The Lovely Bones Character Analysis Essay

In The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold demonstrates how Susie is able to grow through her heavenly/earthly experiences while she watches the grief of her family and the guilt of her loved ones. Fourteen years old is a young age; Susie has yet to experience some of the best moments of her life. The Lovely Bones portrays Susie’s experiences in the In-Between and how she can still live her life through her mortal loved ones. At the beginning of the novel, Susie shows the happiness and appreciation of her life. As the novel continues and Susie dies, her fascination with earthly activities begins to grow. Susie’s relationship still continues after her death. As Susie enters the In-Between, she is surprised when she can see what all continues to happen on Earth, such as her friends and family’s responses to her death, the relationships between her parents, sister, and her first love.
“I felt sorry for him. He had tried to solve my murder and he had failed. He had tried to love my mother and he had failed.” (Snapshots, page 219)Len tries to make up to Abigail for what he has failed to prove about Susie’s death. Len feels guilt as he has an affair with Abigail Salmon. Susie watches the struggle in her parent’s marriage and how they both cope with her death. She sees how her father faces guilt along with his grief after the death of Susie. She grows by watching the ways her parents each deal with her death differently. The Lovely Bones is a coming of age story because even though she is dead and stuck in the In-Between, she grows through watching her friends and family’s Earthly experiences and struggles.She is able to grow in a way that does not seem possible, just by watching all of the Earthly activity. The Lovely Bones represents how all of her friends and family adjust in the times following her death. This also considers how Susie grows,matures,and adapts to her new home in