The Rupture And Recovery Of Skeleton

Alice Sebold(1943-),as a well-known American contemporary writer,has published an autobiography,Lucky(1999)and two novels which are known as The Lovely Bones(2002)and The Almost Moon(2007).After the publication of Lucky,she was hailed as the most potential writer.In 2002,her debut novel The Lovely Bones was crowned the champion of bestseller lists when it was published,and received much praise.The Guardian rated it as the 100 indispensable books in life.It also won the Best Fiction of the Year Award in US and entered the list of British Book Awards.Alice Sebold has also become the hottest bestselling author.The Lovely Bones is about a 14-year-old girl Susie Salmon who is murdered by her neighbor Mr.Harvey.She chooses to observe the world in a special way after her death.Through the perspective of this 14-year-old girl,the novel mainly describes how her family and friends can step from collapse to recovery.As the study of Alice Sebold’s works has mounted to a new height abroad and the popularity of the film adaptation of the novel,recently the domestic scholars also focus on her works.However,the current research on The Lovely Bones is mainly from the perspective of narratology and feminism.It is still a new perspective to interpret the work from trauma theory.Therefore,this thesis attempts to explore the characters with trauma theory,including analyzing the representations of the traumatized individuals,exploring the causes and the ways to heal from trauma.Apart from Introduction and Conclusion,there are three chapters in the thesis.The Introduction includes Alice Sebold’s biographical background and the plot of The Lovely Bones.It also elaborates the previous study at home and abroad and the trauma theory.Chapter One analyzes the representations of the traumatized individuals.Susie’s family become scarred because of Susie’s sudden death: Jack becomes hyperarousal.Abigail shows strong rejection and avoidance to her family and herself.Lindsey and Buckley become sensitive and premature because of the sudden change.The murderer,Mr.Harvey,is psychologically distorted,who has the dissociated personality and pedophilia tendency.Ruth and Ray show a serious state of isolation and helplessness.Chapter Two explores the causes of trauma.Traumatic events are the main sources of psychological and physical trauma.For Susie’s family,the experience of bereavement is the fuse that separates the whole family.Abigail’s unforgettable nightmare comes from her childhood experience and self-compromise;Abigail’s departure leaves Lindsey and Buckley with an irreparable secondary harm.Mr.Harvey’s cruelty and perversion are inextricably linked to his distorted original family.As for Ruth and Ray,their identities are unique.They belong to the marginalized groups of society which are not accepted by the public,and suffer a lot of discrimination in school and society.Chapter Three explores the solutions to heal the psychological trauma in the novel,including two personal factors and one social factor.Mr.and Mrs.Salmon and Ruth relieve their psychological pressure through talking and catharsis.Lindsey,Ray and Ruth regain their desire for life through reestablishment of contact with others,and through the encouragement and companionship of others.The improvement of social environment is also one of the important factors to help characters get rid of the shadows.Conclusion states that The Lovely Bones is sad and gloomy,but full of hope and warmth.Alice Sebold depicts such a story in order to convey that trauma is a reality that people must face,and that can be cured.Trauma should not be a life-long imprisonment.This novel is a way for the author to heal her wounds,and also provides psychological comfort and sustenance for people suffering from trauma.Based on trauma theory,this thesis adds a feasible new perspective for readers to understand the works.At the same time,the research also brings a lot of inspiration and enlightenment to modern people in dealing with the family relations and mental health.