Alice Sebold’s novel, The Lovely Bones, deals with the aftermath of the rape and murder of a fourteen year old girl, Susie Salmon, as she ends up going to heaven watching over the world. Her family and friends are traumatized by her death; each person has his or her own way of coping with Susie’s loss. Jack Salmon, Susie’s father, becomes obsessed with catching Mr. Harvey, the murderer of his daughter, alongside with detective Len Fenerman. Lindsey Salmon, Susie’s younger sister, appears to be strong when in reality she is experiencing much pain and torment. Abigail Salmon, Susie’s mother, gradually distances herself in attempt to escape the impact of her daughter's death. Furthermore, Buckley Salmon, the youngest child and only son in the …show more content…
family, is too young to be able to grasp the idea of Susie’s death; therefore, he does not understand why his family members are acting strangely. Eventually, everyone starts to accept the death of Susie as they learn to move on without her. The psychoanalytic lens focuses on the mind, what is going on inside of it, and how underlying feelings influence the way they act. It is based on the works by Sigmund Freud where he focuses on how characters think, feel, and behave in different circumstances. The Freudian version of this lens states that the psyche consists of the id, a superego, and an ego. This psychoanalytic lens is applicable to the novel, The Lovely Bones, because it can focus on characters’ past experiences, mental problems, desires and fears, behaviours, dynamic relationships, and psyches. The death of a loved one cannot only bring grief to families and friends, but it can also deprive them from seeing the positive aspects in life. As a result, each day they encounter hardships while trying to manage their psyche. The In The Lovely Bones, the death of a loved one negatively affects the family through the recollection of past memories. This leads to a physical and emotional isolation with other family members. In general, the effect of revisiting these past memories causes emotional problems to be expressed through actions and feelings. This, as a result, reveals the individual’s desires and fears, thus triggering unconscious feelings to arise by dictating their behaviours. This leads to a weakening between different dynamic relationships, which eventually causes physical and emotional isolation to take place. The individual’s past memories of experiences and events trigger emotional problems to become apparent. These memories cause the individual to feel trapped, as they have to revisit moments they can never relive. For example, Jack recalls the memory when he and Susie used to build model ships together where one would hold the bottle and the other would draw the string. Now, when he looks back to the collection of his model ships, it causes him to express his anger through his actions: “He smashed that one first...The bottles, all of them, lay broken on the floor, the sails and boat bodies strewn among them” (Sebold 46). Jack’s id briefly dominates his superego which is what allows him to vent his anger in such a violent manner. In addition, his impulsiveness is due to the fact that he regrets not being there to help Susie, which explains his abrupt outburst. Simultaneously, as Jack “[could not] even get up from bed,” he experiences the feeling of guilt as his consciousness constantly echoes to him every morning: “You were not there when your daughter needed you” (58). This shows how the weight of his guilt is so heavy that waking up becomes a struggle for him; sleeping is the only way to escape his feelings. Comparatively, when Abigail remembers all the time she has spent taking care of Susie by helping her dress up, tying her shoelaces, and reading stories to her, she becomes emotionally distraught: “Her rage, her loss, her despair...The whole life lost tumbling out, clogging up her being” (152). Despite the emotions that she experiences, she buries her feelings of rage and bitterness deep down. In either case, the revisiting memories are powerful in that they impact the individuals by making their emotional problems known, thus, revealing their motives in the process. The emergence of these emotional problems causes individuals to reveal their desires while repressing their underlying fears.
