" but he does always oppose himself before Leslie showed up and taught him how to be himself.


May Belle is definitely the shape shifter in the book. She keeps on changing sides. She can never make up her mind about Jess. She sometimes adores Jess, but at the same time she would sometimes just take his side for her benefit. For example, in the beginning of the book when Jess came home from running in the morning, he asked her to get her a new shirt, at first she complained, but she got it anyway. And another time when she changed sides was when Jess and Leslie wanted to go to Terabithia and she wanted to come along, since they wouldn't let her, she threatened Jess and said she would tell their mom. But once Leslie gave her some paper dolls to play with, she kept her mouth shut.


Before this year, I never even knew each character had a journey! I now realize that in each person, at some point, we all have a journey, and change in some way. But before I finish, I just want to add that Katherine Paterson is a great author and can really show how the characters grow in the book!