The Lovely Bones Symbolism Essay

Three days later a man by the name of Len Fenerman calls Susie’s parents which find out that the police have found Susie’s elbow. The police then continue their search by digging up the cornfield a few hours later. However, the snow and rain have completely ruined the crime scene. Although, it did not ruin the books that were found which then was discovered a note from her first and only love Ray Singh which Susie didn’t even have a chance to read. It disgusted Susie that while she was dead in heaven Mr. Harvey just carried on with his creepy life of building doll houses.

The story called The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold is about a girl named Susie who had gotten raped and killed at the age of 14. Throughout the story it was about life after Susie with her immediate family like her mother Abagail, her father Jack, and her younger sister Lindsey and how they adjust to life after Susie, as well as the effects of Susie’s life in heaven being away from her family. The death of Susie had a bad impact on her immediate family psychologically and emotionally and each of the character’s grieving process of susie’s death was different . With Abigail the death of Susie causes for her to be denial of the death and become depressed as well. Jack goes through denial with Susie’s death and as the story goes on he comes

Jesmyn Ward, in her novel “Salvage the Bones”, has told the story of a family that lived in Mississippi when the incident of Hurricane Katrina occurred in 2005, getting back to her own memories of the Hurricane which she experienced in De Lisle, Mississippi. With the use of provocative symbolism throughout the novel, Ward has very interestingly narrated how the family suffered through the Hurricane, and how they spent their lives without any concern for the future. This paper probes into the symbolism and metaphors Ward used in the novel.

The book “The Lovely Bones” is written by Alice Sebold and it is about 14 year-old Susie Salmon’s murder in December of 1973. The book/movie takes place in Pennsylvania in the early to mid 70’s. One day after school, Susie was walking and decided to take a shortcut through a cornfield to get home quicker. Mid way through the cornfield her quiet, creepy neighbor George Harvey appears out of nowhere and starts talking to Susie about this “fort” that he made under the cornfield. He wants her to come and see it so Susie and Mr. Harvey go down the ladder and into the underground structure, eventually Mr. Harvey won't let her leave and then he kills her. No one thinks it's him because he tries to stay low most of the time and not talk to anyone.

“The dead are never exactly seen by the living, but many people seem acutely aware of something changed around them” (Sebold 94). In the novel, “Lovely Bones”, by Alice Sebold, the author illustrates the descriptions of the protagonist’s, Susie Salmon, a fourteen year old, after her death and her relation with the living. Susie was brutally hurt and killed from a new neighbor, Mr. Harvey, who was never discovered for his numerous crimes. Sebold presents various settings where the protagonist, Susie Salmon, initiates to adjust with her new home in heaven after her terrifying homicide and maintains a connection with life on Earth without her. An important factor of this novel is that the setting is very unusual, since, Susie describes the life on Earth from the heaven she has created, which she can’t leave until she is more than certain that her family will be happy and accept her depart. Susie portrays her own growth throughout heaven as she continues to grow mentally, combining her adolescent notion and her growing maturity acquired in her heaven. Sebold creates a setting that is an important ingredient into the theme and changes in characters, since, it shows many factors of the plot and it refers to the loss and depression that Susie 's loved ones felt after her death.

In the book “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold the main character was Susie Salmon. Susie was portrayed as an innocent victim who was taken advantage of. She was said to be a gentle, nice, caring, ambitious, smart, gullible and heroic person. Susie was also a thirsty, ignorant, petty, and in-denial person which made her an easy target. When Susie was 14 she had received a camera for her birthday and realized she wanted to be wild life photographer. Susie was head over heels for Ray Singh. Ray Singh was her first crush. Her grandmother thought Susie would live for ever for saving another life. Susie saved her brother's life by driving to him hospital because he was choking on a twig. But, that wasn’t true Susie Salmon was raped, murdered, beaten

While many books attempt to conquer the monster that is grief, most fail to properly convey the topic to readers, however, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold is a rare gem that handles it with respect and grace, and its message resonates through all readers. In the novel, readers are introduced to 14 year old Susie Salmon, who was murdered before the book begins. Susie spends her time in heaven making friends and watching over her family, who are trying to come to terms with her death, each in their own way. As the book progresses the readers become immersed in Susie’s tale, as each scene is designed to educate readers on the process of accepting loss. Sebold’s masterpiece is --one-- crafted with such care, and every detail aids her in her mission

