The Lovely Bones
If this had not been an assignment for a class, I never would have made it past the rape and murder scene. I agree with Christine that it was extremely hard to get through. Because it was required to so, I continued on and am pleased that I did. Sebold handled this subject with as much dignity as she could muster in describing a horrific happening. I thought of the things that are done in movies and television and realize that it could have been much worse. I know that there has been a great deal of controversy surround Dakota Fanning's' role as Susie and can only imagine how horrible Hollywood made the scene. I will not see it, but as disturbing as it was, the book was a worthwhile read.
I finished this book on Monday and have had it in my head since I turned the last page. It is not only the violent way Susie died that haunts me, but the fact that Susie is right. Earth is a place where "there is too much blood" and horrible things happen. The Lovely Bones, for me, was reminiscent of a great novel by Dennis Lehane called Mystic River. While I believe that Lehane's novel is the better of the two, they both deal with the injustice and horror of violence against children and the effect of that it has on families and communities. Having children makes it impossible for me to imagine the grief that a family suffers after experiencing what the Salmons did. I will not allow myself to even go there since the mere idea of it, as a parent, is too terrifying to contemplate. As a parent, we are forced to realize that the danger that faces children is a constant threat to us all.
After struggling through the intense emotions that were played on surrounding the violent nature of the book, I was able to find much more than that in the pages of this novel. Sebold masterfully portrayed to her reader what it is like to be a child and brought to mind the difficulties inherent in growing up in her characters. We see the awkwardness in Ruth, experience bigotry through Ray and the struggle for independence and maturity through Lindsey. Buckley shows us how frustrating it is to find your place in the world and claim it as your own. In creating these characters, Sebold reminded me of what it was like to be young and have so little control over your surroundings. She was able to pull me into the novel on a level that is not easy to achieve as a writer, by reminding me that I too had felt these things and faced the same struggles. In essence, as children we have little to no control over our lives.
In many respects, Susie is the embodiment of all these elements. Her total lack of control is evident in every aspect of the story. As a teenager she longs for and strives for ways to gain control but has it violently stripped from her grasp before she is able to attain her goal. In her final moments she is completely without control and at the mercy of a madman. When we first meet her she tells us that she had contempt for the structured surrounding at school (1). We also learn that her quote in the yearbook deals with that very issue: "If they give you ruled paper, write the other way." She loves photography because with the use of it she can gain power over the people on the other side of the camera, even her parents (240). She is able to stop and preserve whatever moment in time she chooses (212) in an almost Godlike fashion. Even her fascination with the ships in the bottles illustrates her need for control. She relished in the fact that, when the masts were released, the world in the bottle depended solely on her (274).
After her death, her story is a struggle to release the control her murder has had on others. Even though we know, through Fanny, that the path to true peace lies in letting go, we take a journey with Susie to that discovery. Not only had she been trapped inside the earth (12) in death but in the "inbetween", she was still as "trapped" as the penguin "in the perfect world." Only when she was able to relinquish her quest for control was she able to "see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it." (320) and find true peace in letting go and release her family to live the life of the living.
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5 comments:
Nicely written! I enjoyed your blog. I remember reading about Dakota Fanning being in a controversial role, but didn't put two and two together with this book. I had started to read this books months ago and couldn't get past the first couple of chapters. I was glad to be "forced" to sit down and read it cover to cover. While it isn't my favorite, I think it will be one that sticks with me awhile.
This book is constantly on my mind since finishing it. Although I read it a few years ago it has touched me differently this time for some reason. It is disturbing yet you or at least I could not put it down. You want Mr. Harvey to get caught but then realize this would be too easy. Really through the whole experience who you realize what grace the family had to continue on with their lives even though it seemed impossible at times. Good post!
It's hard to forget, isn't it. I highly recommend Lehanes Mystic River. It is somewhat like this but so worth the pain it takes to read it.
I agree with your comment about children having such little control over their lives. As an elementary school teacher, I see parents view school as a dumping ground to get the kids out of the house and out of their way, I see kids who are growing up in terrible situations, and I also see the beauty of a child who is able to be successful despite those around him. I think often times people forget how influential an adult can be in a child's life, and how much control they really do have. I think Susie, Buckley and Lindsey do what they can to take control over their own grief, but they look so much to their father over the course of the entire book.
Hi Barbara,
I would like to see if the movie will do justice to the book. This book was hard to read, but it is something that is a reality in our world. I was able to see the many stuggles that each family member went through. The need for independence with Lindsay, Abigail leaving her family and having an affair. Mr. Salmon struggling with not being able to do anything about his daughter's murder. So many struggling patterns was seen in this book. We have so many people in our society that are sick and they often look very normal. I could relate very well since my son was murdered also.
I enjoyed reading you post.
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