Structure Analysis
Through out the novel The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold used a numerous amount of structure, such as flashbacks, foreshadowing,chronological order, description, and dialogue.
Chapters 1-4
The author Alice Sebold had one specific flashback in this first section of her novel, "My dad likes to tell the story of once LIndsey was born, I was so jealous that one day while he was on the phone in the other room, I moved down the couch-he could see me from where he stood-and tried to pee on top of Lindsey in her carrier" (Sebold 7), this is a flashback to when Susie was younger. Other flashbacks include "Hours before I died, my mother hung on the refrigerator a picture that Buckley had drawn. In the drawing a thick blue line separated the air and the ground..." (Sebold 34). and "One morning on my eleventh birthday I had woken up very early. No one else was up, or so I thought. I crept downstairs and looked into the dinning room, where I assumed my presents would be... " (Sebold 42)
Another form of structure, found in the first section of the novel The Lovely Bones is chronological order. Some examples such as "On the morning of December seventh... " (Sebold 37) or "... On December twelfth, the police found my notes from Mr. Botte"s class..." (Sebold 25).
Chapters 5-9
An example of foreshadowing is used in this section of the story "I knew Ray Singh had a crush on me..." (Sebold 73), "I could feel Ray's body moving toward me..." (Sebold 75), "Ray and I lay down side by side and stared at the lights and wires overhead..." (Sebold 75). Through out the novel Susie has a sort of obsession/passion for Ray as she watches him from her heaven. these quotes signify foreshadowing because it it a hint to what happens in the last section of the novel, which is that Susie comes back to life and gets her chance of intercourse with Ray.
In the second section of the book there is also examples of flashback, "Mrs. Bethel Utemeyer was the only dead person my sister and I ever saw... Lindsey and I both admitted later that we expected Mrs. Utemeyer to speak and that we decided individually that if she did we were going to grab the other one and run like hell." (Sebold 104) and (Sebold 105) this was a flashback of Susie's of the time there next door neighbor had died and they went to her funeral.
Chapters 10-14
"When the dead are done with the living, Franny said to me, the living can go on to other things" (Sebold 145) which is an example of dialogue in the novel The Lovely Bones.
In this section there was also chronological order "By late summer 1994, there had been no movement on my case..." (Sebold 127) and "By August Len wanted to establish some boundaries..." (Sebold 131).
Chapters 15-19 including Snapshot
A flashback is located in this section of an experience Mr. Harvey had with his mother as a child, "His mother shook her head vehemently, but this only enraged them. The man blocking the truck started rocking his hips back and forth against the front end, which caused the other two men to laugh harder..." (Sebold 189) in this flashback Harvey and his mother stopped and spent the night in there truck on the way home from as sort of long car ride, when their sleep was interrupted by drunk men.
Also evidence of chronological order is shown in this section, "In the fall of 1976, when she reached California..."(Sebold 221)
Chapters 20-23 including Bones
The elemental structure of description such as, "He calculated his business in his mind. The snow and cold. The pitched ravine that dropped off immediately in front of them. The blind woods on the other side. And he engaged her in conversation." (Sebold 326). This is Susie's illistration through words of Mr. Harvey luring another victim in.
Culture
The novel starts out in the 1970's or more specific December 6, 1973, when Susie Salmon a 14 year old girl is raped and murdered. The inspiration of Alice Sebold to write her novel The Lovely Bones was for one that she experienced a cruel and vicious rape during her college experience and that most people in the seventies did not believe that rape and murder ever happened, that the world was full of good. Susie even tells us this on the first page in the first chapter, "In newspaper photos of missing girls from the seventies, most looked like me: white girls with mousy brown hair. This was before kids of all races and genders started appearing on milk cartons or in the daily mail. It was still back when people believed things like that didn't happen... " (Sebold 5). Alice Sebold was an innocent young girl, just like Susie was youthful and guiltless in the novel.
P.O.V
The point of view with in the novel The Lovely Bones is first person. Words such as I, my, and we are present within the novel. Susie Salmon is the narrator and is telling the story about her life in heaven and her family on Earth. " My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name Susie..." (Sebold 5), "She got lost in her story. I got lost in her talk." (Sebold 151), " I could see the old beautiful olive tree just up ahead." (Sebold 186), and " With the camera my parents gave me, I took dozens of candids of my family." (Sebold 212) the are all examples of the identification words of first person being used in The Lovely Bones.
