The Lovely Bones Essay Example

The Lovely Bones Paper Novel text: The lovely bones A study of the writing techniques Sebold uses to engage with the readers. Focus on: 1. Narrative style -1st Person Narrative -Tone -Imagery 2. Use of Flashbacks 3. Symbols 4. Names of characters Themes: ? Death ? Grief ? Healing ? Loss of innocence ? Isolation /Ostracism ? Family relationships -coping with loss and change Study of Techniques 1. 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. â€Å"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 w e 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. -â€Å"fitting my limbs together†-p8 -â€Å"he had put me in a waxy cloth sack†¦tumbled together with my knees fingers and toes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  -p50 -â€Å"town of floating graves† p182 USE OF FLASHBACKS -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 and our sympathy for Mr. Harvey. sinkhole p51 -Technique of contrast -contrast present sadness of her life with youthful happiness of her stolen past. To understand characters contrast them before and after Susie’s death -we see them deal with death, loss grief in different ways. Jack Salmon Many memories of him being perfect father, p7, p51 then we see him deteriorate to a broken man carrying the guilt of not being there for Susie when she needed him p58 Contrast of happy memories with Abigail strong marriage to breakdown of marriage due to Susie’s death. Mr. Harvey -Even as the villain, flashbacks are used to conjure sympathy for Mr. Harvey. They are used to expose his disturbing/traumatic childhood and force the reader to see him as once innocent and more human. p188- 189, p97 With these flashbacks we must consider Mr. Harvey as a victim and his own inability to deal with loss and grief, (like Jack Salmon they both ostracize themselves from society). 3. SYMBOLS There is much symbolism within the text just a few to consider: To symbolise theme of healing and loss Salmon family must accept Susie’s death and find a new support structure amongst themselves. We will write a custom essay sample on The Lovely Bones specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Lovely Bones specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Lovely Bones specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The charm keystone represents the support structure of a bridge that everything depends on to remain standing Susie is who tied the family together she was the keystone to the Salmon family, once charm is taken by Mr. Harvey, the Salmon family’s support network breaks down -they must build a new support network amongst themselves. Susie’s broken bones symbolize Salmon’s broken family structure -as Susie is in heaven piecing together her bones the Salmon family must gather together and form a new structure to find closure to their grief. once all characters heal, build new family structure by end of book -â€Å"these were the lovely bones that had grown in my absence† p320 Water rain and showers The symbolic washing away of pain and finding closure to their pain -Lindsey runs home in the rain -finally she is able to close the open wound of her sister’s death p 242 -Susie makes love to Ray in the shower-it was one of the last things she does before she is reconciled to the fact that she no longer is needed on earth and she can retire to heaven, her healing is complete p278 -it rains when Jack and Abigail reunite in the hospital, and rekindle their marriage, they have both dealt with Susie’s death differently and are healed. NAMES OF CHARACTERS Susie Salmon -shortened name -establishes notion of familiarity between reader and Susie -creates intimacy. It is an endearing, cute, can be connected with innocence and purity. The name highlights her age and how Susie will never grow up = sympathy. Established from very outset of book, therefore relationship established from outset -no change. Lindsey Salmon -Name never changes, it is resolute, tough, constant -like Lindsey. As the name cannot be shortened or changed, neither can the events that have taken place in her life she must learn to deal with them. Abigail Salmon -throughout the novel she undergoes an identity crisis -Susie’s death raises questions about Abigail’s identity -her name thus changes a number of times to reflect this. She is ‘Mom’, ‘Abigail’ and at one point completely nameless when she is the most confused about her actions. P42, 152, 62 For Abigail, when there is a change of name there is a change in her character. Mr. Harvey Susie refers to him as Mr. Harvey -irony as he does not deserve the title and respect. Also creates distance between him and character -reinforces his ostracism. Name is simple -contrasts to his complicated life. Name is generic anyone could be a murderer, he camouflages himself in the disguise of a generic name. Only referred to as George Harvey by Len Fernmen and in childhood flashbacks supposed to show human side to him, see him as a victim to Jack’s â€Å"mad’ accusations and sad childhood. The Lovely