Comparing A Monster Calls And A Bridge To Terabithia

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“A Monster Calls” and “A Bridge to Terabithia” Comparative Essay Both Connor in A Monster Calls and Jess in A Bridge to Terabithia navigate the loss of a loved one by retreating to isolation, however their grief journeys diverge due to their denial. In Connor’s case, for the months leading up to his mother’s death, his denial and isolation initially acts as his protective shield. Connor generally harbours his thoughts to himself, isolating himself from his classmates and others in his everyday life. Before his mother’s passing, Connor tried exceptionally hard to keep his distance from his dad and grandmother, especially his grandmother. Connor views his grandmother as someone who wants to meddle in his relationship with his mother. He is determined …show more content…

Once Connor realises that he will be incapable of processing his grief alone, he reaches a breaking point. His breaking point helps him to realise that his grandmother is “not always a good guy, nor is [she] a bad one,” and that she is indeed there to help him in his time of grief. Connor ends up reaching out to his father and grandmother, and slowly they begin to rekindle their relationship. In contrast, Jess’ family dynamic is strained due to financial issues. His parents, especially his father, are always working to provide for Jess and his siblings, for that reason his parents leave little emotional space for him. When Jess opens up to Leslie and says, “I guess nobody notices anything anymore,” it reflects Jess’ feeling of being unseen and unheard by his parents. In the scene where Jess’ dad attempts to hug him immediately after Leslie’s death, Jess pulls away. His actions showcase the emotional distance between him and his dad. However, as Jess begins to process Leslie’s death, he is left emotionally overwhelmed, this leads him to breaking his cycle of isolation and turning to his dad for …show more content…

In his time of grief, Jess also turns to May Belle as a support system. At first, when Jess heard the news about Leslie’s sudden death, his first instinct was to isolate himself from his sister. Eventually, Jess begins to use May Belle as his beacon, and over time she becomes his primary support system. By breaking the cycle of his isolation, May Belle and the rest of Jess’ family can now support him in dealing with the loss of Leslie. Both Connor from A Monster Calls and Jess from A Bridge to Terabithia experience the pain of losing a loved one. They both utilise denial as a coping mechanism for their loss, however their methods of creating a fantastical world differ. Both characters build a fantastical escape as a way to shield themselves from their harsh reality. From Connor’s perspective, he uses the monster in his imagination to confront his truth. The monster’s stories are all related to themes of death, anger, fear, and acceptance. These stories help him relate to his personal life and help him to process the severity of his mother’s illness. Connor struggles to put his thoughts into words; hence the monster tells Connor stories to help Connor to speak his

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