Loss Of Innocence In Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones

“It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things” (Theodore Roosevelt). Everything that occurs in your life before death is inevitable. Whether it is the loss of innocence, a loved one, or a possession, there is nothing that can be done to change the past. Thus, it makes little sense to dwell negatively on those past events. This proves true in Alice Sebold’s novel The Lovely Bones, a novel based on a true story. The protagonist and narrator is Susie Salmon, a curious and loving fourteen year old girl. The novel starts with Susie retelling her dreadful? encounter that happened on December 6, 1973. With vivid and horrifying descriptions, she explains events leading up to her

In addition, Jack showed his inability to let go of Susie by keeping her physical belongings with him. From heaven, Susie is watching all of this happen, noting that “I knew then he would never give me up. He would never count me as one of the dead. I was his daughter, and he was my dad, and he had loved me as much as he could. I had to let him go” (...). The final sentence is very significant. It is the time when Susie recognizes the need for her to let go if she truly wishes to end her family’s suffering. As Susie is able to forget the past, so does Jack. He soon realizes that Susie lives in his past, memories, and not in objects. Specifically, it is not until Jack survives his heart attack that he fully accepts that his daughter has left. “Last night it had been [Susie’s] father who had finally said it, ‘[Susie’s]never coming home.’ A clear and easy piece of truth that everyone who had ever known me had accepted” (289). Upon realizing this truth, Jack is able to continue with his life, job, and most importantly, to refocus his attention to his two other

Ruth is a character whom Susie has not interacted with much while she was living, but in heaven, they felt a special connection. “it’s strange the memories you keep . . . [Susie] remember[s] the girl . . . , Ruth Connors. The kids at [her] school said that she was weird, but now [Susie] know[s] she saw things that others didn’t” (221). In a short moment before Susie is brought to heaven, her soul touches Ruth Conners, an experience which ruth describes as dreamlike, unforgettable. Ruth and Susie seem to be counterparts, one on Earth and one on heaven. In contrast, though, Susie wishes desperately to return to Earth, while Ruth hopes to explore heaven. As the novel progresses, however, Ruth understands that there is no use in attempting to change the past. It was when Ruth and Susie’s souls exchanged that she realizes this truth. When Ruth’s soul was in heaven, she speaks to all the women that were murdered, helping her gain understanding of the link between the dead and the living. Later, Ruth continues to do what she loves to do: investigate crimes and the dead. She moves to New York City, and applies her second sight to help others instead of dwelling on Susie’s death. Clearly, Ruth, as Susie’s earthly counterpart, is able to move on to a better life when Susie loses her connection between them.