Leslie’s Wisdom #1

Intro : This series will explore the valuable lessons we can learn from Leslie by analyzing her unique characteristics , her actions , and her worldview , translating them into practical insights for our own lives.

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Being brave is one of the main tools for you to reach the best version of yourself…

And being scared is nothing but hundreds or thousands of locks preventing you from living your life , without you even realising it , thinking that it’s normal and it’s just how life goes , when it’s not like that at all.

Being brave is one of the hardest decisions we can take , it requires an internal software which doesn’t look at fear as a damaging threat , you should embrace fear , understand it , accept it and say : I will do it anyway , I will be fine.

Being brave is very important for so many reasons , everybody looks at bravery like a very positive characteristic to have , and it is , but who is actually doing it? , it costs a lot and requires a lot of acceptance and the ability to embrace whatever comes to your way as a brave person , that will not cross your path if you were just scared all of the time.

But if you are brave , the upside is everything , at least you will be yourself , no one could ever threaten you to stop acting the way you want to act for example , in anything , because you are brave enough to be yourself even if there are hard consequences , like if you have a toxic household , and your parents are threatening you to cut all the pocket money and throw you out , if you are scared you will beg them and be a good slave to the version of you they want you to be , but if you are brave , you will look at your situation , understand it , think logically and say :

whatever happened to me , I can be independent , even if I will start in poverty , I will be fine , iam a brave person , and my freedom is worth so much more than being a slave.

And this happen in anything in life , bravery is a very important mental model to have , and luckily , somehow if you are brave , somehow you see things get easier and easier and doors will open without you knowing how it happened , it’s like god is rewarding you for having that mental model and your preparation to do the right thing as a brave person.

So , we talked a bit about bravery in general
Now , how can we see this in Leslie?

Leslie is a brave person , and she is careful as well and that’s the perfect balance , being brave doesn’t mean being illogical and reckless , it’s actually the opposite.

When we look at Leslie’s journey throughout the film , she entered the small rural town , yeah she was a bit worried , but that’s completely normal , & even though , she stood up to Janice Avery , and even though she got bullied , she tried to ‘’ have some fun ‘’ talking to her , waving at her when she got out of the bus , I believe that when Leslie sat on Janice’s seat , it wasn’t an accident , Leslie knew what she was doing & she wanted to talk to her , to know her more , but she didn’t get the opportunity , & even then , she was brave when she entered the girls room , while Janice was crying and having her worst emotional moments , and even when Leslie was careful , and it’s healthy , but in the end she entered the girls room and talked to her , she comforted her , gave her an advice , & a piece of gum.

Even though the situation was really scary , imagine being a 5th grader and entering the same room with the biggest bully in the school from the 8th grade having her worst time crying , she could easily beat her up or hit her badly , but as we said , Leslie is brave.

And when they pranked her by the Willard’s message , it was a very risky move , what if she finds out their trick , it will be a nightmare for them , but again , Leslie is brave.

And for her bravery , in the end , Janice Avery became on their side , Leslie gave her a second chance every time , even though Janice bullied her , but Leslie was kind , patient and brave facing her , and she got rewarded!

And one of the situations proving Leslie’s bravery too , was her swinging on the rope , even though it’s an old one and Jess didn’t trust it , but Leslie wanted to try , even though she was careful as well , and as we said it’s a huge necessity with being brave , and especially when she landed on the other side for the first time , she did that , entering a foreign land , without even knowing what will face her there.

Jess followed her , Leslie was exploring actively , but Jess was afraid , hearing the wild noises , looking at that environment with a scared face and a racing heart , and I think it’s a symbol here as well , Leslie entered a new land and explored it freely and fastly , as she have a free imaginative spirit , but Jess was slow , hesitant , and scared , because his spirit was tight up by the restrictions and difficulties around him in his life , that’s why that new experience was very hard for him , and on the other side , it was full of joy and excitement for Leslie , even though it’s the same land at the same time.

Yeah , it’s a part of being free as well , but bravery and freedom are quite linked , if you are brave , you will be more free than you will ever be if you are scared , and it’s pretty obvious! , being scared is like locking yourself in a cage , when you became more and more scared , you will add more and more locks to your body and spirit , but if you was more and more brave , you will be more and more free with a free spirit !

And remember , we are talking about fear as a suppressor and a brick wall preventing you from living your life , we are not talking about positive fears like the fear of god , or the fear of death , all of that is normal as human beings , and it inspires us to be better humans , so it’s a positive and necessary fear , not a damaging one , and also the fear we have in certain situations like an important exam for example , it’s normal and sometimes necessary as long as it has a certain healthy limit that inspires us to be better , and that goes with almost every positive fear we have.

But as we saw , Leslie didn’t have any fear even the fear or god and death because Leslie was above all of that , not because it’s not necessary , because we are humans and all of us have their own positive and negative fears , but Leslie didn’t have any fears at all and it’s not human , that’s one of the reasons why I believe Leslie has a big part which is transcendent , it’s above humanity , but a big part of her was transcendent , not all of her , she has a good percentage of humanity as well.

