Class # 14 HUM15/ B8Frisnedi, Nadine T. September 13, 20142013101056 RP3

Friends Forever

In life, no one is exempted from experiencing challenges in life. Some have lighter

struggles others carry a heavier burden. In the movie, The Bridge to Terabithia, the main

characters Jess and Leslie experience having a sort struggle.

One of which is the conflict in being able to belong in a group or a family. Jess seems to

be the odd one in his family. This type of conflict is external. In the movie, the conflict is

between Jess and his family. Lastly nature of the conflict is man vs man. I say that it is external

because they take place between the protagonist and an outside force. The conflict is also

between Jess and his family because Jess is the one who is different. His family care for him but

don’t mind on what he feels. In the movie, For example he was forced to wear his older sister’s

shoes even though he does not want to, he is also the one who does all the chores maybe because

he is the only guy in his family aside from his dad, and lastly, the approach his parents does

when they have a conversation is like they really don’t mind about what he feels no not really

affectionate compared to his sister’s. May Belle is the only ally Jess have in his family. When

Jess went on the field trip with his teacher Miss Edmunds then came back home, His family

finally showed concern and affection. There was presence of a mother figure already in his

worried mother and his sisters really cared when they thought he was also dead when they heard

of Leslie’s death. In my own experience, I sometimes feel that I am not like my family. I feel

irrelevant and that they don’t need me or they won’t mind if I left. I was wrong about my family

specially my parents because they actually cared for me and they love me and my sister equally.

They get worried when I can’t come home on time or if they haven’t received any message from

me. I also remembered that a friend of mine asked for an advice because in her family she is

always the one being reprimanded. She thinks that her parents does not really care about her but

nonetheless, she still tells me that she loves her parents so much. They just become angry and

vent out this anger to her. Our parents might do something that will hurt us but it does not

necessarily mean that they do not love us.

The second conflict I saw in the movie is between Jess and his schoolmates who bully

him. This type of conflict is also external and the nature of the conflict man vs society. I say that

it is external because they take place between the protagonist and an outside force. The conflict

is also between Jess and his schoolmates because in school they know that he is poor and he

won’t fight back when bullied. One scene from the movie is when Jess’s sister May Belle cried

back to him and asked him to defend her from the bully 8 th grader girl named Janice. Jess cannot

fight back because first of all he did not want to be kicked out of school because his family is not

rich. They cannot afford education unless it is free. Jess also had to walk from school to his home

because Janice told the driver that Jess tripped her. In my own experience, I can say that I was

not bullied, it is like the people in school just tease me but soon enough they were able to respect

me because I had become the class president and gained sort of power and authority over them. It

is true on what others say, success is the best revenge. Based on my observation on the other kids

being bullied, they all have feelings and they too get hurt. They want to fight back but they chose

to be quiet. They are types of people who have big dreams to but they are shy and lonely at the

same time. I think that they need a friend like Leslie in the movie who will understand them and

care for them unlike the other kids. Bullying is like killing a person slowly, but that person can

still survive and become happy when he or she finally felt what it is to belong.

Another conflict I saw in the movie is between Leslie her fate. It is an external conflict

since is it man vs nature. Leslie is rich and smart young girl. She had a loving family compared

to what Jess has. Leslie was a type of person who has a very wild, weird but great imagination.

She can change your views and she can influence another person too. In the movie she inspired

Jess to break free and have an open mind. They enjoyed each other’s company towards their

great adventures in Terabithia. When Jess did not invite her to go with him and Miss Edmunds in

the museum, that is what her fate overcame her. Her fate is death even though she has almost

everything. Nothing can stop time when your time is up. Death does not pick an age. In my own

experience, my aunt who is very close to me, died on an accident. She is healthy and not that old.

We cannot undo the past but we can change the future. Oblivion is inevitable.