Synopsis of the novel
The Lovely Bones
By : Alice Sebold
Susie Salmon, a
fourteen year old girl, is raped and murdered on her way home from school.
Her killer, a neighbour named George Harvey, is considered a harmless loner.
Harvey shows no remorse for the killing, and heartlessly disposes of Susie's
body in the equivalent of a rubbish dump.
Susie tells her story from the vantage point of an 'in between
state', a limbo that is not quite earth or heaven. She recounts
the aftermath of her own death and its impact on the lives of her family,
friends and killer, exploring both the paranormal world and the human
condition.
Susie's family
struggles to come to terms with her death. Her mother, Abigail, is unable to
express her grief and resorts to escapism. A detective named Len Fenerman leads
the murder case but, to his distress, is unable to solve it. Susie's
sister and father become convinced that Mr Harvey is guilty, and are frustrated
when a lack of evidence means the case against him cannot be pursued; all seems
lost when Mr Harvey quietly leaves the neighbourhood.
Both troubled souls,
Len and Abigail begin a brief affair. Abigail then leaves her family and
travels to California, where she can live an anonymous life and attempt to
escape her misery. Susie's grandmother, a glamorous functioning alcoholic,
comes to stay with the remaining family and helps them begin to live
a normal life again.
Two of Susie's school
friends, Ray Singh and Ruth Connors, are particularly affected by her
death. Ray and Susie shared her only kiss on earth, and Ray is temporarily
viewed as a suspect in her murder (perhaps due to racial prejudice).
Ruth, an artistic and sensitive girl, is touched by Susie's spirit when she
leaves the mortal world, and from then on becomes obsessed with Susie
and the paranormal.
Susie is unable to let
go of her life on earth, and over the years she lives vicariously through those
left behind; in particular her sister Lindsay, whom she watches growing
up, falling in love and becoming a successful young woman. When Susie's father
suffers a heart attack, her mother returns to the family home. After initial
difficulties, the family bonds begin to reform. The characters come to terms
with their grief and begin to let go of a past that cannot be changed. Susie is
soothed by the peace which she sees them begin to achieve. Mr Harvey is never
brought to justice by the police, but meets his end before he can claim any
more lives. Before she is able fully to move on, Susie returns to earth one
last time, and her spirit enters Ruth's body. She makes love to Ray
Singh, marking her emancipation from the past and her acceptance that she
no longer has a future on earth. She is finally able to pass on to a true
heaven, to be released from her damaging attachment to the living – to find
peace.
ANALYSIS
NOVEL OF THE LOVELY BONES
Point
of View
The
entire point of view is first person. Susie relates everything that happens to
every character, including their thoughts as well as their deeds. She is an
omniscient character in that she can see and know everything about those who
love her, even their past. It’s only when she chooses not to know that her
omniscience disappears.
Since
everything is filtered through Susie, it might seem as if the reader is denied
access to the reality each character might present if he could speak for
himself. However, this point of view still allows us to know what the
characters are thinking and feeling and we get a wonderful sketch of each one.
This may be due to the fact that Susie loves them all or is bound to them all
in some enduring way.
Style and
Tone
Narrative
style
First Person
~ An intimate relationship is formed
immediately so that we side with Susie instantly and begin to allow ourselves
to be consumed by Susie’s tragedy -1st sentence.
~ She confides in us -not only
rape/murder (Chap 1), but her first kiss (p14), the secret, revealing photo of
her mother (p 43), her hiding spots (p145) etc, we form a relationship of
trust. “I want to grow up”P19
Tone
-Unsentimental tone
-Chilling description -see imagery
(imagery and tone work together to
create sympathy)
-Sebold’s narrative is void of
feeling and sentiment -as if she does this so
the readers fill it with our own emotive reactions - empathy
Imagery
-The strong and graphic imagery used evokes a strong emotional reaction from the reader -uses strong imagery to reinforce relationship between Susie and reader because we feel deep sympathy for what has happened to Susie.
-The strong and graphic imagery used evokes a strong emotional reaction from the reader -uses strong imagery to reinforce relationship between Susie and reader because we feel deep sympathy for what has happened to Susie.
-“fitting my limbs together”-p8
-“he had put me in a waxy cloth
sack…tumbled together with my knees
fingers and toes…” -p50
-“town of floating graves” - p182
Use of Flashback
Use of Flashback
-a
technique that acts as a vehicle in allowing us to understand characters
better,
and feel sympathy for them
-flashbacks
are scattered right through the novel
Different
ways flashbacks are used:
Sympathy
for Susie
-Happy,
normal childhood memories juxtaposed with her cruel reality. - first kiss p13
-Everything
precious memory of Susie’s is ruined by Mr. Harvey -flashbacks
stylistic
device used to further our hatred for Mr. Harvey..
