Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - Essay Example

Both Abigail and Jack react differently once the police informed them that they must accept the assumption that Susie had been killed. The similarities and differences of Susie’s parents’ reactions are evident right from December 9th when Jack Salmon received a phone call from the lead detective Len Fenerman saying that Susie’s body part had been found reducing any possible chance of Susie coming back home (Sebold 126).  Notably, the similarities between Jack and Abigail's reactions towards the information include the fact that they were both experiencing a maelstrom of pain, anxiety as well as grief.

  Both the parents had a close and special bond with Susie. They had all grown to be fond of her. For instance, the author states that as Abigail provided a detailed description of what Susie wore and carried the day, she went missing she also gave out Susie’s jangly charm bracelet, which she was the only person who knew the meaning of each charm and the reason why Susie like them (Sebold 126). This is a clear indication that Susie was dear to her parents and her disappearance left a deep void in their hearts.

The other similarity is the fact that both Susie’s parents grasped at any hint of hope that they would eventually reunite with their child, which made them continuously inundate the detective with any information that might be helpful. This is indicated when Jack, Susie’s father comforts Abigail Susie’s mother by telling her that nothing is ever certain (Sebold 45). Perhaps, the two parents’ only found strength by keeping faith and hope alive even though things were not looking good especially with the evidence found by the detective.

  However, the main difference between Susie’s parents’ reaction is the fact the Jack though devasted and hopeless still remained calm, collected, and created time for the other children.  On the contrary, Abigail was unable to keep up the façade. she completely becomes lonely and even forgets about Lindsey ad Buckley. Significantly, the parents’ actions may be labeled to certain stages of grieving. For instance, both jack and Abigail show feelings of denial, which is the initial stage of grief.

The denial stage where the victim’s world becomes meaningless and overwhelming. In most cases, life makes no sense. Both Susie’s parents can not accept the fact that Susie is gone, and they will never be reunited as a family (Sebold 45). Anger is another stage of grieving illustrated by Susie’s parents particularly jack. Jack feels angered by the fact that he is aware of Susie’s murder but lacks sufficient evidence to prove it. Lastly, the stage of depression is also evident in jack and Abigail’s actions.

Jack is seen the next morning pouring a bottle of scotch down the sink with the fear that he may end up drinking the scotch. Similarly, Abigail is seen to be constantly lost in thoughts and staring into the empty space. All these actions are a clear indication of depression.