Analysis

Each individual in the world comes to a time in their life when they lose a loved one. Whether it's a grandmother, father, sister or friend, we each can relate to how the loss of a loved one can impact our lives. In the novel The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, the author provides many examples of how grief is depressing, but a necessary process in order to move on. Sebold uses the characters, Lindsey, Abigail, and Jack to demonstrate how they each go through the processes of grief to help them return to a healthy lifestyle again.

Susie's sister, Lindsey, carries all the responsibility of keeping her family together. She is the strongest one in the family yet, still suffers from burdens that have been cast upon her. When Susie passes away, Lindsey deals with the loss of her happiness and love. When the reader examines Lindsey, she seems alone and angry. When Lindsey’s teacher apologizes to her for her sister’s loss, Lindsey responds back with, “I wasn't aware I had lost anything.” This shows the reader Lindsey still isn't ready to face the acceptance of her sisters passing and still needs time to accept what has happened. As Lindsey goes on in the book, she starts to create self-vs.-self conflict. She wants to move on from Susie’s death, but cannot because she blames herself for her murder and starts to feel like it should’ve been her who died instead of Susie. As Lindsey goes on in the book, she also starts to grow into depression where every time she looks at herself, she only sees Susie. This forces her to have a more difficult of time moving on. Although she tries to live life by acting as if she has lost no one, Susie continues to remind her that she is dead every time Susie appears in the mirror, causing Lindsey to have no choice, but to face her sister’s death. Lindsey later learns to accept that her sister is gone and that she will have to grieve in order to heal. Once Lindsey grieves, she is able to forgive her herself and accept the loss of her sister.

            The author’s primary goal of Lindsey’s character is to establish the concept that if people continuously try to avoid their emotions instead of deal with them, they will eventually lash out as a result of stress and depression. The traumatic event of a loved one’s death usually results with built up emotions of sorrow and sadness. Her family is willing to go through the grieving process with Lindsey, but she refuses to show anyone any type of emotion. What Lindsey fails to realize is that grievance of a loved one is inevitable. Whether or not one tries to push it away, it will catch up to them. It is better to go through the process now rather than suffer for an even longer amount of time.

Susie's mother, Abigail, is very unhappy in the book. When Abigail finds out that her daughter has passed, she automatically turns to denial. Even when detective Len Fenermen leads her to the evidence that Susie has passed away. Abigail still has a hard time facing the fact she will never get to see her daughter again. Therefore, she starts to abandon herself from the family. Abigail leaves the family for eight years and has an affair with detective Len Fenermen to forget about everything at home. When a few years go by Abigail is asked to go to Susie’s memorial service, but she responds negatively by saying “We’ve had the memorial, that’s done for me.” Sooner than later, Abigail realizes she needs her family more than anything during her healing process. When she admits to Jack, “I never realized how much I needed you through this.. I think coming back home was for the best.” Abigail finally comes to the conclusion that in order for her to heal, she needs to reunite with her family again and together, they will accept Susie's death.

The author is able to show through Abigail that being told something one does not want to hear can be tough, but the only way to deal with the information is to make the effort to accept it. Families that encounter these types of tragedies have to be ready to face life and create a whole new life style to move on. This can only be done through the use of love, acceptance, and patience between one another.

When Susie passes away, unlike the rest of the characters, Jack, Susie’s father, actually grieves and takes her death the hardest. When evidence pointed that Susie salmon was dead jack was in denial. As pain started to proceed in jack he had to face the truth. Where he becomes obsessed with Susie's murder and tries every way possible to find her body and killer. Even when detective Len Fenermen gives up on the case, Jack still maintains hope. In every way possible Jack shows determination. Even when he knows deep down who killed his daughter he still find several way to contact the police to keep this case going. However, as time goes on Susie helps her father solve the case through the “in-between world,” and the love Jack has for Susie helps him process his grief and heals him again. Where Jack then realizes the love he has for his daughter is more important. Just by letting go does not mean that he will have to forget about her forever.

Therefore, the author wants the reader to learn the importance of Jack’s determination to find Susie’s killer. The love that Jack provides toward his daughter allows him to be more accepting and understanding than the other two characters. Jack was able to create a character that showed grief in the beginning but when his daughter was able to help him solve the case he grew to heal. Where this gives the reader to never give up in any circumstances or battle, the best thing to do is move on and be more accepting.

Sebold proves that each character has a different way of coping with Susie’s death. She shows the audience realistic events that take place in the real world. Even with the novel being a fantasy book, we can see that at some point in our lives we all have or will go through the same process Susie's family went through to understand gain acceptance of a loved one’s death. Given all the processes Sebold wants the reader to learn the most important one is grief. The only ways to grow is to heal and grieve to get person out of depression, anger, and denial to move on. Sebold shows the value of family can fall apart with a tragedy of a loved one, but the way to get things to fall back into place is through love and happiness to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Work Cited 

Sebold, Alice. The Lovely Bones. United States: Little, Brown & Company, 2002. Print.

Question and Answer

Individuals who prepare to graduate high school typically wonder if higher education is worth pursuing. The decision can only be made based on the mindset and goals one may have. Some students decide that it’s better to go straight out of high school and enter the workforce; whereas others feel it’s best to graduate high school and go to college. Over time, research has shown that college is more valuable than the work experience is. People who attend college right after high school stay focused and keep their momentum going to reach their goals. People who enter college right after high school benefit from the experience of the new environment, more money, and better skills for the future.