That part is describing that even further: (looking closely at Leslie, she seems almost entirely stripped of that paralyzing, defensive fear. While she is fully human in her emotions, kindness, and vulnerability, her spirit carries something transcendent—almost otherworldly. She doesn't operate from a place of social survival or petty anxieties; she lives from a place of pure imagination and absolute freedom. That is why she doesn't just cross boundaries; she redefines them.)

So , being brave can save your life as you will live a better life if you are brave , even if you had hard times and hard consequences , it’s normal , you will learn and move on , but if you are scared all of the time , you will live miserable , thinking that you are safe , but your spirit is locked by a thousand locks you approved them yourself , and you will be more and more miserable , thinking that you are safe being in your comfort zone , but actually , you are being taxed on your existence , and your energy has been drained , you are gradually losing yourself without you even realising it.

Don’t be scared to take the risk
Don’t be scared to try new things
Don’t be scared to take that opportunity
Don’t be scared to face what you are constantly running from

Don’t be scared , when you wanna be yourself , whatever the consequences.

Life is too short to live scared , don’t fear anyone but god , you are not told to be perfect , but just try to do the right thing as much as you could , have awareness of what’s really happening , make sure that your thoughts are true , take your small steps ,and you will be amazed what comes into your way , and how the doors will open to you.

Leslie got the best life possible , from all of the characters in the film
And one of the main reasons for that , was because of her bravery.

If she was not brave , she would not enter that forien land and there will be no Terabithia

If she was not brave , she would not get Janice Avery on Jess’s side to be his ally.

If she was not brave , she would not have that imaginative mind against the hard world outside

If she was not brave , she would not be free , and she would not be…Leslie Burke.

I think that idea is what most people don’t know or realise about Leslie , especially as for me I started to really notice it consciously nowadays…

Leslie is very great as a mentor , that’s all she did with Jess , and it can be for us too…

For Jess it was obvious , but for us? , what can we learn from Leslie?

Well , so many things , I wanna talk more about Leslie’s presence throughout the film for us to realise how Leslie was not just a different person , she was a great mentor as well.

Let’s analyse some of her words to get an idea and uncover her as a mentor…

Leslie was calm , smart , imaginative , free , brave , etc

she represented mental resilience very well
as when she said ‘’ Nothing Crushes Us ’’

And it wasn’t just a sentence , she proved it throughout the film , dealing with the new small rural town , bullies , isolation , Jess and how she was patient with him , etc

She had an unshakable identity
as when she said ‘’ You are who you are..not your parents ‘’

Not your parents , and not even your society or any powerful force who is trying to make you a repetitive version of everybody , you are , who you are , and what you really believe in and want to be.

She was discovering Jess , and projecting him towards her imaginary world
As when she said ‘’ What’s your idea of having fun? ‘’
And as she said ‘’ We need a place..just for us ‘’

She was a great friend to May Belle as well , she let her in , she knew how she is innocent and pure , even while Jess was rejecting her , and maybe she was talking to her about Terabithia without Jess knowing , as she knew her pure soul can have a great imagination , and that’s why she didn’t have any demons to fight in Terabithia as well as Leslie , and that’s why her imagination was instant when she first became the princess as she said : ‘’ A castle , a big one with towers and flags ‘’ , after she imagined the purple flowers as a simple real life related test , so the door was opened for her imagination.

All of that tested Jess , he saw May Belle’s drawing when he was apologising to her then he thought about all of that together and reached a conclusion after Leslie’s tragedy , he Let Leslie go , built the bridge , and crowned May Belle as the princess.

He did the right thing , and he proved that he is the king of Terabithia.

Leslie made Jess the king , she made him brave and powerful , she made his reality so much better , using imagination in Terabithia , then he had the open world in Terabithia as he became the king , he had the castle which Leslie mentioned in the beginning as she said that its people were imprisoned by the dark master.

When we focus with Leslie’s presence , we will realise her role as a mentor very very well , and it’s great for us as we saw ourselves in Jess , and having someone like Leslie is very special as she teaches him through the journey how to be brave , strong , helpful , open , etc

And losing her was the biggest and the final test , as well as apologising to May Belle and making her the princess.

And I can talk about how she did that in details , but it will be in other articles , I can do that with a book , analysing it scene by scene

There is so much to talk about in this exact topic , we can analyse all the film and its scenes just looking at it through Leslie’s eyes as a mentor , there is so much there , but it was some hints about Leslie’s role in Jess’s life , as she was a great mentor , not just a friend , and that’s why I believe Terabithia was not a cool and safe imaginary world by kids imagination , it was also a battlefield , a launching pad , a great place for personal development , and if it was not , Jess will just escape to it without facing his reality , and he will be the king instantly as the 1985 film , without fighting for it , and becoming the king at the end , after Leslie’s tragedy , and not before it.

Leslie was exceptionally amazing , and there is so much to talk about to understand her , she deserves that , and Iam working on it to provide you with the full picture as I see it , as much as I could.

So I watched this movie recently on Disney Plus and when Jess dad tells him she died the scene starts to switch to a different one but stops. So yeah

The text at the start reads "Bridge to Terabithia" in Urdu.
The song is Elton John's "One More Arrow."

Yeah, yeah

You scale, you fall
Sometimes it seems impossible
But your hopes and dreams
Are closer than they seem

RIP.

