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Bridge to Terabithia

by Katherine Paterson

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Discussion Topic

Jess and Miss Edmunds' visit to Washington, D.C. landmarks in Bridge to Terabithia

Summary:

In Bridge to Terabithia, Jess and Miss Edmunds visit several Washington, D.C. landmarks, including the Smithsonian Institution and the National Gallery of Art. This trip is significant as it marks a rare and thrilling escape for Jess from his everyday life, offering him new experiences and a deeper appreciation for art and culture.

Expert Answers

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Where did Jess and Miss Edmunds visit in Washington D.C. in Bridge to Terabithia?

Miss Edmunds and Jess go first to the National Gallery, and then to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. 

Jess, who has never before been to Washington, is thrilled to recognize many landmarks on the way there, including "the Lee Mansion high on the hill...the White House and the Monument and...the Capitol".  Entering the Gallery itself, Jess is awed by the "huge vaulted marble" foyer, with "the cool splash of the fountains and the green growing all around", and when he sees the pictures, "room after room, floor after floor", he becomes "drunk with color and form and hugeness...and the voice and perfume of Miss Edmunds always beside him".  Miss Edmunds treats Jess to lunch at the Gallery cafeteria, and then the two of them go to the Smithsonian "to see the dinosaurs and the Indians" (Chapter 10). 

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What Washington, D.C. landmarks do Jess and Miss Edmunds visit in Bridge to Terabithia?

Miss Edmunds and Jess go to Washington, D.C. to visit the National Gallery, but on the way they see a number of other famous landmarks as well. Among these are

"the Lee Mansion high on the hill...Abraham Lincoln looking out across the city, the White House and the Monument and at the other end the Capitol."

Although he lives little more than an hour away from the nation's capitol, Jess has never been to Washington, D.C. He has seen pictures of the famous landmarks there in books, and is surprised that the photographs are so accurate in the way they depict the sights. Jess is able to recognize most of them immediately, just from having seen them in the books he has read.

After spending the bulk of their time at the National Gallery, where Jess is mesmerized by the beauty of the artwork exhibited, he and Miss Edmunds go to the Smithsonian, "to see the dinosaurs and the Indians." He is fascinated by the miniature scenes of past history displayed there, and feels a mixture of appreciation and dread at the violence of a tableau of Indians butchering buffalo below a terrifying cliff. All in all, Jess is completely absorbed in what he experiences in Washington, D.C. His day is perfect, not only because of the sights he sees, but because he gets to spend the day with his favorite teacher, Miss Edmunds (Chapter 10).

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