The feelings of anger and guilt that Jack demonstrates causes him to reveal his desire to catch the murderer, Mr. Harvey. When Jack whispers to himself, “Bastard, You murderous bastard,” the author indicates the how the presence of Jack’s id foreshadows the drastic approaches he will take (137). This desire is his main goal and serves as a catalyst that motivates him throughout the novel. Simultaneously, he also possesses the fear that he might be endangering his second daughter, Lindsey: “... he could not feel anything but the knowledge in his brain. George Harvey had killed his last little girl” (137). This is connected to the fact that if he is unable to fulfill his desire, Lindsey’s life could be at jeopardy. In the same manner, Abigail’s immediate decision to not attend Susie’s memorial indicates that she is trying to escape the fear of feeling anguish and sorrow after her memorial: “I don’t believe she’s waiting for us out there. I don’t think lighting candles and doing all that stuff is honoring her memory” (206). She avoids these fears by creating her own reasons to why she should not attend Susie’s service. This becomes her main fear throughout the novel, as she constantly tries to avoid the reality of Susie’s death. However, when the narrator states, “She needed Len to drive the dead daughter out...being with him was the fastest way she knew …show more content…
to forget,” it proves that this is a temporary desire she possesses, which acts as a defense mechanism: avoidance (152, 160). Her desire to be with Len is an example of how she tries to avoid reality by being with someone who does not act as a reminder of her daughter. The individuals’ displaying of their emotional problems exposes the individuals’ desires and fears as it triggers their behavior based off of their unconscious feelings. With the existence of these desires and fears, the unconscious, such as the id, starts to emerge and dictate the individual’s behaviour.
Jack’s basic desire to apprehend Mr. Harvey causes him to behave irrationally. For instance, when Jack looks out the window one night and sees a “flashlight move in the direction of the fallow cornfield,” he indisputably thinks that Mr. Harvey is the one in the cornfield (136). Based off his unconscious feelings, he instinctually goes out onto the field hoping to confront Mr. Harvey, but instead “he [runs blindly] into Clarissa [Susie’s classmate] knocking her down in the darkness” (139). This causes Brian, Lindsey’s boyfriend, to assault him. This is an example of how Jack acts based on his id, which overpowers his superego, which leads to him getting hurt as a result of his behaviour. Moreover, Abigail’s desire to spend time with Len causes her to be unfaithful to her husband: “They were whispers calling her away from me, from her family and from her grief. She followed with her body” (196). Since Abigail is unable to see the reality of the situation, she behaves according to her id and against all her morals through the act of kissing Len. Abigail thinks that this temporary gratification, would cast out all the grief she has for Susie. Altogether, these desires and fears bring unconscious feelings to surface, governing their behaviours and consequently resulting in a lack of connection in different
relationships. Due to these capricious behaviours, a discrepancy occurs between relationships, causing them to begin to weaken and deteriorate. These behaviours take a toll on the different relationships, causing them to lose what it once had: security and strength. With the relationship between Jack and Abigail, it is evident that there is a crucial element missing. For example, following the Jack’s incident in the cornfield, his family soon finds out that he is in the hospital: “My mother was not in his hospital room when Lindsey entered” (144). Abigail not being by her husband’s side, even though he is badly injured concludes that there is an absence of certain emotions between the two. As a matter of fact when Abigail says, “[Jack’s] gone after that man and gotten himself in trouble,” she puts all the blame on Jack and deems him to be at fault, instead of caring for his well-being (143). Furthermore, when Lindsey sees Abigail’s red cloth on Len’s desk, she finds out that her mother is cheating on Jack. Lindsey now feels that her mother is abandoning her and Abigail lies to her by saying, “I promise I won’t ever leave you” (207). There is now a lack of trust between mother and daughter, which shows how if Abigail followed her superego, a corrupt relationship would not have formed. In summary, the emotions and desires that the individual displays, wrecks their relationships, causing them to withdraw themselves from the people around them. Ultimately, these unstable relationships cause an individual to become physically and emotionally isolated, which affects the family as a whole. Jack and Abigail’s poor relationship with their family members causes them to essentially exclude themselves from the family. For example, when the narrator states, “In those first two months my father moved in opposite directions from the family,” this shows that because of his damaged relationship with his wife he physically separates himself from them in order to regain control in his emotions (86). Jack knows that the anger and rage building up inside of him will one day overflow, and he does not want his family to see him in this mad state. His id is rapidly getting stronger, and in order to prevent him from doing things he will regret later, Jack’s superego kicks in and tells him to move away for a while. This gives Jack time to cool down, express his anger without hurting anyone, and time for him to think things through. In addition, Abigail also isolates herself by physically leaving the family: “I am going away and we might never see each other again” (213). Her departure causes the family to adjust to her absence: “[Lindsey] was suddenly the wife to our father, as well as the oldest, most responsible child” (134). Abigail’s emotional isolation causes Lindsey to have to step in and fill in the role of being a mother. This can be seen when the narrator states, “[Jack] brought the razor blades back, showed Lindsey how to change them, and gave her a few pointers on how best to shave… Abigail should be doing this” (162). This shows how because Abigail is absent, Jack must step in and do all the things that his wife usually takes care of. Therefore, a family is greatly impacted when its bonds are unstable, as this instability leads to the physical and emotional separation of family members. Overall, physical and emotional isolation occurs because of the continual cycle of revisiting past memories. These memories cause various emotional disturbances to occur while revealing the individual’s desires and fears. As a result, unconscious feelings take place and determine their behaviour. Finally, the weakening of relationships ultimately leads to the isolation that has been brought upon them. While some may think that individuals who cope with another person’s death will eventually move on; it is evident through Jack and Abigail that it may not be easy to accept death. Therefore, the way an individual deals with the death of a cherished person can be tremendously difficult; however, in times of grief, it is important to remain true to one’s self in order to not be trapped in an emotional turmoil.
