The Lovely Bones By Alice Sebold

What if it was possible to die without feeling any pain? What if death was not a concern? Susie, a protagonist in Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones struggled with her unfortunate and unexpected murder. She sought closure and joy. Hamlet also has a murdered king who wants to move on, but only after his murderer dies. Twain’s tales are centered on a quest for revenge, and dealing with the reality of life. Susie’s murder is a difficult time for her family, and they try to get closure by finding the killer. King Hamlet’s son is also trying to find closure, despite Hamlet being given an ultimatum to kill his killer by the ghost of King Hamlet. The situations of the two protagonists, while similar, are slightly different. These characters face a variety of obstacles as they learn to deal with their emotions and come to terms with death. Both works of literature clearly depict the struggle with accepting death. Both works make clear the struggle of trying to accept death as an inevitable reality.

Hamlet’s Hamlet is a masterpiece of Shakespearean literature. First, readers learn about death through King Hamlet’s Ghost. Hamlet encounters the ghost of his father, who explains everything that has occurred since his passing. “I’m thy father, doomed to walk in the dark for a time And to fast in the fires for the rest of the day until all the evil crimes I committed in my nature days have been burned and cleansed” (1.5.14-18). Hamlet’s return to life from the dead, where he discusses the murder of his father. This was the inspiration for the death theme. Hamlet’s Father reveals that Claudius killed Hamlet. Hamlet is motivated by the words of King Hamlet’s spirit to kill Claudius. The conversation between the two shows the death theme and causes havoc in the rest of the play. Soon after the guards begin to notice the ghosts, they realize that the ghosts are reminiscent of King Hamlet. “What? Has this thing appeared tonight?” (1.1.26). This proves that the ghost of Hamlet, King of Denmark, did return to life from the dead. It wasn’t just Hamlet’s grief-stricken imagination. The ghost’s appearance is essential to the plot of the play.

If King Hamlet hadn’t returned from the Afterlife, there would have been no deaths. The Hamlet play is a great example of how the afterlife in Hamlet can be compared to Susie’s role in The Lovely Bones. The Lovely Bones has a similar theme. The book, which is set in heaven, is narrated from the perspective of a girl who died. The book revolves around her telling the story of how she died, which makes her similar to Hamlet’s Ghost. Susie, like Hamlet, is in heaven as she tries to understand and cope with her sudden death. “We had been given, in our heavens, our simplest dreams” (Seabold 18). The Lovely Bones suggests that after death, you will continue to live and grow. Susie Hamlet are both ghosts and use this advantage to try to track down the murderer and find their families. Susie has her first contact with the living when she meets with her father. The two do not talk, but he does see her while he is talking to Mr. Harvey who was the killer of Susie. Susie’s dad finally knows what Harvey has done. “But if I watched and desired, then I could possibly change the lives those I loved in Earth” (Seabold 400). They make it clear that the main characters were not ready for earth to end. In the afterlife, they return to help those who hurt them and seek revenge. Hamlet shows grief through the eyes of each character. People’s feelings are not always legitimate. Hamlet’s father has just died. He is emotional. Hamlet is angry, sad, and lonely. “Good Hamlet. Cast thy colour from …”. (1.2.68).

Gertrude encourages Hamlet to let go of the loss of his father. Gertrude shows no emotion after Hamlet’s death. “Thou art aware that everything must eventually die …” (1.2.71). Gertrude doesn’t seem to care about Hamlet or her husband. She gives the impression that King Hamlet’s death is a good thing and she will move forward doing what is in her best interests. Claudius, the brother of King Hamlet, hides his true feelings throughout the play. He says that his grief is over the “death” of Hamlet’s “dear brother”. (1.2). Claudius plays a part of concern when it comes to what Hamlet is upset about: “What should be more than the death of his father…I cannot imagine” (2.2). Claudius’ arrogance and deception are revealed here. Ophelia is filled with intense emotions when her father Polonius dies. She becomes insane. Ophelia cannot handle the idea of not having a male figure to guide her. Hamlet’s characters grieving are similar to the grief that Susie’s family and close friends experienced after her death. Susie’s family seemed to mourn for a long time. It was the most tragic event of their lives. The Lovelybones’ plot is built on the grief felt by each of its characters. Susie’s friends and family suffer from her tragic death, as do her deceased friend. They learn how to deal with the circumstances in the novel. Susie’s dad displays his grief, as he cannot find peace until the killer of his daughter is found.