Theme and
Subject
Grief
The theme of grief is the most important theme in the
book. The author herself understands what this family experiences. In her book,
Lucky, she tells the story of her own rape and near murder. This kind of
experience can be so devastating that the victim must grieve what happened to
her and how she has changed. We see her own experience in Susie, who not only
must follow her family’s progress through grief, but also her own progress. It
is a kind of primer or textbook for us all. We, too, could someday face what
the author and her characters have endured. The theme also allows the reader to
understand these characters better, even George Harvey, the monster.
Love and
Acceptance
The theme of love and acceptance weaves throughout the
narrative. The farther the Salmons move away from each, the more they begin to
realize they need to turn around and move back. This theme emphasizes just how
much we need each other when we are at the lowest emotional level to which we
can fall. When someone dies in our lives, we believe we will never recover.
However, the author uses her characters to teach us that with acceptance comes
recovery for us all.
Good versus
Evil
The theme of good versus evil is one that has flowed
throughout the history of literature. In this case, it involves how the Salmon
family deals with the evil which has been perpetrated upon them and on Susie
and allows goodness to flow out of it rather than the bitterness which could
have stayed with them forever. What George Harvey did is the ultimate evil, but
Susie and her family teach the reader that they must not fall into that
blackness and never surface again. Susie represents the goodness that comes out
to surround her family and protect them. It is a time-honored lesson.
The Feminist
Approach to Rape and Murder
The theme of the feminist approach to rape and murder
is a subtle thought placed into the mind of the reader, which emphasizes that
we must not reduce rape and, sometimes, the murder that results, as an
unimportant crime. Len Fenerman, for example, grieves for all the girls and
women who have been raped and perhaps murdered and whose murderer has never
been caught. But he gives up looking for them and the author’s message echoes
the idea that these kinds of violations must never be forgotten.
Plot Structure
Analysis
The novel takes place over a period
of eight years after Susie Salmon’s death. However, it is filled with flashback
scenes where Susie remembers something in her life and the lives of her family
and friends and they are inserted into the story.
There is also a mini-Prologue, which
involves Susie’s memory of her father and the penguin snow globe, which causes
the reader to focus on the idea of a perfect world. The whole novel then
becomes a search for that perfection in the midst of over-whelming grief. There
is an interlude called Snapshots between Chapters 16 and 17. This is
meant to emphasize the idea that the pictures Susie had taken are snapshots of
many lives and the memories they retain. They also help to analyze why the
characters make the choices they do.
The last section of the book is
entitled Bones, but it is really an epilogue. We see how the Salmon
family and their friends finally step away from their grief and release Susie
to Heaven. It also gives us an explanation for the title: The Lovely Bones are
actually not just Susie’s body; they are also the cement that binds her family
together and allows her to find her “wide, wide Heaven.” That’s why they’re
lovely.
Rising
Action
The rising action begins with the
scene of Susie’s murder and ends just before she falls to earth and enters
Ruth’s body. In between are the eight years the Salmons endure the burden of
grief. We see such things as the pain Lindsey feels when the Gifted Symposium
uses the Perfect Murder as their culminating project; the time that Mr. Salmon
thinks he’s trapped George Harvey in the cornfield and is beaten himself; the
first Christmas after Susie’s death when Lindsey receives the broken heart
pendant from Samuel; the exploration of George Harvey’s house where Lindsey
finds the sketch of the cornfield; Jack Salmon’s heart attack and near death;
Abigail’s return home; Samuel and Lindsey finding the old house and becoming
engaged; and Susie falling into Ruth’s body so she can have her heart’s desire
fulfilled by the Grace of Heaven.
There is really no suspense in the
rising action except when Lindsey goes into George Harvey’s house, but it is a
culmination of wonderful and also awful moments in the lives of a family who
has suffered greatly and deserves peace.
Falling
Action
The falling action first involves
the wonderful experience between Ray and Susie through the miracle of her
entrance into Ruth’s body. It is very uplifting, because it shows how love
triumphs in the end. The falling action also involves the aftermath for all of
the Salmons and their friends: Jack and Abigail resolve their marriage; Lindsey
and Samuel are married and have a little girl; Buckley becomes a fine young man
who will come to forgive his mother; Ruth continues what makes her happiest -
using her sight to help the dead and the living; Ray becomes a doctor and never
forgets the possibilities of Heaven; and Susie lets go of Earth and faces her
eternity. She leaves us with her final blessing, “I wish you all a long and
happy life.” The reader then can close the book with the sense that he/she has
just learned something wonderful and dear.
Character
Major
Characters
Susie Salmon
She is the
main character and narrator of the novel, the young girl who has been raped and
murdered. She tells us everything she sees happen to her family for eight years
after her death.
George
Harvey
This is
the man who murdered Susie. The reader sees through Susie’s eyes all the events
in his life, including the murders he committed and the childhood that molded
him into a murderer.
Jack Salmon
He is
Susie’s father; his undying love and devotion for her is examined by Susie and
the reader in detail.
Abigail
Salmon
She is
Susie’s mother, who cannot face Susie’s death and yearns for a different life
than the one she was dealt.
Lindsey
Salmon
She is
Susie’s sister, who faces Susie’s death with a silent, but stalwart wall of
grief. Susie follows her life more closely than the other members of her
family.