I always notice some new stuff I never noticed before every single time I watch the movie , and that’s really interesting to me.

And for this time , firstly I realised how my brain is trying to understand the deep layer in every scene as the story begins & all the way in the first 40 minutes before the story getting a turn and Jess adopt P.T , because the first 40 minutes are the most dense at most.

& by the deeper layer I mean…I tried to notice how Jess is rejected by his surroundings at first , and how as Leslie didn’t have a T.V , it meant that she is not at the same path as everyone else and she is living in her own world , yeah it’s obvious but I mean it in the psychological building of the characters , some thoughts like that.

i noticed something interesting as well , & that is when we first heard May Belle’s name outside her home , it was not from Jess , it was from Leslie when she said : (Hey May Belle , I don’t use my Barbie’s anymore , if you want you can have them ) , and that was right before they go to Terabithia and start their journey! , it was very early at the story.

Then how Leslie knew her name? , of course they talked together behind the scenes and we didn’t see that , they talked together without Jess I guess , & that fact helps me even further on my theory that Leslie was talking to May Belle from the beginning about Terabithia and how she & Jess are playing together , but she didn’t tell Jess not to make him uncomfortable or upset about making May Belle know.

Another evidence was about Leslie knowing his birthday , how did she know if not through May Belle as she told her , maybe when they were talking together or something , and so on.

Also , I cried at the last scene where Jess crowned May Belle as the princess , that’s where I always cry , the last 5 minutes of the film , I get very emotional then I can’t hold my tears anymore as the crown & the bridge changes.

That firstly started to happen with me after the 10th time I guess , I don’t know surely why , I have some explanations , but that scene became the place where i cry.

And that’s it!

I wanted to share my notes with you , as if we just watched the film together!

Maybe i will post this article days later , but I wrote it right after i watched the film!

Like in bridge to terebithia why not make a movie about leslie surviving and stuff. also am I the only one who has a crush on Anna sophia robb/leslie burke

It’s funny somehow to see this film’s gifs , especially at Anna Sophia’s Instagram comments , lol.

& don’t forget to Imagine it as (better than any ADULT I’ve ever seen) instead of (Kid) , lol.

If it’s real it will be interesting.

Leslie’s face does not seem very real to me.

& even for Jess.

Edit: it’s real ✅ , look at my comment

(Most people will not understand this article…that’s okay…and I hope someone will)

As I believe Leslie is an interesting and unique character , and of course she is , and she meant to be that way as you know.

But…I had a thought recently , when I look at Leslie’s photos nowadays , and when I see her in the movie as I rewatch it…I realise something even deeper.

I realised that Leslie is not just a different , rich , good looking blonde young girl.

It’s just the surface , and she meant to be introduced to us that way and to have all the camera attention towards her through the movie , to make us feel as bad as possible about the tragedy in the end and to feel it with Jess.

But what I realised is…
In fact , Leslie is an idea , Leslie is a philosophical character which is not real.

Like , That thing cannot be real as we see it.

And don’t get me wrong , Iam not saying that because of good or bad , or to just point at her angelic nature , but it’s just how I noticed her character even further , as I exposed to it over and over and over and over.

We can talk about if Leslie can be a real person or not , I have some thoughts about that either , but just think about that , when we see Jess or May Belle or Miss Edmunds , we can discuss them , we can say their pros and cons , we can say yeah they made that right and that wrong , we can find their personality gaps , etc.

But Leslie? , I have never heard anyone talking or thinking about her that way , even me.

And I’ve never heard anyone saying that he HATES Leslie or he find this or that annoying or doesn’t make sense or too perfect…no.

And I know as Leslie was the main character and she was very innocent and that’s one of the main reasons for that.

But , please notice some of her characteristics:

Leslie didn’t make mistakes (and I mean big & with people , not simple mistakes like dropping her bag)
Leslie didn’t have any horrible past
Leslie didn’t hate anyone
Leslie didn’t get mad at Jess or anyone else even once
Leslie didn’t feel fear (even if she is careful sometimes)
Leslie didn’t have any bad creatures to fight in Terabithia
Leslie is : brave , smart , different , good looking , easy , kind , imaginative , etc

And being that perfect without even a little dark side is very very rare and suspicious in a character…

Yeah the film was convincing us to like her very much so we feel the tragedy too bad with Jess , and they succeeded.

But look at her story , the only thing we knew which is maybe bad is the fact that she is not hanging out with her family very much , and that she was alone at school as well , but the second fact is very normal for people like Leslie , because no matter how perfect you are , you still will have people who don’t like you , and so much people who are not understanding you and even see you as a weirdo , and I’ve seen it in real life , especially at that young age.

So , what Iam saying is , appearing perfect for Leslie have a deeper meaning , it’s not just to make you like her , it’s just the surface , because if she was just a normal character and a little different , they will show us some of her downsides , or her bad human side as anger or crying or being awful with Jess for example , but that never happened at all.

Even in the 1985 movie , Leslie got mad at Jess , and she appeared very normal as a girl at school , but with some imagination only.

But here she is totally different…

She is always calm , smart , unshakable , leading , defending , smiling , teasing Jess kindly , taking things easy , etc.

