"Building Bridges" Essay

It is not unusual for guardians and their children to have arguments. Throughout the short story “Building Bridges” by Andrea Pinkney a grandma named Mama Lil and her granddaughter a teenage girl named Bebe, struggle  with letting go. Through various aspects of “Building Bridges”, Bebe wants to help repairs the Brooklyn Bridge her dream job, but Mama Lil is scared to let her go.  Throughout the short story, Pinkney teaches the reader that family bonds are hard to keep strong but Mama Lil and Bebe learn how to move on and forgive each other through this story.

In the beginning of “Building Bridges” Mama Lil and Bebe weren’t nice to each other and their relationship contentious. For example, Mama Lil said, “ I weighed too much and dressed badly.” Then Bebe thought back after Mama Lil said that, “ She smoked too much and overdid it with her fake gold chains.” The author really wants to show the reader how Mama Lil and Bebe fight and don't agree a lot. Mama Lil is reluctant to letting her go. They are very mean to each other and fight a lot. Mama Lil doesn’t think Bebe is the perfect person she wants her to be because she said Bebe,  “... weighed too much.” Mama Lil makes Bebe feel very upset. This shows how their relationship is complicated. They are both very opinionated. They love each other but can’t agree. For instance, after Bebe begged Mama Lil to sign the permission slip Mama Lil says, “ain’t no black woman doing no engineering...trying to cross the white man’s line.” The phrase “trying to cross the white man’s line” shows me that Mama Lil will not let bebe go and will not support her. Bebe is trying to understand why Mama Lil will not let  her go. Mama Lil doesn’t want to be alone and if Bebe goes and repairs the bridge she will be. Their relationship complicated  because both Mama Lil and Bebe don’t always agree. “She took another drag a heavy one this time and blew out a long quick breath. She was doing her best to tune me out.” This shows some of the struggles many  family’s relationships go through. It is very hard for guardians to let their kids go and Mama Lil loves Bebe so much she is afraid to let her go. Overall, in the beginning of “Building Bridges” Bebe and mama Lil don’t listen to each other and agree with each other.

In the middle of Building Bridges” Mama Lil and Bebe’s relationship is very fragile. They couldn’t just talk to each other without saying mean things or not agreeing. But, Bebe finally expresses herself. For example, when Bebe got really mad that Mama Lil was refusing to sign the permission slip she said, “Your eyes are closed, closed to seeing me.” Bebe gets frustrated because Mama Lil isn’t supporting her and listening to her. When Bebe says, “closed to seeing me” you can see that she is irritated because Mama Lil will not listen to her.  I think that Mama Lil is just too scared of letting her go because then she will be all alone. But Bebe doesn’t know that, so she feels alone and unsupported. Mama Lil is stuck between letting Bebe go and keeping her home with her. Overall, this shows how Mama Lil and Bebe can’t agree and let eachother speak without saying mean things. Additionally, when Mama Lil says, “Your dreams are the kind that’ll take you away from here, Bebe-- away from your Mama Lil. You got big hopes, child but they are gonna leave me alone.” This quote really shows Bebe what she has been missing. Mama Lil wants to send her, but she is just very scared to. She is afraid to be all alone. Bebe really wants to comfort her but she can’t because she is very committed and determined to achieve her dream which is to help repair the Brooklyn Bridge. Overall, this really shows how Mama Lil and Bebe’s relationship got stronger because they expressed their feelings.

Lastly, in the end of “ Building Bridges” Mama Lil and Bebe’s relationship becomes more open and honest because Mama Lil realizes that Bebe’s dream is too big to let go and ignore. For instance, Mama Lil said, “ Bebe, that bridge is lucky to have you.” This shows that Mama Lil finally let go. She is finally supporting Bebe and will help her achieve her goal. This is an example of a true, open and honest relationships. Their relationship is more powerful and better than the beginning of the story because Mama Lil is making Bebe feel more appreciated then before. Another example is when Mama Lil said, “ I been up most the night—thinking, praying and trying my best to read the confounded permission paper. They sure got a whole bunch of words typed on that thing, just to say I’m gonna let you help fix the bridge.” This quote really shows the Mama Lil realizes how she is old and doesn’t have a lot to look forward to and since Bebe has a dream, she realized that she has to do her best to support her and help her achieve it. Therefore, in the Bebe and Mama Lil become really close and their relationship became very open and grew stronger from the beginning of “Building Bridges”. Family relationships are a struggle and it’s normal for guardians to be unsure and nervous about letting their loved ones go and Mama Lil and Bebe’s relationship showed us.

In conclusion, in the short story “Building Bridges” Bebe and Mama Lil’s relationship grows. In the beginning of the story Both Mama Lil and Bebe were at odds. They fought a lot but, deep inside they still loved each other very much. In the middle, Bebe expressed herself and she told Mama Lil she was going to the bridge and nothing was getting in her way. Lastly, in the end Mama Lil learns to let Bebe go and Bebe finally feels supported, just as Mama Lil always really wanted her to be.This short story showed me that you have to be determined and never give up when you are so close to your dreams. It reveals the struggle your guardians could may go through but they sometimes realize that there loved ones dreams matter just as much. This message relates to many teenagers in the real world because many give up when people get in their way. But just like Bebe, you must stay determined and be confident about yourself to make your dreams come true. Readers respond to this short story because many go through this. In the end, you realize that it is important for guardians to let their children achieve their dreams.