Steps Towards Heaven

 

In Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones, she utilizes symbolism to reveal Susie’s thoughts and feelings. These symbols also foreshadow the future, by representing Susie hope and anger. Through these quotes, Susie’s character is fully understood.

The first quote that I found was significant to The Lovely Bones is:

            ‘If you stop asking why you were killed instead of someone else, stop
            investigating the vacuum left by your loss, stop wondering what everyone
            left on Earth is feeling,’ she said, ‘ you can be free. Simply put, you have to
            give up on Earth’ This seemed impossible to me (Sebold 120).
This quote reveals that Susie is still really attached to Earth and is still having troubles accepting her death. She is unable to leave her family once and for all, which shows how difficult it is to cut off all of one’s feelings for loved ones. Even though Susie wants to truly live in heaven, she is not willing to give up her ability of watching life on Earth. She is at the stage where she does not belong on Earth, nor does she belong in heaven. This reflects her feelings as well. She has accepted her death, but she still cannot bear to end her ties with her family on Earth. She is still not ready to allow herself to cross the border into the place she belongs, heaven.  In heaven, Susie can live in an environment of her choosing and be happy, but instead, she chooses to desperately deal with her death along with her father, her mother, her sister, and her friends. At this point, Susie feels that it is impossible for her to move on in her after-life because she is unable to stop questioning the past, and leaving her family spiritually.

The second quote that I believe is really important to the novel is "'How to Commit the Perfect Murder' was an old game in heaven. I always chose the icicle: the weapon melts away" (Sebold 125). This quote reveals a lot about Susie's character because by choosing an icicle as her weapon, her kindness is shown. It is also very interesting that Susie chooses an icicle as her weapon because when icicles are hard, they are considered a dangerous weapon, but once it melts, it is no longer a threat, but just a puddle of water. The icicle also symbolizes Susie's purity and innocence because water is considered pure. Instead of focusing on revenge and becoming an angry person after her murder, she wishes that murder incidents can melt away like icicles, and evaporate. Unlike water that is easily polluted, Susie does not become contaminated by her murder, by turning into a vengeful person. The icicle melting away also reveals that Susie could possibly forgive Mr. Harvey in the future, and her hatred for him will melt away as time passes.

This third quote is also significant to the novel because it clearly illustrates Susie's personality by revealing her love for her father:

I wanted my father's vigil, his tight love for me. But also I wanted him to

Go away and leave me be. I was granted one weak grace. Back in the room

where the green chair was still warm from his body, I blew that lonely,

flickering candle out (Sebold 140).

This quote reveals that Susie is not one bit selfish. Even though it kills her to let go of her father, she still wishes that her father will give up, and not search for her murderer anymore. Susie understands that this is the best for her father, because if he searches further, he could possibly get hurt emotionally, and physically. Susie knows that his father is slowly dying inside because he is unable to prove that Mr. Harvey is the one who murdered his daughter. Susie knows that everyone wants her father to move on with his life. She is also aware that the hole in her father’s heart will never fully heal, but she does wish that he will be able to let go, and continue on with his life. There is also symbolism in this quote. The lonely, flickering candle that Susie blows out symbolizes his father's hope and determination. His hope and determination is slowly dying away, just like how Susie is slowly leaving their lives. Everyone is starting to accept her death, and Susie wants her father to feel the same way, so he will not be in constant pain. Even her mother is starting to let go and accept reality. The action of Susie blowing out the candle symbolizes her letting go and maybe possibly forgiving her murderer. Also, Susie once said that it is impossible for her to say goodbye to her family in order to get to heaven, but her blowing out the candle is her first step towards heaven.

In conclusion, Susie’s personality and her love for her family are translated through these three quotes. She is slowly letting go and is realizing that she no longer belongs on Earth. One step at a time, she is making her way towards heaven, and leaving the realm between Earth and heaven behind.