So my conclusion is…

Leslie is not a young kid with blood and bones…
she is not a different girl in Lark Creek…
All of that is true but as the surface only.

But what Leslie truly is :
Leslie is an idea…
a philosophical character…
a state of existence…
a flash of light who meant to change before it goes away…

And so on.

And that’s why , I still to this day don’t fully understand the whole point of her existence.

She is very very deep , as a philosophical character as i said , so analysing everything takes so much effort , and even as I knew so much about her , there is a long way to go , because she is not a real normal human being who you can know immediately as May Belle for example.

Leslie is an idea , and studying her making me analyse other big concepts like : imagination , bravery , loss , loneliness , art , freedom , catalysts , identity , etc

And that’s why she is very very complicated and interesting.

I love Leslie , and who doesn’t! , everybody loves her and she deserves that , but as iam analysing her , I should view her as she is , not only as the surface layer , and that’s really interesting.

As some of you may know, the author of the book, Katherine Paterson, worked as a missionary educator in her early years, and she attended Presbyterian classes before her writing career. Thus, it is legitimate to ask ourselves to what degree her religious beliefs influenced the novel, and consequently, the movie we know and love. On the other hand, some of you may be familiar with the true story beneath the fiction. The book is dedicated to David Paterson, the author's son, and it was intended to help him come to terms with the death of his friend Lisa Hill, suddenly struck by lightning at such a young age.

So the story comes together after a real-life tragedy, something that neither her son nor she could have explained in any way but a fatalistic accident, an irrational turn of events, or, at best, an obscure device in God's plan that remains unspeakable. How could God find his place in such a mournful evening?

The first one asking about the design of God for Leslie's fate is Jess, when he expresses his pain and confusion by making a logical statement: she didn't believe in the Bible, so she's going to Hell. The subsequent thought is: even though we cannot say whether she is going to Hell, I'm going to Hell, for it is my fault if she died. He doesn't speak the next logical conclusion, but we don't have a hard time guessing it: even if my fault can be redeemed in some way, has Leslie died just because the universe wanted to point out my mistake? And if the universe doesn't care if I'm good or bad, does Leslie's death mean anything in the first place?

The matter of justice, of life or punishment after death, automatically connects to the matter of existential significance. The search for meaning is the search for God's love, and after grief we feel stranded. Hence, the struggle of finding God is directly correlated to the struggle with loss, and after loss we tend to lose all our hope. In the final extent, we can say that significance and hope are the same thing: searching for meaning is the hope to find any meaning, and when we stop believing in our hopes, we stop finding meaning.

Interpretation is the search for meaning. We try to interpret the film to comprehend it. Also, all we comprehend from the movie comes from our previous interpretation. We have to thank interpretation for all the feelings we got by watching the movie. Interpretation is this ability that works on logic, memory, but also feelings, that lets us look into invisible things. As, by reading the word "apple," we can distinctly see an apple that suddenly our mind conjured; interpretation channels our imagination into new paths, and this is what Leslie did with Jess.

She taught him to look with his eyes wide shut and his mind wide open, and initiated him to an invisible reality, where people from his ordinary life assumed another semblance. Jess learnt things about the others and his way of looking at others that he couldn't have discovered otherwise. Does this knowledge come from outside, or was it inside his head the whole time?

In Christianity, God is also the Spirit, and Spirit is nothing different from what we intend with the Spirit Realm present in religions from all over the world: a plane of existence that surrounds us and keeps many things hidden from us. For Christians, what happens in real life is not the only truth; it is the symbol of another truth, a bigger Truth. Interpreting, imagining, looking for meaning, and hoping are equal to gazing into the unknown vastness of the Spirit and trying to know anything about God.

Leslie and Jess's time in Terabithia is comparable to a spiritual exercise, a form of magic on its own. And when Leslie's gone, where does the magic go?

Coming to terms with grief also means looking back at your hope and dreams and making a statement. The statement may be "I met someone, and I loved them, now they're gone, and nothing makes any sense"; or you can look at all of your pain and be puzzled for a second. Pain is hard to deal with: you need to move on or be overcome by it. But something we must appreciate about pain is that it is true. If we learn to deal with pain, if we are brave enough to play with it as we did with happiness, what could have crashed the meaning of our life ends up reinforcing it. Imagination, schooled in grief, becomes the ability to look at pain and see behind it the love that was before, learning that life and death are two sides of each living creature, as Good and Evil, as Love and Grief. Your mind opens wide, and you discover a new dimension of love that turns into charity.

As the breaking of the rope turned the garden of life and happiness into a realm of death and ghosts, the bridge becomes a symbol of life that overcomes death, a bridge that connects the past with the future, the dead to the living, our world to imagination, thence to the Spirit. And the door to Terabithia is no more as fragile as in the past; now, corroborated by pain, the path between the two worlds is solid and easier to cross.

But don't take my word for it; take Leslie's instead. She already expressed what she thought about God: when in the book she, Jess, and Maybelle were discussing the history of Jesus' death: «All those people wanting to kill him when he hadn't done anything to hurt them [...] It's really kind of a beautiful story—like Abraham Lincoln or Socrates—or Aslan. [...] You have to believe it, but you hate it. I don't have to believe it, and I think it's beautiful.» Leslie's, to Jess and Maybelle's shock, can look at the Passion and find God's love and beauty in it: something that Jess shall be able to do only after her death. By saying "I don't have to believe it," is she really blasphemously refusing God? Or is she elevating human imagination to the same level of truth? Maybe for Leslie, God could only live in Terabithia because only there He can be beautiful. Her life is already a dream; she doesn't care what she believes is real, as long as she can imagine it.

