The Lovely Bones By Alice Sebold

Moving on from a dead family member can be challenging for anyone. But how might fictional characters react to such news? This essay compares two characters from different stories to analyse how they cope with losing a loved one and how their circumstances and characteristics affect their decisions. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold, is a story of family, revenge, and overcoming grief, sharing many themes with William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. The Lovely Bones is a story of a young girl named Susie Salmon, who George Harvey, her neighbour, lures, rapes, and murders. The story begins as she recounts the incident and then narrates life on Earth as she watches from heaven. This essay analyses Susie’s father, Jack Salmon, comparing his differences

I’ll observe his looks; I’ll tent him to the quick. If ‘a do the blench, I know my course.” (Shakespeare 2.2.590-594)

Hamlet’s decisions demonstrate how overly cautious he is to make the first move. His resolve had only been strong enough to end his inactivity after he had seen Young Fortinbras’ army fight for an insignificant amount of land that “hath in it no profit but the name” (Shakespeare 4.4.19), which made Hamlet determined to fight for his honour as well. “O, from this time forth My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth” (Shakespeare 4.4.65-66)

Hamlet’s sudden changes in mood show how easily influenced he is, unlike Jack who was undeterred despite the backlash he received from other characters. The police department banned Jack from making any more calls regarding George Harvey due to the lack of proof, and even his wife, Abigail, did not believe him when he said Harvey was the culprit. Nonetheless, Jack continued to stay true to his character and pursue Harvey. Jack is generally portrayed to be a stronger character who is quick to act on his will, setting him apart from the hesitant, idle, and easily-influenced

Jack is a standard white father living in the American suburbs during the 1970s. As an average man, Jack does not possess much power in exacting his revenge, limiting him to the confines of the law. This is why he primarily tries to find incriminating evidence of Harvey, rather than confronting the man and killing him. In this sense, Hamlet is the polar opposite of Jack, being a Danish prince during the Middle Ages. Christianity was also a widespread religion in Europe, meaning that Hamlet’s role as prince gave him both political and religious power since people believed that royals were of higher birth. “Lord Hamlet is a prince out of thy star.” (Shakespeare 2.2.141) This quote said by Polonius demonstrates the accepted fact that royals were closer to heaven than commoners. Hamlet utilised his role as a prince to put on a play that mimicked Claudius when he had poisoned King Hamlet. This play, known as The Mousetrap, exposed Claudius’ guilt, allowing Hamlet to confirm the words of the spirit. If Hamlet was not a prince, he likely would have been unable to hire the players to perform. His roles as a son and prince are also what allowed him to stay alive since Claudius stated that he would have simply killed Hamlet if it was not for the love that Hamlet’s mother and the public had for the