Natalie Van Alstyne 711     12-11-14

“Building Bridges” Essay

Sometimes in life you have to realize you have to let your child or grandchild go, so they can continue to follow their dreams. In the story the main character, Bebe is determined to work on the Brooklyn Bridge over the summer, but her grandmother Mama Lil won’t let her, because she doesn’t want to let go of her only family member. Throughout the short story, “Building Bridges” the author Andrea Davis Pinkney shows that it can be difficult to let go of someone in your family, but you have to realize their dreams are very important.

In the beginning if the story, when we first meet Bebe she wants to help fix the Brooklyn Bridge over the summer but Mama Lil will not let her, no matter what. In the story Mama Lil says about Bebe working on the bridge “Whatever you call it, it’s a white mans work,” on page 21. This shows that Mama Lil is the one reason for Bebe not to work on the bridge project. Also this shows Mama Lil thinks Bebe can’t do something because of the color of her skin. This quote also demonstrates that this is what Bebe wants for herself, but not what Mama Lil wants for Bebe. Another example on page 24 is when Bebe thinks to herself while staring at the Brooklyn Bridge, “I never got tired of looking out at its Steel girders and Iron cables.” This shows how much Bebe loves the bridge and that she is very committed and will not give up convincing Mama Lil to sign the permission slip to help her achieve her dreams. This shows Bebe’s determination.

In the middle of the story “Building Bridges” Mama Lil still won't’ let Bebe leave and go work on the Brooklyn Bridge, but will of course let her work at “Rimley’s Beauty Parlor”. On page 27 it says, “On the Saturday night before the project was to start, Mama Lil did something that got me real mad. She brought home a summer job application from Rimley’s Beauty Parlor, where she and her gossipy friends spent their days.” Further more, this showes that Mama Lil is trying to keep Bebe physically close to her no matter where she is or where she goes. Also on page 27 Mama Lil lit a Carlton, her favorite kind of cigarette,”She sat back on her sofa, blowing smoke straight ahead. Her eyes avoided mine.” As you can see, Mama Lil is thinking and realizing Bebe’s dream and doesn’t want her to grow up and let her fulfill her dreams of becoming an engineer.

In the end of the story Mama Lil will finally let her granddaughter work on the bridge because she is finally letting Bebe grow up and starting to let her go. For instance the text reads, “The Bridge renovation Crew was scheduled to meet at 7:00 at the Tillary Street entrance,” page 32. This shows that Bebe would be dedicated to the job, and if she knows all this information then this is really her dream. On page 34 Mama Lil says after she finally signed the permission slip, “Bebe that bridge is lucky to have you.” This shows that even though she and had to let Bebe grow up and be a young adult, she was willing to do what Bebe really wanted for herself.

Throughout the story Bebe is determined to convince her grandmother, Mama Lil to let her fix up the Brooklyn Bridge. Sometimes in life you have to deal with obstacles that being Mama Lil and Bebe’s relationship, in order to eventually get what you want, just like Bebe. You can also learn to not give up on your dreams like Bebe did in this story. It can be hard to let your child or grandchild go but you must let them have the opportunity to be able to do what they want, so they can follow there dreams.