the lovely bones essay outline
LIFE AFTER LOSS
The Lovely Bones Essay
By: Yasmin Omer
To
Ms. Klug
Grief. It is that inevitable emotional suffering you feel when someone you love is taken away from you. In the extraordinary novel, The Lovely Bones, written by Alice Sebold, it revolves around the story of a dead girl named Susie Salmon and her grief-stricken family. Through the voice of Susie, readers learn about the aftermath of Susie’s murder and rape on each of her family members. Readers see that Susie’s parents are the most effected by her passing, as they both retreat closer into their own misery. Lindsey, Susie’s sister seems to lean more towards denial, as she fights to maintain her tough girl façade and then there is Buckley, Susie’s brother who is too young to comprehend the meaning of death. This is all pain-staking for Susie to watch, and it makes her feel helpless and alone. After the death of Susie, it is clear the Salmon family have a hard time coping with their grief, however once they come to terms with it, they are able to move on and rebuild their family.
Jack, Susie’s father, is someone who is seen going through three of the five stages of grief which includes denial, anger, and finally acceptance. Instead of learning to cope with the circumstance he goes into denial. Even with evidence from the authorities stating that Susie is most-likely dead, Jack ignores them and says “Nothing is ever certain.”(21). This tormenting line is what lent a hand in keeping the Salmon family hopeful that Susie would one day come home. With time jack shifted into anger. Angry that he could not find and protect his daughter. He became obsessed with catching Susie’s killer, frustrated with the fact that nothing was being done. This is seen when he takes his anger out on the ships that he and Susie often made together. “I watched him as he lined up the ships in bottles on his deck, bringing them over from the shelves where they usually sat … there was the one that had
The Lovely Bones Essay
By: Yasmin Omer
To
Ms. Klug
Grief. It is that inevitable emotional suffering you feel when someone you love is taken away from you. In the extraordinary novel, The Lovely Bones, written by Alice Sebold, it revolves around the story of a dead girl named Susie Salmon and her grief-stricken family. Through the voice of Susie, readers learn about the aftermath of Susie’s murder and rape on each of her family members. Readers see that Susie’s parents are the most effected by her passing, as they both retreat closer into their own misery. Lindsey, Susie’s sister seems to lean more towards denial, as she fights to maintain her tough girl façade and then there is Buckley, Susie’s brother who is too young to comprehend the meaning of death. This is all pain-staking for Susie to watch, and it makes her feel helpless and alone. After the death of Susie, it is clear the Salmon family have a hard time coping with their grief, however once they come to terms with it, they are able to move on and rebuild their family.
Jack, Susie’s father, is someone who is seen going through three of the five stages of grief which includes denial, anger, and finally acceptance. Instead of learning to cope with the circumstance he goes into denial. Even with evidence from the authorities stating that Susie is most-likely dead, Jack ignores them and says “Nothing is ever certain.”(21). This tormenting line is what lent a hand in keeping the Salmon family hopeful that Susie would one day come home. With time jack shifted into anger. Angry that he could not find and protect his daughter. He became obsessed with catching Susie’s killer, frustrated with the fact that nothing was being done. This is seen when he takes his anger out on the ships that he and Susie often made together. “I watched him as he lined up the ships in bottles on his deck, bringing them over from the shelves where they usually sat … there was the one that had