Although, Buckley was never told what happened to Susie, except for the fact that she died tragically. No one bothered to explain to him what had happened. Buckley is only four years old and does not understand that Susie is dead, so Mr. Salmon has to simplify her death. Mr. Salmon explains that Susie is dead by using Susie’s favorite monopoly piece. “‘See this shoe?’ my father said... “Susie?” my brother asked, somehow connecting the two. ‘Yes, I’m going to tell you where Susie is’” (Sebold, 2002, p. 45). He takes Susie’s piece from the Monopoly board, by doing so Jack demonstrates that Susie is out of the game of life. Buckley only understands that Susie is not coming back. He does not understand where she
“The Lovely Bones” is a book written by Alice Sebold. It was published in 2002, and it’s about Susie Salmon, a girl that was murdered and no watches her family and murderer from her own heaven. She tries to balance her feeling and watch out for her family since her murderer is still free and with nobody knowing how dangerous he is. In 2009, a movie adapted from the book came out as well.
The genre is “fiction, a supernatural thriller, and a bildungsroman” (Key Facts, 1). The Lovely Bones is written in first person. The novel is said to be complex, a distant place, and then a time of grieving from a loss of an innocent child who was murdered (Guardian, 1). The view of Heaven presented in The Lovely Bones is where you do not have to worry about anything, you get what you want, and understand why you want it. In this novel, Suzie teaches her family what she had learned from her life. The climax of the novel is when Suzie is able to achieve her dream to grow up when Heaven allows her to inhabit Ruth’s body and then make love Ray (Key Facts, 1). One fact about the novel The Lovely Bones is that the beginning of the book is famous for its intense descriptions on Suzie Salmon’s rape that she had to endure. It has been said from many people that The Lovely Bones is the most successful novel since Gone with the Wind (Spring, 1). The Lovely Bones was on the best-seller lists for several months in 2002 (Alice,
Death: the action or fact of dying or being killed; the end of the life of a person or organism. It is scientific. Straight down to the facts. Something is born, it lives, and it dies. The cycle never stops. But what toll does death take on those around it? The literary world constantly attempts to answer this vital question. Characters from a wide realm of novels experience the loss of a loved one, and as they move on, grief affects their every step. In The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, the roles of Lindsey, Abigail, and Ruth all exhibit the effect of dealing with death over time; the result is a sizable amount of change which benefits a person’s spirit.
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
Analyzing “How to Read Literature like a Professor” is easy, but on the other hand, to analyze “The Bonesetter’s Daughter” is a consuming task. The difficulty doesn’t lie in the grammar or the structure, but in employing the skills employed by Foster’s book. An unskilled reader would assume that Amy Tan’s novel: The Bonesetter’s Daughter, is just another novel written for entertainment purposes. To an untrained reader, there seems to be no author’s intent to use literary devices that would contextualize the deeper meaning that is usually found in fiction, mythology, and folklore. Instead the novel would seem nothing more than entertainment, but for a reader that isn’t just reading but also searching through the text for the literary devices
...in her character during her stay at the hospital. Susie realizes that her patient is afraid of dying and thus she comforts her as she weeps and makes her feel loved.