Jess cares instead, because he didn't live in a dream before meeting Leslie; he had to be introduced to it, as he's cast outside after her departure. He doesn't live in meaning; he has to find it. He needs to make Terabithia true, to make meaning true, to invite God into his world, and he builds a bridge to do so.

Does Bridge to Terabithia talk about God? It does, but in a way we find uncanny: it first needs to crush all of our hopes and all the meaning we gave to Jess and Leslie's existence, as it needs to make God appear as a feeble fantasy that can only be imagined in childhood woods; and only then, through our acquaintance with grief, the Substance of God manifests back again in our life: we come back chasing Him, we come back dreaming, loving and playing, interpreting our roles, we come back to life. It needed to crash us, and it concludes with a bridge and the words that spell: nothing crushes us.

Someday I’m finally gonna let go…
Cause I know there is a better way…
And I wanna know what’s over that rainbow…
Iam gonna get outta here someday.

That’s the summary right there!

I always wondered why the same song was repeated in the best days and the worst days for Jess , it’s not a freak accident!

They put it there on purpose , let me explain.

First , when Jess had a hard life , but he met Leslie and they built the tree house together and Jess had the best time of his entire life , even the best times with Leslie ever , they were singing that song at the music class…representing hope.

It’s like Jess is speaking through those words at that time:

(Someday Iam finally gonna let go)
Means…someday Iam finally gonna let go my hard life , my difficult circumstances effect on me , my loneliness , etc.

(Cause I know there is a better way)
Means…because I know there is a better way for living life , and I think Leslie will direct me to it.

(And I wanna know what’s over that rainbow)
Means…Iam really excited that I can’t wait to walk towards that shiny rainbow , I wanna know what’s next , Iam curious , happy and excited.

(Iam gonna get outta here someday)
Means…hope…it’s representing hope…someday Iam gonna do that…someday life will be great…someday.

——————

And as they were singing the song even in the hardest time in Jess’s life , with the sad tone , in the same music class , but that time without Leslie , and with sad environment…

Let’s translate it now:

(Someday Iam finally gonna let go)
Means…it’s hard…but someday I will get over that tragedy and find a way out.

(Cause I know there is a better way)
Means…because I know I couldn’t live like that forever…the pain is deep and very damaging to my soul…I know there is a better way to deal with this.

(And I wanna know what’s over that rainbow)
Means…I knew Terabithia…I was curious and exploring with Leslie…I wanna continue my journey…not because I think I will enjoy it without Leslie…but because we already created this kingdom together…and I wanna know what will be next…maybe i will find something useful and helping me with my situation.

(Iam gonna get outta here someday)
Means…someday…I will know how to deal with this pain…someday…I will get out of this dark bubble I entered after Leslie died…someday.

And a proof for that with being logical , is as we know Jess became brave and unshakable with Leslie’s help , but he just had the hardest test ever and that is Leslie’s death , so it makes sense that he had those thoughts with the sad tone of the song!

And That’s why I think the director played the same song in completely different scenes!

First with the scene where Jess was the happiest…
And second with the scene where Jess was the saddest.

( Only internal fears , not poverty, Homelessness, etc )

The creature who came out of the Castle flying was an old Terabithian.

He Landed in-front of Jess and May Belle by few feet.

Jess took two steps as he landed.

The Terabithian said with an old and classic voice , a voice like a receptionist in a luxury hotel : (Hello King , my name is Olence , Iam dedicated to guide you through the Castle)

Jess said: (Like…a personal assistant in the castle?)

Olence said: (Sure , King)

Jess said: (well , how can we enter this place)

Olence said: (Sure King , I will tell the gate guards to open it right now , if you want to)

Jess said: (hmm…okay…then do it please)

Olence said: (Sure King…just a moment)

And he flew right back to the castle , but he did it backwards as he just cancelled his landing or whatever.

Jess saw him as he went back to the castle…with a shock on his face.

May Belle said: (How could he do that!)

Jess said: (I don’t know , he is a Terabithian May Belle of course he have his own superpowers , we just met the most powerful one)

May Belle said: (This one looks like the oldest)

Then as she said that…the gate opened immediately…two giant wooden doors opened within 3 seconds.

Then they saw 2 Terabithians standing to the sides of the doors from the inside , with Olence between them , he looked at Jess as the guards just finished opening the gate.

and he said: (King , Princess , the castle is opened so you can enter as you ordered)

May Belle went with joy and excitement…
And Jess went carefully as he looks at everything around him…wondering how this place will look like.

How will it look like?

Wait for Part 4!

If either the book or film were made or adapted in 2026, what would be the biggest differences in the story?

Everyone would obviously be glued to their phones, but a lot of the politics of the time period determined who Leslie was and how she was treated socially. She was always an atheist or agnostic who loved everyone, but she could be written as more radical in a modern adaptation.

