# of Words: 339

Bridge to Terabithia is one of the very classic books you could ever read about friendship, imagination, and reduction. And, with each of these components, the book won Katherine Paterson her very first Newbery Medal at 1978 (she won another for Jacob Have I Loved at 1981). However, like many other excellent children's books, it has come under controversial fire.

It happens to deal with some pretty hard subject matter, such as passing and religion (by way of example, some critics think Leslie's not a fantastic role model because she doesn't attend church), and it doesn't help that a few of the characters do some moderate swearing (origin).

But, it seems as though guards such as the book are much more passionate than criticisms.

"[...] inducing Bridge to Terabithia to be deducted from the literary bill of fare to young adults could do a great deal more than simply enable the censors to prohibit a high quality novel. It can sound a frighteningly clear clarion call to get a full-scale assault on imaginative literature during U.S. programs of research." (origin)

Whether you applaud Paterson for providing a voice to youth loss and despair or perhaps not, what some folks don't know is that Bridge to Terabithia is motivated by the true story of the writer's son and his best buddy. Paterson found herself not able to describe the reduction to her son and ended up writing Bridge to Terabithia. At a Q&A on her site, she states, "I wrote the book to attempt to make sense from a catastrophe that seemed senseless" (origin).

Unsurprisingly, over the decades Paterson has received plenty of fan mail that question the rather unconventional decision to write about the death of a principal character. In a 2005 interview, Paterson admitted, "When kids ask me why she had to die, I need to weep, because it's a question for which I don't have any answer" (origin). Both in life and in fiction, it seems, the reduction of a buddy like that can not be clarified or undone.

Related Papers

Cyrano De Bergerac Edmond Rostand

Take out your hankies--you're going to be equally yelling with laughter and yelling with severe sadness before this play is finished. Seriously: select an emotion and Cyrano de Bergerac will have you sense it. You wish to swoon? You would like to feel scorn? Pity? Cyrano's body difficulties are you covered. Stress? There's a dang battle scene that is filled with humor (and blood and guts). Nevertheless, the significant emotion you'll feel throughout the reading (or viewing, in case you're......Read More

Bartleby The Scrivener Herman Melville

Released in 1853, "Bartleby the Scrivener" is one of American author Herman Melville's most often-read and studied works (that is really saying a whole lot, considering that the man also penned several classics, such as Moby-Dick and Billy Budd). "Bartleby" is really a departure from the sea-faring adventures that Melville frequently presented to readers; in reality, this can be a story where the most fascinating thing that happens is in fact the simple fact that nothing really happens. The......Read More

Cold Mountain Charles Frazier

Ever play one of those RPG video games in which you're on some kind of pursuit? We know that you've remained awake mannertoo late going through a great deal of trendy (and mad) landscapes, attempting to get to some significant castle or Mount Doom. Think about Cold Mountain as the literary second cousin of these games. The principal character--a man named Inman--has deserted the Confederate Army following an accident and is attempting to work his way home. Home is the Cold Mountain region of......Read More

Related Topics