The novel “Salvage the Bones” started with the bible verse “See now that I, even I am he, and there is no god with me; I will kill and I make alive, I wound and I heal, neither is there any can deliver out of my hand.” As the novel started with this verse, readers could expect to see a lot of painful experiences that involve life, death and painful events in the characters in the novel. The theme of loss and tragedy is one of the prominent themes that is being portrayed in this novel. The two characters that are affected badly by the theme of loss are Esch and Skeetah. Esch losing the love of her life: Manny, while Skeetah losing his precious dog, China. Through the loss and tragedy event, the readers could see how the characters develop and
Photographs capture the essence of a moment because the truth shown in an image cannot be questioned. In her novel, The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold uses the language of rhetoric to liberate Abigail from the façade of being a mother and spouse in a picture taken by her daughter, Susie. On the morning of her eleventh birthday, Susie, awake before the rest of the family, discovers her unwrapped birthday present, an instamatic camera, and finds her mother alone in the backyard. The significance of this scene is that it starts the author’s challenge of the false utopia of suburbia in the novel, particularly, the role of women in it.
When it comes to “fight or flight,” Susie’s mother, Abigail, choses flight. After Abigail and Jack, Susie’s father, are informed of Susie’s death, she begins to act differently. From having an affair, to leaving her family and her life, she does everything possible to escape the situation she’s in. When Susie saw her mother with Len she knew what was happening. Susie says, “She (her mother) needed Len to drive the dead daughter out” (Sebold 152). She finally returns home to her family after many years, which is when she will begin to let go of her heartache and of Susie.
The death of Willie Starks and the circumstances force Jack to rethink the way he thinks. He rethinks a belief that no one can ever be responsible for the evil actions of another individual over time. In a way Jack feels responsible for Willie’s death. Jack eventually marries Anne Stanton and he feels orthodox about his decision to marry her. Jack restarts his long lost hobby of working on a book about Cass Mastern.
Jack, thinking he might have been that very baby, retrieves the bag he was found in as an infant in which Ms. Prism identifies by some distinguishing marks to have been her own. Jack realized the woman that had been teaching his niece was his mother. But then Lady Bracknell explained that she was not, but Lady Bracknell’s poor sister Mrs. Moncrieff was. The irony continues to explain how Jack and Algernon were biological brothers. They were pretending to be earlier to play out their game of Bunburyism.
One world up above where they can watch over the ones below. Susie in The Lovely Bones she has restricted use and effects on earth, because she is in heaven up above. Alice Sebold portrays these events through the view of Susie Salmon, Susie have the ability to know what everyone is thinking. Sebold shows that young love have many differences to those that are also in love, but mature. Susie the narrator, attitude toward the lover of young and old also is different. There is also a unique character in the novel, his name is George Harvey, and his view on love is extremely different.
Jack Salmon, Susie’s father, is most vocal about his sorrow for losing his daughter. However, his initial reaction was much different. Upon hearing that Susie’s ski hat had been found, he immediately retreats upstairs because “he [is] too devastated to reach out to [Abigail] sitting on the carpet…he could not let [her] see him” (Sebold 32). Jack retreats initially because he did not know what to do or say to console his family and he did not want them to see him upset. This first reaction, although it is small, is the first indicator of the marital problems to come. After recovering from the initial shock, Jack decides that he must bring justice for his daughter’s sake and allows this goal to completely engulf his life. He is both an intuitive and instrumental griever, experiencing outbursts of uncontrolled emotions then channeling that emotion into capturing the killer. He focuses his efforts in such an e...
The fact that Susie's mom takes a break from her family and moves to California gave her a chance to get over Susie's death and come back as a better person. Susie’s mom is torn up over Susie's death like everyone else and she makes rash decisions to try to forcefully push the pain away. One of the decisions she makes is to cheat on her husband with the detective of her daughter's murder, Len. But she doesn’t do this out of love, her main driving force is instead to distract herself from reality. This can be noticed through what Susie sees, “My mother was moving physically through time to flee from me.” (152) and “I knew what was happening. Her rage. Her loss. Het despair. The whole life lost tumbling out in an arc on that roof, clogging up her being.