One example of a symbol used in My Antonia would be in book X, when the following statement was made about Mr. and Mrs. Burden, “They seem awful scared of the cold, and stick in that hole in the bank like badgers.” What this statement implies is that the Burden’s do not live out their lives to the fullest and instead, allow obstacles, which are easily avoidable, to stop them from enjoying themselves to their full potential. Hence, why they stay in their hole (which is their home) like a badger would. Another example of symbolism would be the dried mushrooms. To the Burdens, the dried mushrooms have no value they are simply old and are not useful, so Mrs. Burden decides to dispose them. While on the other hand, the Shimerdas, view these dried-up mushrooms as a source of flavor and character, so instead of throwing the mushrooms away, they add them to their meal. This goes to show that the Burdens are somewhat quick to dismiss the uncommon customs of their foreign neighbors. Another example of symbolism in My Antonia would be the plow. The plow is a silhouette, noticed by Jim and Antonia, sitting against the sun. As the sun set behind the plow, both of the elements combined and formed a perfectly synchronized picture. This symbolizes the way man and mother nature should connect and coexist. The message here is that man and mother nature should live amongst each other in peace, not in hatred or disarray, but together as one, harmoniously.

Explanation: Many characters feel trapped in their own worlds: Ruth in earth, Abigail as a mother, Susie in her heaven. Susie is explaining that like a sun, horror cannot be contained. It is possible for the sun to go through little nooks and crevices, likewise to horror. The characters feel trapped and there still is horror wherever they are. When Susie meets the other girls that also were victims of Mr.Harvey, she is uplifted of some of her pain by telling them her story. The book is a story of Susie’s family, allowing Susie a way to get through her grief and easing her pain.

Sebold purposely uses symbols of gardens and new life “like Buckley’s garden blooming one year in all its crazed jumbleness” to represent new life and Susie journeying into the new ‘springtime’ of her time in heaven. We see Susie move on to “the place I call this wide, wide heaven because it contains all of my simplest desires but also my most humble and grand.” Sebold uses this to show us how after years of turmoil Susie has finally reached the point of acceptance. We as readers are inspired by her incredible resilience through a time that most of us would be broken in. Sebold created Susie as a character to show us the beauty of resilience and so as to educate the reader about how much we can learn from anyone, including a fourteen year old girl. We remember Susie as a figurehead for the type of person who can draw strength and beauty out of horror, moving on whilst never forgetting. These are hard lessons.

As the Salmon family experiences the mechanics of death and grief, the concept that grief can never truly be overcome forces the reader to be cognizant of the consequences that accompany death. From the novel, the reader can assume that grief affects everyone differently as Sebold creates a characterization of each member of the Salmon family by how they respond to Susie's death; Jack Salmon's guilt, Abigail Salmon's burden of a dead child, and Lindsey Salmon's "Walking Dead Syndrome” (Charles) all help establish a representation of the emotional journey associated with death. Additionally, Susie conjointly undergoes her own grief as she ultimately discovers that heaven is not perfect- that even in the most cosmic surroundings, a mundane moment is inevitably precious, and together these characteristics would create a schizoid relief. Comparably,

Northeastern University should be the most impressive organization I have participated in which there was a prominent use of symbols. According to Keyton (2010, p. 19), "In summary, a symbol is a collective representation of a culture when the symbol or meaning is deeply felt or held, is interpretable within a community, and is widely accessible to members of the community." For example, the Husky, the mascot of Northeastern University, always notices me that I am a member of the University of Northeastern Community. As is mentioned by Keyton (2010), Jayhawk, the mascot of the University of Kansas, identifies the students, staff, faculty, alumni, and local businesspeople as belonging to the University of Kansas, and then helps to tie them to others who are also members of the Jayhawk community. So does husky shape my own interactions and the interactions of others in Northeastern University.

Jack, Susie’s father, has difficulties when expressing emotions pertaining to his daughter’s murder causing his family to continually feel as if he is not emotionally present. In the December following the murder, Jack smashes the miniature ships in bottles, which Susie often helped him construct. In heaven, Susie watches her father, “He christened the walls and wooden chair with the news of my death, and afterward he stood in

III. Overview of the Book/Film Plot (internal or external conflicts) The Lovely Bones is about a girl named Susie Salmon, a 14-year-old girl who was raped and murdered by her neighbor Mr. Harvey. When her family learns of what happened they grieve for a long time. The person who grieves the most is Susie's dad. He goes on a rampage trying to find and prove that Mr. Harvey is the one who committed the crime. He ends up going to the emergency room after going to the cornfield to see if George Harvey was there. His family is notified and his wife comes to see how he is and to hear what

“The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold became very popular after it was first released on December 26, 2009, in New Zealand. Although, the film did not reach the United States until January 2010 it still was a major hit from the books that was already selling in stores. The book was written by Alice Sebold and became an automatic best-selling novel around the world in 2002. This film basically alerts the audience of watching their surrounding closely and never to trust anyone. Once the audience watches the film all the way through, it is sure to fill the room with plenty of emotions and tears will be shed.