Theme
Learning to Let Go
One theme of "The Lovely Bones" is learning to let go. One example that points to this is when Susie said, “These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections-sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at a great cost, but often magnificent-that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it” (Sebold 320). Susie learned that beautiful connections and new beginnings happened after she was gone. In the beginning of the novel, Susie could not believe that her life was over on Earth, and she desperately wanted to go back. She watched her family from heaven, and often appeared in the rooms of her family members. Still connected to her life on Earth, at the end of the book, Susie visits Ray in the body of Ruth. He soon realizes that it is not Ruth and that it is Susie. Susie also tried calling her house while she was on Earth, and her brother picked up the phone but heard nothing. When Susie left Earth, she said, "I remembered once, with my parents and Lindsey and Buckley, riding backward on a train into a dark tunnel. That was how it felt to leave earth the second time. The destination somehow inevitable, the sights seen in passing so many times. But this time I was accompanied, not ripped away, and I knew we were taking a long trip to a place very far away" (Sebold 311). Susie had a hard time letting go of the people on Earth, but she found it easier leaving and letting go. |
Never Give Up
Another theme of "The Lovely Bones" is never giving up. In the beginning of the novel, Jack Salmon suspected it was Mr. Harvey that murdered his daughter, and he tried to find evidence that he was guilty throughout the novel. When Lindsey, Len Fenerman, and Jack where talking, Len said they were done investigating the case and said, "I just want you all to know that we've investigated every lead" (Sebold 134). Even though the police were done investigating, Jack still did not give up on arresting Mr. Harvey. Jack told his daughter, Lindsey, to break into Mr. Harvey's house while he was away to find evidence. She found a drawing he made of the structure he killed Susie in. When they showed the police, they still did not think it was enough evidence to arrest him. That did not stop Jack and Lindsey. They still never gave up. One night, Jack saw a flashlight move towards the cornfield; he knew it was Mr. Harvey. He got his bat out of the closet and followed him. If the police were not going to do something about Mr. Harvey, then he would. "First he shut off the porch light they kept on all night for me and that, even though it had been eight months since the police said I would not be found alive, they could not bring themselves to stop leaving on" (Sebold 137). He never stopped believing his daughter was dead, even though the police had found her elbow by the cornfield a dog had brought home. Jack's determination helped him cope with Susie's death.
Another theme of "The Lovely Bones" is never giving up. In the beginning of the novel, Jack Salmon suspected it was Mr. Harvey that murdered his daughter, and he tried to find evidence that he was guilty throughout the novel. When Lindsey, Len Fenerman, and Jack where talking, Len said they were done investigating the case and said, "I just want you all to know that we've investigated every lead" (Sebold 134). Even though the police were done investigating, Jack still did not give up on arresting Mr. Harvey. Jack told his daughter, Lindsey, to break into Mr. Harvey's house while he was away to find evidence. She found a drawing he made of the structure he killed Susie in. When they showed the police, they still did not think it was enough evidence to arrest him. That did not stop Jack and Lindsey. They still never gave up. One night, Jack saw a flashlight move towards the cornfield; he knew it was Mr. Harvey. He got his bat out of the closet and followed him. If the police were not going to do something about Mr. Harvey, then he would. "First he shut off the porch light they kept on all night for me and that, even though it had been eight months since the police said I would not be found alive, they could not bring themselves to stop leaving on" (Sebold 137). He never stopped believing his daughter was dead, even though the police had found her elbow by the cornfield a dog had brought home. Jack's determination helped him cope with Susie's death.
Dandelion Blowing in the Wind. Photograph. n.d. "Partnerships for Renewables." Pfr.co.uk. Web. 04 March 2015. <http://www.pfr.co.uk/saundby/266/About-the-Project/>.
Fist. Weebly Free Photograph.