Dealing With Grief In The Lovely BonesEssay Preview: Dealing With Grief In The Lovely BonesReport this essayThe characters in Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones are faced with the difficult task of overcoming the loss of Susie, their daughter and sister. Jack, Abigail, Buckley, and Lindsey each deal with the loss differently. However, it is Susie who has the most difficulty accepting the loss of her own life. Several psychologists separate the grieving process into two main categories: intuitive and instrumental grievers. Intuitive grievers communicate their emotional distress and “experience, express, and adapt to grief on a very affective level” (Doka, par. 27). Instrumental grievers focus their attention towards an activity, whether it is into work or into a hobby, usually relating to the loss (Doka par. 28). Although each character deals with their grief differently, there is one common denominator: the reaction of one affects all.
Jack Salmon, Susie’s father, is most vocal about his sorrow for losing his daughter. However, his initial reaction was much different. Upon hearing that Susie’s ski hat had been found, he immediately retreats upstairs because “he [is] too devastated to reach out to [Abigail] sitting on the carpet…he could not let [her] see him” (Sebold 32). Jack retreats initially because he did not know what to do or say to console his family and he did not want them to see him upset. This first reaction, although it is small, is the first indicator of the marital problems to come. After recovering from the initial shock, Jack decides that he must bring justice for his daughter’s sake and allows this goal to completely engulf his life. He is both an intuitive and instrumental griever, experiencing outbursts of uncontrolled emotions then channeling that emotion into capturing the killer. He focuses his efforts in such an extreme way that he does not allow anyone to get in his way, not even his wife or the law. He uses his need to find Susie’s killer as a way to keep his mind off the fact that she is no longer with him, believing that if he finds the killer he may find Susie. He has difficulties recognizing when to express emotions, causing his family members to continually feel like he is not emotionally present. His constant guilt for not being able to save his daughter causes him to withdraw from his family. Although he keeps himself busy, Jack still becomes overcome with grief at times, leading him to break the bottled ships that he and Susie worked on. He also attempts to replace the emptiness by developing a relationship with Lindsey. Jack tries to make up for the absence of Lindsey’s mother by helping her learn to shave, although the subject is quickly changed to Susie. Jack’s determination to catch the killer clouds his sense of parental judgment as he encourages Lindsey to break into Mr. Harvey’s house. This instance shows how lost and out of touch with reality he has become. His grief also prevents him from developing a strong relationship with his son, Buckley, who constantly feels overshadowed by his older sister’s death. His severe reactions greatly affect the relationships he still has, driving his wife away and forcing Lindsey to grow up prematurely. By holding so tightly to his memories with Susie, he fails to create new, happy memories with his two children.
Abigail Salmon’s emotional journey is comparable to a roller coaster. She is both an intuitive and instrumental griever. She initially screams and cries openly but soon becomes numb to her surroundings and distant. Instead of reuniting and supporting her family, she turns away and finds herself unable to be happy while doing her duties as a household wife. She dreams of immolation, which symbolizes her desire to be set free from the constraints placed on her by her loss and also for her wish to die in place of Susie. Because Susie was her first born child, Susie was the reason that Abigail had settled into a motherly role. Upon her death, Abigail feels freed from this duty but is also unaware as to who she is as a person. In an unsuccessful attempt to find herself, she has an affair with Len Fenerman. She realizes that she must get away from her family and moves to California, where she moves into the instrumental phase of grieving. She only goes through the motions at work and does not develop emotionally while away. It is when she arrives back with her family that Abigail finally begins to grieve and connect with her family again. Although Abigail’s actions affect each family member, Buckley is the only one reluctant to accept her back into their family so quickly. Buckley’s resistance causes Abigail to realize everything she had missed.
Despite Buckley’s young age when Susie first disappeared, his life is greatly affected by the loss. He is extremely angry and resentful towards his parents. Buckley feels that his relationship with his father is shadowed by his inability to move past the loss of Susie. The tension between them peaks when Jack tells Buckley he cannot use Susie’s old clothes in his garden, but it is not simply about the garden. The garden is symbolic of new life and growth in the future and Susie’s shirts symbolize her existence. Although Susie’s clothes would no longer be intact, they would become part of the garden, just as Susie will always be part of the family even though she is no longer with them. This scene is also important for Jack and Buckley’s relationship because Buckley finally tells his father how isolated he feels. Abigail and Buckley’s relationship, on the other hand, is not so easily patched. Buckley is bitter that his mother missed so many important events in his life. The distance between them is shown by his mother being unaware that he was no longer called Buckley, but “Buck” instead.
Lindsey, Susie’s sister, is an instrumental griever. She grieves very methodically and very rarely allows her emotions to get the best of her. Although she does not openly express her grief, she vents by concentrating on schoolwork. She is forced to take the place of her mother for her father and Buckley and struggles to find an identity separate from Susie. Aware that everyone sees Susie in her face, Lindsey becomes self conscious and showers in the dark. In an attempt to distinguish herself from her sister, Lindsey breaks into Mr. Harvey’s house to look for evidence. This creates a bond between her and her father and separates her mother from the rest of the family. Here, Abigail realizes she is the outsider. Grandma Lynn sees Lindsey is struffling with her identity and gives her a makeover. Even
MвРappears in her mind and says, “I am not what I used to be…I am not what myself is. And we all live in darkness, a dark world that is mine.”
In the original Nightmare on Elm Street, Lindsey is a powerful, capable, and loving father, whom she respects like a brother. She has no qualms about accepting any responsibilities in life except to bear children, to protect them from harm, and to protect all of their children. Although many of the children show signs of grief, Lindsey is always looking out for her family and the most loved ones that are there.
During the events of the story, you may know that Lindsey is a character from the “Family in the Home” episode on which her sister is played by an actress.
At the end of the story, Lindsey is shown having been born in the mid-19th century. She is dressed in a white suit, a black tie, and black-and-white shoes.
In the final part of the game, it is revealed that Lindsey doesn’t really get involved with the family while she does get over a love life. Instead, she does go to the hospital to treat Miss Kelly, who is still alive thanks to a hand transplant from Lindsey when she was born. This also suggests that she does not always get involved with the family. Though it seems to have something to do with how Lindsey is raised by her sisters, this does not make sense.
Sylvia is an integral component of our story. She was taken over by Mrs., who was then replaced by Lady, the sister of the deceased daughter of the late President of the United States. It is not clear if she does care for Lindsey as much as she would if her mother was dead. Lindsey is only able to support herself through the experience, but she is never entirely ready to be a part of whatever new adventure the family is on.
One of the biggest things Lindsey does in the game is try to get over the sadness of losing what she had when she lost her father to cancer. She is able to help the mother and brother, and she wants the children to love her. It is not an easy endeavor.
Lindsey is a very important figure in this story. Though she has to deal with what makes her feel like a lost family member, her main role is not really there. She does help with the family after their family is sold by some unscrupulous financial brokers to a woman named Dr. Lindsey. Dr. Lindsey is responsible for the survival of the family. She would have been very sad to lose her family in the first place. Lindsey has come a long way in terms of personal knowledge, and as a mother, she understands that loss means a lot to her. It is not surprising that the loss has caused so much sadness in the house, but that doesn’t explain her loss of perspective.
Lindsey is a good mother, but she is also very caring. Despite being too old for her, she does provide a lot of advice for the