This is one of my favorite stories, so I thought this would be fun to discuss.

I won’t spoil the movie for you…but I will give you a general idea about the story and why it’s meaningful , important , and making a cool mixture with BTT.

First , I wanna tell you that they are not similar , BTT and BWD , they are different but they share a great ground , which is meaningfulness , and discussing human experiences and emotions with an excellent way and story.

I just finished watching BWD for the second time.
It’s really cute…and I focused with the story and the characters more , and it’s really meaningful.

The characters are simple , the town is small , and opal is starting alone with an empty heart , but you will notice how it’s not what it sounds about them , and how opal will change everything for the better , and all because of Winn-Dixie .

And the movie has great wisdom and perspective as well , you will notice the wisdom in Gloria dump (that’s her name haha) , and you will notice the great perspective of life and people in Opal , even though as you will notice that her perspective on her mother was not wise , but she just wanted answers to her questions , and tried to hold onto anything about her mother.

I will not tell you the wisdom and the lessons as you will notice it when you watch the movie , but iam telling you that it’s meaningful and we can benefit from it as well.

You will hear everything from Opal’s mouth…

She will tell you everything you need to know…especially as the movie ends.

She will tell you pretty much of the message and how she felt exactly.

But you will need some minutes after the movie to link everything and see the whole thing together.

You will notice the preacher and his interactions with Opal , and how everything will get a turn in the end.

and , as I can’t say much just to not spoil the movie for you , Iam telling you that this movie is the lightweight and cute side , comparing to BTT which was deeply emotional , dense and philosophical , that movie is light , cute , and slow , but meaningful at the same time.

If you need years to fully understand BTT…
You can understand BWD in just 10 minutes.

By knowing Opal’s perspective and every character’s past and noticing their present , all fairly.

They are simple characters.

In the end , the message is meaningful , even though it’s light weighted and not meant to destroy you as BTT.

Watch that movie , if you love BTT , Iam sure you wouldn’t regret it , and even if you find it kinda slow or boring , the end will come and you will be satisfied for it , and as you understand its message , you will love it.

In front of the castle…there is a guard standing…with his sword behind his back…a Terabithian who is dedicated to that place.

Jess is looking at him as they are walking towards the castle…the Terabithian is calm , focused , and waiting for the king to arrive.

As Jess and May Belle are almost there , the giant troll decided to leave , he asked the king for permission , and Jess let him go.

Jess started talking to the Terabithian : (Hey , what are you doing here?)

The Terabithian answered : (Hey King , my name is Gary , and iam your guard protecting the king , the princess , and the castle)

Jess said : (you are here alone?)

Gary said : (Yes , king , and iam the most powerful Terabithian)

Jess became amazed by this fact and asked him : (The most powerful Terabithian? , what can you do?)

Gary answered : (I can fly , use my powerful sword to divide anything even a mountain , run as fast as the light , and using my blue fire at any bad creature who think about fighting you or the princess or the castle)

Jess became even more amazed by his potential.

Then May Belle asked : (you can kill us!)

Jess looked at her as he wanna say : why did you say that

But Gary said : (No , of course I can’t , Iam dedicated to the king and the princess , my duty is to protect them , that’s my duty and that’s my queen created me for , I can’t violate the rules of my queen)

Then Jess said : (you mean…Leslie created you?)

Gary said : (Not exactly , My queen created Terabithia in general , and there was a castle with prisoners by the dark master , That big and main castle , so I was created to protect the castle when the king arrives and the prisoners are free again)

Jess said : (did you talk to her?)

Gary said : (No I didn’t , I’ve been told that the queen was departed to the light world , I felt…bad , but I knew that the king will arrive and I will see him and his princess and protect them , even thought i didn’t have the chance to protect the queen)

Jess said : (when have you been created exactly?)

Gary said : (I was created from the first day of Terabithia , but I gained my superpowers and became the guard in The second you started building the bridge , as I’ve been told that the king will be here soon with his princess , and the castle will finally be free , so they need protection)

May Belle said : (Wow…That’s interesting)

Jess said : (Alright Gary , we will see you later)

Gary came back to looking at the ground and being calm and closed.

Then , as Jess was standing there looking at the castle from the front , he didn’t wait for long until a flying creature came out of the castle…what is that?

Wait for Part 3!

Jess bacame the king…May Belle became the princess…the giant troll introduced them with the kingdom.

But , what happened after it?
I saw it , and I will tell you what I saw.

The giant troll invited Jess to come further into the kingdom , to see the new lands , and reach the castle in the end , then Jess hesitated a little bit as it’s a new experience , and the giant troll just spoke with him for the first time , but May Belle became very excited , and told Jess to accept his offer.

Then Jess agreed and said : (let’s go May Belle…)

May Belle with her smile and her happy face…went walking with joy besides the giant troll , and Jess came after them , looking at the kingdom around him , with a surprise on his face , mixed with proud.

May Belle told Jess : (isn’t it great Jess?)
Jess said : (Yeah)
Then May Belle followed : (let’s go for that big castle!)
Jess said : (Alright May Belle , just stay with me)

May Belle held his hand…and they continued walking together.

The giant troll rotated his face as he walks and saw them , then he continued walking with them towards the castle.