Buckley
Salmon
He is
Susie’s little brother, who after her death, sees her and talks to her.
Ray Singh
He is the
boy who gives Susie her first kiss before she dies and after she dies, makes love
to her through the miracle of Ruth Connors’ body.
Ruth Connors
She is the
girl in Susie’s class who becomes obsessed with seeing her and knowing her
after her death and who looks to help girls and women who were murdered or who
might be murdered.
Len Fenerman
He is the
detective who investigates Susie’s death. He falls in love with her mother,
because he needs someone to help him come to terms with the suicide of his wife
and all the deaths that remain unsolved.
Ruana Singh
She is
Ray’s mother, who has been all but abandoned by her ambitious husband. She,
too, must come to terms with living her life alone. Hers is a kind of grieving
process as well.
Samuel
Heckler
Lindsey’s
boyfriend and future husband, he helps her by filling the void left by Susie’s
death and the loss of her mother.
Minor Characters
Grandma Lynn
She is
Susie’s grandmother, her mother’s mother, who provides support for the family
after Abigail leaves.
Hal Heckler
He is
Samuel’s brother and runs a motorcycle shop where Susie will make love to Ray
Singh. He also provides support for the family and uses a biker’s network to
help track down George Harvey.
Nate
He is
Buckley’s friend. He can’t see Susie even though Buckley can.
Clarissa
She is
Susie’s friend whom Jack attacks in the cornfield, believing she’s George
Harvey.
Brian Wilson
He is the
young man of questionable morals who beats up Jack Salmon for attacking
Clarissa in the cornfield.
Mr. Botte
He is
Susie’s science teacher. His own daughter dies of leukemia and this encourages
him to also never forget Susie.
Holly
She is
Susie’s roommate in Heaven. She plays the saxophone at Eventide.
Mrs.
Utemeyer
She plays
the violin at Eventide and was an old lady on Earth who saw her own daughter,
Natalie, in Lindsey’s blonde hair. She is the first dead body Lindsey and Susie
ever see.
Franny
She is
Susie’s “Intake Counselor.” Her job is to help Susie’s soul find release from
Earth.
Holiday
He is
Susie’s dog who finally meets up with her in her Heaven.
Harvey’s
Victims
They are
the various girls and women whom Susie sees both in Heaven and on Earth. Ruth
often sees them as well.
Mr. O’Dwyer
He is the
ne ighbor who sings Irish ballads both at the first anniversary remembrance for
Susie and in her memories of summer nights when she was still alive.
The
Fergusons
They are
the couple who charge fees for dumping large items into the sinkhole. Mrs.
Ferguson accepts the safe that holds Susie’s body for a fee of $20.
Setting
The novel, The Lovely Bones, is
set mainly in a small town near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1973 to 1981.
There are also minor settings in New Hampshire and California.
CONFLICT
Protagonist
The
protagonist of a story is the main character who traditionally undergoes some
sort of change. He or she must usually overcome some opposing force. Susie is
the protagonist of The Lovely Bones. She presents her story as the
narrator and observer of how life changes in a family where a murder takes
place. She gives us a deep understanding of each member of her family and how
they endure the grieving process. She is forever a 14 year-old girl and so,
even though she can analyze what happens to those she loves, she has a
difficult time accepting her own death and moving on to her “wide, wide
Heaven.”
Antagonist
The
antagonist of a story is the force that provides an obstacle for the
protagonist. The antagonist does not always have to be a single character or
even a character at all.
On
the surface, the antagonist is Mr. Harvey. After all, he is a serial killer
with deep emotional problems. He is a danger to any young girl or woman whom he
seeks to “free from her horrible life.” However, another antagonist lies much
deeper: grief and the guilt that partners with it. The Salmon family is not so
much in a battle against the murderer of their daughter and sister. In fact,
they are at war with themselves and each other as they try to come to terms
with the tragedy that has befallen their family. This war lasts eight years,
until all involved have experienced every step of their grief, including Susie.
Climax
The
climax of a plot is the major turning point that allows the protagonist to
resolve the conflict. This moment occurs when Susie has her greatest wish
fulfilled: she makes love with Ray Singh through the miracle of entering Ruth’s
body. This allows her to “grow up” and so enter the Heaven where she truly
belongs.
Outcome
The
outcome is the final resolution of the story or the denouement. In the end,
every family member has accepted his or her way of grieving for Susie and cut
the cord that binds him or her to Susie, cords that keep Susie bound to Earth.
They move on with their lives and Susie accepts her own death
Kinds of the novel
Mysterious story.
Moral
Value
-
Be positive
thinking to judge someone.
1 komentar:
1xbet - No 1xbet Casino | Live dealer casino online
1xbet งานออนไลน์ is a reliable casino site that offers a 1xbet app great casino games from the best www.jtmhub.com software providers for the regulated gambling markets. Rating: 8/10 · poormansguidetocasinogambling.com Review by a Tripadvisor kadangpintar user · Free · Sports
Posting Komentar