User Profile

Character: Jesse Oliver Aarons (Usually goes by Jess)
Series: Bridge to Terabithia
Version: Movie version, the day before Leslie dies.
Age: 12
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual

Appearance: Jess is a scrawny, brown-eyed twelve-year-old, though years of household chores and a summer of running every morning leaves him as athletic as any other boy his age. His black hair is somewhat shaggy, covering his forehead, the tops of his ears, and down to his neck in the back. Most of his clothes are worn out, and some things are hand-me-downs from his older sisters (his sneakers are actually pink – he used a black sharpie to re-color them).

Personality: Though always a compassionate and thoughtful boy, before he met Leslie Burke, Jesse was shy and introverted – unable to express himself and connect with his family or classmates. Instead, he kept his creative side largely hidden, and tried to gain esteem from his peers by winning races at school and becoming the fastest kid in the fifth grade. Jesse' lack of self-expression left him depressed, but his time with Leslie has encouraged him to be more imaginative, self-confident in his abilities, and to keep his mind open to new ideas. Ever since he has become bolder about practicing his artwork and showing it to others, asserting himself to his father, and being himself regardless of what those around him might think.

Abilities/Weaponry/Strengths: Jess is a fairly talented artist, though he's only recently begun sharing it with others. He's a very quick runner, second only to his best friend Leslie out of everyone in his fifth grade class. Though not to the level of any adult, he's surprisingly handy with tools and construction, likely from watching his father and performing household chores. He helped Leslie add substantially to a tree-house in the woods behind their houses and at the end of the film builds a bridge with rails across a creek (the Jesse being apped, while capable of doing this, has not built the bridge yet).

Weaknesses: Even though his time with Leslie Burke has made him much braver and self-confident, Jesse can still be somewhat introverted and shy. Jess is especially particular about his artwork, which he still hesitates to openly share with others. His fear of how his peers perceive him extends to how he treats his music teacher, Ms. Edmunds, whom he has a crush on. Jesse is also generally dismissive of his estrogen-heavy family. His younger sister May Belle adores him, but he constantly pushes her away and reacts with agitation when she tries to join in on the games he shares with Leslie. He also struggles to connect with his gruff and over-stressed father, Jack Aarons. Jess yearns for the affection his father typically reserves for his sisters, and Jack's dismissive reaction to Jess' artistic talents is one of the reasons he rarely shares his artwork. While all these weaknesses tend to fade in the presence of Leslie, who pushes him to be more confident and outgoing, the fact that he so often relies on his friend is, in itself, a potential weakness.

History: Jesse Oliver Aarons is a lone boy in a family of girls living in Lark Creek, a rural part of Virginia. Jesse is the middle sibling between two older sisters – Brenda and Ellie – and two younger sisters – May Belle and Joyce Anne. His family is struggling financially, and his father devotes most of his time toward his job at a hardware store and work in his greenhouse. The Aarons' financial hardships require Jesse to take on many chores and responsibilities, which his father expects to be performed dutifully. Jesse does all he is asked of by his family, but between a house full of girls and a no-nonsense father with very little time on his hands, the boy rarely has an opportunity to bond deeply with anyone.

On his first day of school as a fifth-grader, the new girl from next door, Leslie Burke, beats him and all the other boys in a foot-race. Though at first the defeat is a blow to Jess' rocky pride, the two become inseparable. The pair journey into the woods behind their houses by swinging over a creek on a rope, and create a fantasyland there named Terabithia, which the two rule over as king and queen. These imagination-fueled adventures inspire Jesse to be more comfortable with his talents and feelings, to the point that he has the courage to talk to Ms. Edmunds – a music teacher at his school whom he has a crush on. The more time he spends with Leslie, whom he admires for her indomitable courage, the braver he feels he can be.

However, when Leslie drowns in the creek before Terabithia while Jess is spending the day with Ms. Edmunds, his source of strength and security is shattered. Slowly, he tries to come to terms with the loss of his best friend and accept her death. In this tragedy, he reconnects with his father, who acknowledges the positive impact Leslie's creativity had on his son, as well as his younger sister May Belle, whose imagination he decides is worth nurturing. Jess finally builds a bridge over the creek that Leslie died in, making peace with her death and deciding that he will use his talents to bring beauty to the world, just as Leslie brought beauty to him through her imagination and friendship.*

*While the events of the final paragraph unfold in the book, again, this Jesse has yet to experience the tragedy of Leslie's death. His current history is best described by the first two paragraphs.

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