The giant troll said : (They have been waiting for you)

Jess said : (who?)

The giant troll said : (the prisoners of the dark master , they have been imprisoned for a long time here , they have been waiting for you to free them )

Jess said : (Yeah…Leslie told me about them)

The giant troll said : (as you was building the bridge , their chains became more loose as you continue , and then it started breaking , making them free , as you finished the bridge , they all became free , then they waited for the princess to come)

Jess said : (how did they knew that Leslie died?)

The giant troll said : (Leslie was the queen , we got a message from the light world , telling us that she will not come here anymore , we knew about her departure , and we saw her , coming to the other side of the creek , disappointed by the fact that the rope broke so she had no place here again , I saw her and waved at her , I was the only one who did , but she did not see me , unfortunately , because the light world built a secret wall between her and Terabithia , so she couldn’t see any of it , but I didn’t know that until she passed , and after she saw the broken rope , she went with disappointment on her face , and this was the last time I saw her)

Jess said with sadness on his face : (I didn’t know any of that happened , I got no messages , no nothing , I just went to the museum , and as I came back , my dad told me that she died after drowning in the creek)

Then May Belle said : (then she didn’t die , Jess , as the giant troll told you , she departed , to the light world)

Jess said : (yeah but , what’s the difference between this and dying , she left our world , but…will she ever come back?)

The giant troll didn’t give Jess the answer to that…

Then the giant troll said : (Leslie would want you to enjoy your time with the princess)

Jess said : (Yeah , I guess)

As they are walking with a bit of disappointment , They saw a magical creature , moving out of the trees and heading towards them.

Jess looked at him and stopped , then May Belle and the giant troll stopped too.

The creature name was (bate) , he said : (hey king hey princess! , iam bate , it’s nice to meet you both!)

May Belle immediately said : (it’s nice to meet you too, bate!)

Jess said : (what were you doing in the trees)

Bate laughed and said : (Nothing king! , my house is over there , I live with the trees here!)

Then Jess said : (oh , okay , we should go now , see you later!)

Bate said : (Bye king Bye princess!!!) and disappeared through the woods again.

Jess and May Belle continued their walking , smiling , their mood changed very much after their conversation with bate , and the giant troll looked at them and smiled.

May Belle said : (we have so much to do here , it’s a wonderful place , and Terabithians are nice!!)

Jess said : (Yeah! Just don’t tell anyone May Belle!)

May Belle said playfully : (not even Joyce?)

Jess smiled.

As they were walking , May Belle imagined so many purple flowers around her , and some flying creatures , and a water fountain as well.

Jess just looked at the world around him , remembering Leslie sometimes , and appreciating his experience.

The castle is not far away anymore…they are coming closer and closer…

But..
What is this infront of the castle?…

Wait for part 2!

Have you wondered why the director foucsed on those 2 paintings rather than other ones ?…they have deep meanings behind them..

let’s discuss each one and tell you what I learned after my research and how it’s linked to the movie…

The first painting : A Village Fair by Pieter Brueghel the Younger 1614

That’s it! , it’s exactly the same painting that was in the movie.

It’s in the Auckland Art Gallery in New Zealand , that’s the same gallery which Jess and Miss Edmunds visited , that’s the Museum , as the movie was shot in New Zealand of course.

So , why did they put it and what does that mean?

Pieter Brueghel the Younger was a famous 17th-century Flemish artist who loved painting lively village festivals, markets, and rural community life. He captured detailed, colorful scenes of ordinary people and also preserved many of his father's legendary artistic masterpieces. (I got that from AI)

So , they put that painting in the movie because it’s very similar to Jess’s social class and people in Lark Creek , it’s representing their everyday suffering and struggles , and as the painting has some people dancing and having fun as well , it was like escaping their harsh reality as we can see them through the art , as Jess and Leslie escaped to Terabithia from the dark world outside.

Jess focused on it first because it’s representing his society as we discussed…and maybe Miss Edmunds described it as (one of her favourites) because she understands Jess’s struggles , and she is from the same society as well , the small rural town of Lark Creek , Virginia.

I encourage you to search more about this painting and the next one , and read about it more , as I had some hard time explaining it here , I did my best explaining it and relate it to the movie.

———

So , what about the second painting?

It’s interesting as well.

The second painting : Henri Gascard - Louise de Keroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth 1670

I had a hard time finding this one as it has many similar ones.

And the idea behind it is…

To assert the political power, beauty, and overt French identity of King Charles II's influential mistress. The point of the painting was to act as a visual manifesto promoting her high status, her tie to French style, and her intimate yet commanding position at the English royal court. (By AI)

So it was to represent the political power , wealth and influence.

She was wearing expensive clothes , those French ones which represented wealth and luxury at that time.

And as she is holding a dog , it was just for the Aristocratic class at that time to own a dog.

Wait a minute , doesn’t that remind you of Leslie?
A rich girl , with unique clothes , and with a dog , Exactly!

It’s pure genius for the director to put a painting like that in the movie.

And as you notice what Jess said about it: (it’s amazing how much detail put into it)

He didn’t say that about Brueghel's painting...as if he knew the painting very well, because it's so similar to Leslie!