High school graduates who start working immediately after high school typically find making money more beneficial. Getting a job right after high school can average an income of about $31,286 per year (Billitteri; graph). This means, with the income made each year without a college degree, people would still be able to survive and pay their bills living on their own. People who start working right after high school may argue that they will stay debt free. People who go straight into the workforce have the opportunity to save money to go to college at later time, if they choose; whereas people who attend college right out of high school may not have money saved up and can accumulate debt from school loans. A college education is not the only place a person had to go to get a high paying job. Some people have a family who owns their own business, which may give them the advantage to get a job more quickly and earn a higher position making enough money without needing a college education. Most people don't have that advantage which is why most people find it beneficial to go to college.

Although people can argue that there are benefits of not going to college right after high school, there are actually some disadvantages. People who don't go to college typically forget what they have learned in their years of high school and end up losing their study habits. This can be a problem if they ever want to attend college later they might be placed in a developmental class with people who have a hard time understanding content previously learned. Also, people who don't go to college have more responsibilities. Younger people who go to college have the opportunity to have freedom because they usually do not have any children of their own. While people who choose to focus on work typically have to take care of their family and work to take care of all the bills. A person who is a high school graduate entering the work field right after high school on average can only make around $31,286 per year, while a person who has a Bachelor's degree earns about $57,181 (Billitteri). Based on these numbers it is clear that people who go to college earn 83% more having a bachelor’s degree rather than only a high school diploma (Billitteri). The cost of college may seem like a problem, but college gives a better chance to earn more over time, pay back loan debt quickly, and live a successful life.

College provides a whole different environment than one who graduates high school and goes into the workforce. People who enter college have the opportunity to gain internships at the college to train for the field of their desire. They gain experience and learn what their interest is for that specific field. Whereas the people who graduate high school go into a job for the money and become unfamiliar of the work field they are entering. Also, college students get to interact with a different culture of people. Most students who enter college have to live with someone they have never met before. Giving them the chance to interact and meet people that will get them out of their comfort zone. While someone who enters the workforce after high school is stuck with people they know and are comfortable with. Where this becomes a problem for their future because most jobs require people to be social and reach out to others.  People who attend college also benefit from having to worry about working and making money to survive. College students usually have their finances set in their tuition each year to cover the expenses of living. Where a person who works after high school has to deal with how they are going to afford groceries, utilities and rent with a two week paycheck. College becomes beneficial for people who experience a new environment because this gives them the chance to adapt more quickly than someone who enters work right after high school.

 Education holds a lot of value today. In the past, higher education was only for people who were smart and could afford it. Now, it is available for all. If someone is using the expenses of college as a reason not to attend, that reason ends here. A community college is very affordable for people who may not be able to afford a university. A public two year college averaged $2,544 in 2009-2010 (Billitteri,chart), which can be covered by the help of financial aid, Pell grants, and scholarships. Even people who want to get their associate's degree can stay debt free and earn $3,852 per year more than a high school graduate (Billitteri,Thomas)(chart). Although that may not seem like much, people who hold a college degree are able to use that to their advantage. When someone seeks to further their education, it gives them the opportunity for a better job choice. Higher education expands their minds which develops more skills to get them the job of their dreams.

With higher education, graduates gain specialized skills that will help them in the future to get a job, skills they may not learn in the work place. In college, students learn how to write, work in groups, and multitask. Students who enter college learn the importance of communication. In colleges people have to learn how to write effectively by writing their own papers and checking for their own grammatical  mistakes. Students in college have to learn how to correct their own grammar, use good vocabulary and understand the structure of proficient writing. Where in contrast, high school teachers provide all the help by having students submit rough drafts and correcting it for them. Also college helps students become leaders. In college students are able to work in groups to see things in different perspectives. In College Students work with people they don’t know, which helps them build relationships with each other. Whereas in high school teachers allow students to choose their own groups which prevents them from meeting different people. Showing that college students will be collaborating more than high school students who enter the workforce. Multi-tasking is also vital for the future and higher education. College provides skills to learn how to manage time wisely and study, work and still maintain a social life. Whereas high school only provides the basic skills needed for a job, such as learning how to be organized, responsible, and focus on school. High school teachers only help you apply yourself to a classroom, which is a disadvantage for the people who go straight to the workforce out of high school because they rarely get to encounter these skills. If a person masters all these skills, they can stand out from others who compete for the same position or promotion they want.

College may not be for everyone, but it is very valuable when it comes down to learning new skills, gaining better employment, and earning more money. People who graduate high school and go to college have the opportunity to succeed further than someone who just works with a high school diploma.  People who hold a degree have the chance to get a better job. With the years devoted into college, graduates can show employers that they have the dedication and experience to begin working in their career. Taking me for an example; I decided to attend a two year community college right after high school to further my education. I will be debt free my first two years and will transfer to a university using grants and scholarships to further my education. Therefore, this being the right choice for me I believe it’s best to go to college rather than getting a job right after high school.

Work Cited

Billitteri, Thomas J. “The Value of a College Education.” CQ Researcher 20 Nov. 2009: 981-1004. Web. 23 Oct. 2013

Carlson, Scott. “How To Assess The Real Payoff Of A College Degree.” Chronicle Of Higher Education 59.33 (2013): A26. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.