The Lovely Bones As a Coming-of-Age Story

Although the protagonist of The Lovely Bones is Susie Salmon, a girl who is murdered in the first chapter of the novel and tells the rest of her account from heaven, the story’s most compelling character is Susie’s sister, Lindsey. From heaven, Susie is able to gain insights into her sister’s life that she would not otherwise have, making the novel as much a coming-of-age story for Lindsey as a family’s search for justice. This examination of Lindsey’s responses to Susie’s death and her development into adulthood are used by the author to examine such essentially human traits as emotional preservation, the need for companionship, and formation of ones own identity.

Lindsey’s first reaction after Susie’s death is to cut herself off emotionally from the world. She “hardens” herself and makes “herself small like a stone” (29). She acts belligerent to those who try to help her, like her principal, and distant towards anyone who can get close to her, like her teachers the Dewitts: “My sister did not look at Mrs. Dewitt when she was speaking. She was perfecting the art of talking to someone while looking through them…My sister liked the Dewitts, but that morning she began looking into the eyes of only those people she could fight against” (30). Her behavior is a defense mechanism, a way of keeping herself together while her family is falling apart. It contrasts with a very different emotional response: her mother’s breakdown and eventual leaving of the family. Rather than running away, Lindsey takes an active role in her family and in the finding of Susie’s murderer, venturing into Mr. Harvey’s house and discovering the blueprints for the structure in which Susie was killed. Her initial and instinctual reaction, however, is to act out of emotional self defense and behave in an almost hostile manner towards those who try to get close to her.

Lindsey continues to conduct herself in a petulant manner to those around her until she begins her relationship with Samuel, the boy who melts her heart by coming to visit her on Christmas day. He is the first person she lets in after Susie’s death, but she is not completely comfortable at first. Her discomfort is told from Susie’s perspective when Susie observes, “I could see it happen: Lindsey’s body began to knot. She was working hard keeping everyone out, everyone, but she found Samuel Heckler cute” (67). Through her relationship with Samuel, the author examines the human need for companionship. Samuel acts as Lindsey’s support system through the novel, her understanding partner who tries both to protect her and give her space. His visible presence in Lindsey’s life that begins so soon after Susie’s death is what creates such a strong bond between the pair.

After forming her relationship with Samuel, Lindsey truly begins to come of age. With the help of her grandmother, she discovers make-up and begins to look like an adult who can take care of herself. She is then left with the challenge of forming her own identity as distinct from her sister’s death. She is a victim of “Walking Dead Syndrome – when other people see the dead person and don’t see you” (59). At her summer camp, Lindsey does not put her last name on her nametag and draws a fish instead. She “hoped to meet a few kids from the surrounding schools who didn’t know the story of… [Susie’s] death or at least wouldn’t connect her to it” (115). Lindsey is struggling to create her own distinct identity, a vital part of growing up; however, she must additionally battle the constant reminder of her sister’s death that colors others’ impressions of her.

Lindsey, the sister who is left behind, is the embodiment of essentially human characteristics in the novel. Through her coping with her sister’s death, her family’s breakdown, and her own growth as a person, the author is able to convey the resilience of the individual and the coming-of-age of a girl despite her family’s grief. (668)