How heaven is depicted in Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Heaven is a concept that can only be imagined, there is no proof that it does or does not exist. There are no documents that can describe it, and there is only one way to find out. Alice Sebold, shared her thoughts of heaven through Susie Salmon, a fourteen year old girl who was raped and murdered, in her novel, The Lovely Bones. Sebold's ideas of heaven consist of different stages where every person has their own heaven.

To Alice Sebold, heaven is similar to the way earth works except less of a hassle and it can be modified to her liking, for example, Susie Salmon had a piece of heaven that was just hers and did not wish to share it with anyone she could go there and be alone. If her piece of heaven overlapped with others and they shared the same ideas and similar thoughts then there would be other people in her heaven.

Alice Sebold by David Shankbone

Flowergirl Susie

Alice Sebold by David Shankbone

Heaven is almost like a possession the way Sebold describes it.

In Sebold's heaven, Susie moves through her heaven in stages. The first stage of Susie's heaven is exceptionally confusing for Susie. She is not exactly sure where she is and how to "work" it, "When I first entered heaven I thought everyone saw what I saw. That in everyone's heaven there were soccer goalposts in the distance and lumbering women throwing shot put and javelin"(Sebold 16). A person soon approaches Susie while she is in heaven, Franny. She is like her guide through heaven, she watches out for Susie, showing her new things and helping to get her through the different mandatory stages of heaven.

The third day of Susie's heaven, she met her roommate, Holly. Her and Holly's heavens overlapped, but at some points Susie and Holly could...