December 11, 2014
Family relationships can be hard, especially when
the parent has to learn how to let go of the child when the time comes. “Building Bridges,” by Andrea Pinkney, is a
story about a 17-year-old girl, Bebe, and her grandmother, Mama Lil. Bebe lives with Mama Lil, and they are always
arguing. Bebe wants to get a job fixing
the Brooklyn Bridge so she can become an engineer, but Mama Lil doesn’t want
her to. I believe that eventually Bebe and Mama Lil’s relationship changes, and
Mama Lil learns to let go so Bebe can follow her dreams. The author wants the reader to know that
parents should allow their kids to have their own life as they grow up.
In the beginning, Bebe and
Mama Lil are constantly bickering. Bebe
wants to get a job fixing the Brooklyn Bridge, but Mama Lil thinks that isn’t a
good job for her. In the story, it says
“‘Hammering a bridge together is not respectable work for a young lady’”
(Pinkney, page 22). Mama Lil thinks that
working on a bridge is a man’s job. I
think Mama Lil is just using this as an excuse for keeping Bebe with her. In addition, Mama Lil says “You get cranky
every time we talk about that nasty job you want to get” (Pinkney, page 22). Mama Lil is trying to get mad at Bebe whenever
she talks about the bridge job, so the subject will be avoided altogether. I think that Mama Lil is stalling for time. She is hoping that the day the bridge job form
is due, by not talking about it, Bebe will forget to turn it in and won’t get
the job. Mama Lil doesn’t want Bebe to
leave her because she doesn’t want her last shot at being a parent to end. Mama Lil doesn’t want to be alone.
Later in the story, Mama Lil
and Bebe’s relationship is changing. For
the first time ever, Mama Lil reveals to Bebe the real reason she has been
arguing about the job, by saying that Bebe’s job will take her away from Mama
Lil. In the story, it says, “You got big
hopes, child, but they gonna leave me alone, by myself.” The big reveal happens right after the climax
of the story, right after they have a big fight, when Bebe accuses Mama Lil of
not listening to her, and the level of intensity in their fight takes a big
dip. Bebe and Mama Lil both now know
Mama Lil’s internal conflict, about her fear of letting Bebe grow up. After Mama Lil says her thoughts, Bebe becomes
less angry, because Mama Lil has said something powerful and sentimental, which
makes Bebe understand Mama Lil’s point of view a lot more. This is a big character change moment for
Bebe. She changes from seeing her
grandmother as an obstacle, something to prevent Bebe from doing what she wants
to do in life, to feeling sympathetic towards Mama Lil.
By the end, Mama Lil overcomes her fear of Bebe leaving
her. It is Mama Lil’s turn to
change. In the text, Mama Lil says, “‘Bebe
that bridge is lucky to have you’” (Pinkney, page 34). Deep down, Mama Lil still wishes that she
could stay with Bebe forever, but she knows that it’s important for Bebe to
have her own life. Furthermore, Mama Lil
implies that Bebe will become a great engineer, and will be a big help in
fixing the bridge. Bebe could become a
great engineer someday, and without her, the world might not have some amazing
invention. After all, great minds only
come once in a while. After Mama Lil
signs the job application, Bebe and Mama Lil’s relationship changes for good. The night before Mama Lil signs the form,
Bebe was worrying about how Mama Lil might destroy the form, but the morning Bebe
wakes up and finds the form still there, she knows Mama Lil is going to sign
it. In that moment, the big change happens.
Throughout the story, Mama Lil
finally accepts what she needed to so Bebe could do what she wants to do in
life. I can relate Mama Lil’s thoughts
before the change to my own life. Often
my mom will want to come in my room, but I wont want her there. She feels the same way Mama Lil did. My mom just wants to spend time with me. Mama Lil wants to see Bebe more. In six years, I’ll be in college and my mom
will rarely see me. My mom wants to
preserve the moments before this. Mama
Lil will never see Bebe when Bebe’s working far away, but she understands
Bebe’s point of view and changes by the end of the story. Many parents need to accept this and if you
are one of them, you are not alone.