Through out the novel The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold used a numerous amount of structure, such as flashbacks, foreshadowing,chronological order, description, and dialogue.
Chapters 1-4
The author Alice Sebold had one specific flashback in this first section of her novel, "My dad likes to tell the story of once LIndsey was born, I was so jealous that one day while he was on the phone in the other room, I moved down the couch-he could see me from where he stood-and tried to pee on top of Lindsey in her carrier" (Sebold 7), this is a flashback to when Susie was younger. Other flashbacks include "Hours before I died, my mother hung on the refrigerator a picture that Buckley had drawn. In the drawing a thick blue line separated the air and the ground..." (Sebold 34). and "One morning on my eleventh birthday I had woken up very early. No one else was up, or so I thought. I crept downstairs and looked into the dinning room, where I assumed my presents would be... " (Sebold 42)
Another form of structure, found in the first section of the novel The Lovely Bones is chronological order. Some examples such as "On the morning of December seventh... " (Sebold 37) or "... On December twelfth, the police found my notes from Mr. Botte"s class..." (Sebold 25).
Chapters 5-9
An example of foreshadowing is used in this section of the story "I knew Ray Singh had a crush on me..." (Sebold 73), "I could feel Ray's body moving toward me..." (Sebold 75), "Ray and I lay down side by side and stared at the lights and wires overhead..." (Sebold 75). Through out the novel Susie has a sort of obsession/passion for Ray as she watches him from her heaven. these quotes signify foreshadowing because it it a hint to what happens in the last section of the novel, which is that Susie comes back to life and gets her chance of intercourse with Ray.
In the second section of the book there is also examples of flashback, "Mrs. Bethel Utemeyer was the only dead person my sister and I ever saw... Lindsey and I both admitted later that we expected Mrs. Utemeyer to speak and that we decided individually that if she did we were going to grab the other one and run like hell." (Sebold 104) and (Sebold 105) this was a flashback of Susie's of the time there next door neighbor had died and they went to her funeral.
Chapters 10-14
"When the dead are done with the living, Franny said to me, the living can go on to other things" (Sebold 145) which is an example of dialogue in the novel The Lovely Bones.
In this section there was also chronological order "By late summer 1994, there had been no movement on my case..." (Sebold 127) and "By August Len wanted to establish some boundaries..." (Sebold 131).
Chapters 15-19 including Snapshot
A flashback is located in this section of an experience Mr. Harvey had with his mother as a child, "His mother shook her head vehemently, but this only enraged them. The man blocking the truck started rocking his hips back and forth against the front end, which caused the other two men to laugh harder..." (Sebold 189) in this flashback Harvey and his mother stopped and spent the night in there truck on the way home from as sort of long car ride, when their sleep was interrupted by drunk men.
Also evidence of chronological order is shown in this section, "In the fall of 1976, when she reached California..."(Sebold 221)
Chapters 20-23 including Bones
The elemental structure of description such as, "He calculated his business in his mind. The snow and cold. The pitched ravine that dropped off immediately in front of them. The blind woods on the other side. And he engaged her in conversation." (Sebold 326). This is Susie's illistration through words of Mr. Harvey luring another victim in.
Culture
The novel starts out in the 1970's or more specific December 6, 1973, when Susie Salmon a 14 year old girl is raped and murdered. The inspiration of Alice Sebold to write her novel The Lovely Bones was for one that she experienced a cruel and vicious rape during her college experience and that most people in the seventies did not believe that rape and murder ever happened, that the world was full of good. Susie even tells us this on the first page in the first chapter, "In newspaper photos of missing girls from the seventies, most looked like me: white girls with mousy brown hair. This was before kids of all races and genders started appearing on milk cartons or in the daily mail. It was still back when people believed things like that didn't happen... " (Sebold 5). Alice Sebold was an innocent young girl, just like Susie was youthful and guiltless in the novel.
P.O.V
The point of view with in the novel The Lovely Bones is first person. Words such as I, my, and we are present within the novel. Susie Salmon is the narrator and is telling the story about her life in heaven and her family on Earth. " My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name Susie..." (Sebold 5), "She got lost in her story. I got lost in her talk." (Sebold 151), " I could see the old beautiful olive tree just up ahead." (Sebold 186), and " With the camera my parents gave me, I took dozens of candids of my family." (Sebold 212) the are all examples of the identification words of first person being used in The Lovely Bones.