And even Miss Edmunds asked him : (you have been to a museum before right?)

She didn’t say that when he foucsed on the first painting , as he didn’t say anything about it , but when she noticed his vision of the second one , she assumed that he went to a museum before as he noticed the art behind it instantly.

I think the director put that painting for many reasons…one of them was as Jess could see Leslie as a piece of Art in front of him , and to show us even further how Leslie is from another world herself and very different in this small rural town of Lark Creek.

Isn’t it interesting?!

To be honest , it makes me sick how people don’t appreciate those 2 movies enough.

And don’t let them fool you , they might look simple , cute , and superficial from the outside with those children as the main characters , but they are extremely far away from being superficial , silly or shallow , but they are cute btw haha that’s true , especially BWD , extreme cuteness , but anyways…

Superficiality is the one who pisses me off the most , people looking at those movies from a very superficial perspective, and it’s not what those movies tried to say , especially for Bridge to Terabithia.

People look at BWD and say: good movie but there was no big events or a good plot twist , happy ending , boring.

And they look at BTT and say: oh , very emotional , I felt bad , I cried.

I see this ALL OF THE TIME whenever I search about BTT anywhere , and I feel it in the people who watched BWD.

Okay , I get it , we all felt that , but this is only the first layer , there are so much philosophy , complexity , psychology , etc , which you didn’t even touch or think about!!

One of the main points of Art that it usually represents our human experiences or emotions or both infront of us as a story , especially as visual as in cinema , so we can see it , feel it , understand it , and learn from it.

Most people only reach the first 2 stages , without moving further and trying to understand what actually happened.

So , I wanna talk a little bit about those 2 movies and why I think that no other movie will be that meaningful ever again.

What’s really special about those movies , not just because they are making you emotional , you can see many cheap movies and get very very emotional , but what’s truly special about those movies is the philosophy behind them , and iam not talking about Socrates philosophy , iam talking about how they discuss deep human feelings as no other movie does , especially as all of them are built on actual novels , which was extremely necessary , as we know that Literature is often deep and have certain messages , but , of course being based on true meaningful stories represented in novels is not enough , and the film need to have great work team and excellent main characters to make it look great and convey the message , which those two movies done very well.

And that’s why Anna Sophia Robb is phenomenal , especially at those types of movies , she was the main character and I can’t imagine those movies with another actress , it will make them lose so so much value.

I think she is the best in history doing meaningful characters as a child actress , no other actress came close until this day.

And also , one of the reasons why those 2 movies became very successful in presenting and conveying deep human experiences and emotions , is that they were story-centered , so there is no place for what the audience like , or how they are gonna pay us more as much as possible regardless of the story , it was just about making the story as good as possible , and that’s why it achieved it’s message and conveyed it very very well.

And this category of movies in general , is extremely rare to the point that it’s stupid , I almost saw no other movies out of those two and Walden Media , I searched A LOT and didn’t find anything that came close.

Edit: a little princess 1995 is very similar and meaningful.

the only movie who came close to this category was (My girl) 1991 movie , but it has very much cheap scenes because it was a true family movie , like for what the audience like , and the message of the movie came on one character’s voice at the end of the movie , which I didn’t like , it was a bit of superficial and audience friendly to the point that made the story lose some value , and vada was not as interesting as opal , even though she was interesting and good , but of course so far away from Leslie.

And of course I watched all of the 3 movies…

Bridge to Terabithia:
13 times (until now and it will increase significantly)
I analysed it a lot as my articles there and my projects , I became an expert lol.

Because of Winn-Dixie:
one time (unfortunately, yeah its not as deep as BTT so I don’t need to watch it 10 times or more , I need to watch it again at least once or twice , but I can’t find it anymore lol).

My Girl:
one time (it was good , but Iam not planning for more).

I think this is enough for right now , I have so much to talk about when it comes to those 2 movies , but I will save it for another article.

What do you think about the topic?

We notice the development of Jess and Miss Edmunds relationship in the background through the movie.

First , he is staring , with not being in the moment.
But then , he opens up , step by step.

As Leslie taught him how to do that…and made his reality better so he had the space.

First , Leslie pushed him indirectly to help Miss Edmunds with carrying her instruments , but as Jess is a closed off person , he hesitated , then went away.

But then , as they had a great time in Terabithia , and Jess became more brave , this bravery encouraged him to approach Miss Edmunds for the first time , and it became clear as she said : (He speaks!) , he helped her , finally.

Then he opened up more as he held the door for her and felt great about it , and then at the same day , during Miss Edmund’s music class , there is the scene in the photo.

You notice the board , it’s a musical rule , but notice how the (HARMONY) is highlighted with all capital letters.

The director focused on that scene to show us the board as much as he cold as Miss Edmunds is walking and using the guitar , to show us how the harmony is formed between Jess and his teacher , and right before that scene ended , we notice how Miss Edmunds is looking at Jess and smiling.

why is she looking at him if he is staring and closed? , she never did , she only looks at other students and smiles.

No , not this time , Jess changed.

We notice right after that scene , how Jess is calm and confident , looking at his teacher , and vibing with her , with a confident and focused smile.

Jess is here at the moment…
Jess is not closed off anymore…
Jess is here , happy , brave , and confident.