As a child, reading Bridge to Terabithia, I was horrified when
Leslie died
As an older reader now, I wonder whether her death was necessary to the development of Jessie. Was her death for a purpose, or was it just the author giving a sence of mortality to her characters?
No, because Bridge to Terabithia was written in response to a genuine event. Author Katherine Paterson wrote the book after her son's best friend was struck by lightning and killed.
The book is a reaction to mortality, but it's not symbolic. It's a way to try to process how unfair life can be, and how to cope with the aftermath of such an event.