Bones Essay Example The Lovely Bones Paper How does Sebold use representations of speech and other literary techniques to portray the character of Grandma Lynn in the following extract and in one other extract in the novel? In The Lovely Bones, Grandma Lynn plays a key role in reconnecting the Salmon family following Susie’s death. Throughout the novel, Sebold and uses a variety of different literary techniques to portray her character to the reader. The extract is the scene where Lynn is first introduced, which Sebold uses to give a first impression of Lynn as a character, and the other extract I shall be looking at is where Sebold develops Lynn’s relationship with Lindsey, where she helps her find an outfit from Susie’s wardrobe. Sebold uses Lynn to change the mood of the family, Lynn is shown to use colloquial language when talking to her family. Lynn says that she will â€Å"just run out to the front hall and get my bag o’ magic†, the â€Å"bag o’ magic† referring to her make-up bag. We will write a custom essay sample on The Lovely Bones specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Lovely Bones specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Lovely Bones specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This colloquial term provokes humour in the family, and the â€Å"o’† is a reference to an Irish dialect. Sebold shows the reader that she changes the atmosphere within the family. In contrast to this, in the other extract she tells Lindsey that Abigail is â€Å"a wreck†, as if provoking Lindsey into conversation. Sebold uses to show the reader that as well as making a scene relaxed and humorous, she also is able to use colloquial language to talk about difficult, sensitive issues with the family. Lynn is characterised by Sebold through her excessive vanity, obsessed with the idea of beauty she does not reply to Abigail’s comment regarding her looks and immediately jumps into conversation regarding Jack and his suspicions. Later in this scene she then pressurises Abigail into letting her â€Å"do a makeover†, and when Lindsey asks Lynn to teach her about makeup, Sebold shows Lynn to be rejoiced about this by saying â€Å"My God in heaven, praise the Lord, yes! †. The use of exclamatives emphasises her vanity, as the reader can see her excitement in being able to teach her granddaughter about makeup. This also shows the reader the relationship she has with her family – her daughter is reluctant to let her get anywhere near her with â€Å"those instruments of torture†, which indicates that it may have happened to her previously with disastrous consequences, however her granddaughter is willing to do undergo this, to encourage Lindsey’s transformation from a teenager into a woman. This is reiterated when Lynn helps Susie find an outfit, where Lynn attempts to find Susie a â€Å"nice outfit† from her wardrobe. The idea of looks and appearance begins to rub off on Lindsey, who says that she â€Å"needs to look pretty†, an ideology closely followed by Lynn. Sebold also shows Lynn to be a frequent drinker, with her dependence on alcohol shown throughout the novel. As soon as she is introduced she is shown to drink excessively as she says â€Å"no one has to tell me where the liquor is! † The use of exclamatives in this sentence emphasises the idea that she has visited the Salmon family before, and that she drank excessively then. This can be seen as an ‘inside joke’ between the family. However, Sebold emphasises the point that she is dependent when she says to Jack â€Å"we need some stiff drinks†. The pronoun â€Å"we† is used to draw the attention away from herself, to make it look like she isn’t the only one who wants a drink. Lynn’s lexical choices also enhance her alcoholism, as Sebold uses the adjective â€Å"stiff† to describe how she wants the drinks to be strong, to help cope with the memorial. Sebold portrays Lynn as a very dominant character through the relationships she has with her family. When talking to others she controls the conversation through the use of interrogatives and through this is able to bring up sensitive areas with the family. She asks Abigail â€Å"how is he? † when Jack has left the room, and when he returns quickly drops conversation with â€Å"but†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This ellipsis shows the reader how, although dominative, she is also sensitive to her family and does not want to upset anybody. This is shown again in the other extract where Lynn tells Lindsey â€Å"You are pretty†, which shocks both Lindsey and Susie as Lynn rarely gives out compliments. Lynn is shown to be a very caring member of the family, despite being somewhat flawed, and the way that she impacts upon the family after she has arrived shows that she plays a key role in the novel. Through her use of colloquial language, Sebold shows us that she is able to change the atmosphere of each scene, from humorous to very serious, and the varied sentence structures that Sebold uses portrays Lynn’s views and opinions, and structures her character.