Emily P.
Mrs. Zurkowski
English 1 Greens
January 12, 2011
Character Sketch Essay
Susie Salmon is a fourteen year old girl who is just like any other teenager except for one thing… she’s dead. In the book, “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold, Susie Salmon was murdered on the afternoon of December 6, 1973 by her neighbor George Harvey. In the beginning, it is hard for Susie to accept her new ‘life’, but eventually she makes the right decision for herself. Susie must learn to leave her family behind and move on. There are many different events in the book that cause Susie to think about moving on, or make her more willing to leave her family. She sees both good and bad things happen to her family because of her death, and this is why it is difficult for Susie to make this decision for not only herself, but also her friends and family. Hopefully she will see that everything is fine and learn that her family will never forget her. Susie’s view of death changes many times in the story until she realizes that she can leave her family and move on to her new eternal life in Heaven.
Susie changes the first time when her sister Lindsey and her boyfriend Samuel decide to get married. Two days after Susie’s murder, Lindsey kissed Samuel and this is when Susie starts to lighten up about her death. Susie knows that her sister is happy so she knows that it will be easier to leave Lindsey because she is safe. Later in the book, Lindsey and Samuel are in a house that they spotted on Route 30 and Samuel tells Lindsey he wants to marry her. When Sam proposes Susie says, “But at that moment I ran around my heaven like… a chicken with its head cut off! I was so happy, I screamed over and over and over again. My sister! My Samuel! My dream!”(241), and as you can see, Susie is so happy about her sister getting married. She feels relief and safety knowing that her sister is with the perfect boy. She begins to think about how she doesn’t need to watch over her sister anymore because she knows that nothing could ever happen to her while she is with Samuel.
Another event that causes Susie to change a little is when her mother comes back after having an affair with another man. It was not just any affair; it was with the lead detective of Susie’s murder. Susie’s mom decides to return back from California because Susie’s father suffered a heart attack. Her mother decides to stay because she realizes how in love she is with Susie’s dad. This brings major relief to Susie because she feels that there is now protection for her twelve year old brother who has been a huge help while his mother was gone. When Susie’s mother returns to the house from the hospital, she walks into Susie’s room and tells her she loves her. After this has happened Susie says, “I had been waiting unknowingly to hear this from my mother (317).” Susie didn’t know it but this was the last major thing that she needed to move on. She always knew that something was holding her back, and she had finally found it. Susie also says, “She had needed the time to know that this love would not destroy her, and I had, I now knew, given her that time, could give it, for it was what I had in great supply (318).” What Susie means by this is that her mother has also learned to move on which makes Susie feel better about leaving her. Altogether, Susie knows that she is getting close to being able to move on and still know that her family is okay with her being gone.
Susie soon grows to understand that she is ready to move on, and she doesn’t have to keep worrying about her family because her murderer has been killed. She also gets a goodbye from the boy that she loved. With everyone in her family ready to move on but not forget, Susie feels like this is what she has been waiting for. When her murderer is killed, she notices that this is the final thing that she needs to feel the readiness to leave. When Susie knows that her sister has moved on, Susie says that her sister Lindsey has left Susie in her memories. This gives Susie much relief. Susie then says a goodbye to all of her loved ones, and all her family says how they will always have a memory of Susie. Once she has moved on, Susie states, “Now I am in the place I call the wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires, but also the most humble and grand. (325)” Susie continues to describe more of her new Heaven, and feels that she has made a good decision to move on. Susie also says, “If I am to be honest with you, I still steak away to watch my family sometimes. I can’t help it, and sometimes they still think of me. They can’t help it. (323)” Susie is just saying that even though she has changed and her family has changed, they still go back to their old ways just to remember each other.
Susie Salmon knew how to move on and knew that her family and close friends would never forget her. She made the right decision to move on and so did her family. Even though they will all remember Susie, they know that it is okay to keep going in life and to stop mourning. The author, Alice Sebold, taught a life lesson in this book. The lesson was to always know when to move on and that the people you love will never forget you. Whether it’s moving away, leaving for college, or leaving forever. You should never have to worry about the people you love because they will move on, but they will always keep a place in their memory for you. And now I end by saying the words of Susie Salmon, “I wish you all a long and happy life. (328)”
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