He said, “Susie’s dead,” now, unable fit it into the rules of any games” (Seabold 138). Her dad is trying to admit the truth and move on by telling her brother about Susie’s passing. Abigail Susie’s older sister understands the grief of her family at this time and is worried about her coming home too late. It is important to understand the gravity of Susie’s loss and how it has affected her family. “We ran back for you Mr. Salmon”(Seabold 80). Abigail demonstrates her concern for everyone’s feelings by explaining that she ran to home. Susie’s death has caused her parents to be so shaken that they are now afraid of losing any other children. The loss of Susie has emotionally broken her family apart. Susie’s killer, Mr. Harvey is comparable to Hamlet’s Claudius. Both men want power and are selfish. Both are villains who pretend to be sad. Both characters are villains who fake their grief. Harvey and Claudius are both very good liars, so when they say “I am sorry for your loss”, it’s not real. They’re both lying. This grief was something that both families had to experience. King Hamlet’s murder was completely unjustified. Hamlet killed his father and himself, which was unfair. Hamlet was the most affected by it. It destroyed Hamlet’s self worth most.

Hamlet begins to doubt the purpose of life. He is very frustrated, confused and sad. Although he knows it’s unfair, he also realizes death is inevitable. Everybody’s day is coming. We defy the augury. It is not a coincidence that a sparrow falls. It is not yet. But it will soon be. All that matters is the readiness. What then is the point of leaving at all? Let be” (5.2.233-238). Hamlet’s depression is a result of Hamlet’s inability to cope with his father’s death. It is difficult to justify murder, but it is much easier to explain the murder of King Hamlet than that of Susie. Hamlet’s authority and power were sought, so he was marked as a target. Susie’s death, however, can only be explained by pure evil. She wished to be alive. It is tragic that her murderer was so evil and selfish. Susie was attacked with no rhyme or reason. Her death is gruesome because she was raped, beaten, and sexually assaulted by someone much stronger. He turned her sacred object into something horrible. “I held inside myself the part of Mr. Harvey that he had imposed on me. I said in my mind the words gentle and man.”

Susie describes how she felt, disgusted and disappointed when her view on intimacy was changed. Susie’s murder was unfair to her family. Their suffering and struggles were not justified. Susie’s murderer had no motive. “…They never knew what horror was before. They now do.” (Seabold 48). Susie’s mother and father never understood the horror of losing their daughter. They were broken in different ways. The recovery process was long and painful. Susie and King Hamlet died solely due to the agendas and desires of two individuals. Hamlet as well Susie have a strong desire to see their murderers suffer the same pain. Both Hamlet and Susie are very determined that their killers be killed. Hamlet’s father demands that his son kill his murderer so that Hamlet can cope with death and move on. The ghost wants revenge because he is upset by the circumstances surrounding his death. His brother had stolen his wife and throne. This made him feel very betrayed. “O horrible, O horrible, most horrible! Do not endure it, if thou art a creature of nature. Let the Danish royal bed not be a couch of luxury and incest. However thou pursuest the act, do it without tainting thy brain, or letting thy spirit devise anything against thy mom. Leave her in heaven, and to those thorns she has lodged within her body to prick or sting her.”

The ghost wants revenge against Claudius for Gertrude incest. Hamlet is most interested in Claudius dying so that he may go to Heaven. “Revenge him for his most foul and unnatural crime.” (1.5.31). Hamlet’s Ghost is attempting to explain to Hamlet why it is important for him to kill Claudius. Susie is also trying to deal with her death in heaven. She hates his killer for what she and those around have suffered. She feels she must let him die so that she can go on. Susie will be happy if Harvey dies. Susie believes, just like Hamlet did, that peace will only come if the murderer of her child is murdered. “I would not be able to get what I really wanted: Mr. Harvey alive and dead. Heaven was not perfect.” (Seabold, 40). Susie says that her experience with Harvey’s was unsettling and traumatic. She wants other women to be protected from Harvey’s. The Lovely Bones and Hamlet are compared in that both characters explain the circumstances of their murders. They also show why they were so hateful towards their killers. “He ripped out the hat made by my mother and stuffed it into his mouth. After that, the only sound I could make was a weak tinkling. (Seabold 82). Susie became upset, as she was afraid that Mr. Harvey may not be caught. He could continue to kill other women. Harvey had to die, and Susie thought it was unfair he survived instead of she. The death that King Hamlet desired for Claudius is very similar. Claudius snatched King Hamlet from his hands out of jealousy. He gained power and a position he didn’t merit. Conclusion: Both characters are dead through murder, but they have completely different circumstances.

Claudius is murdered and Susie’s assailant dies after falling down a cliff. It’s possible that both authors wanted readers to experience death in different ways, and see the emotional impact of motives. The stories were enhanced by this addition, as it allowed readers to experience how they might feel in these situations. Both works of literature clearly develop the struggle with accepting death as inevitable. In the afterlife they return, and their grief and struggle for closure are evident. It is clear how important morality was to the authors and that both murderers were destined to die. It is evident that fate will always prevail and bring closure to the universe.