Thursday 21 November 2013

In the book The Lovely Bones, how does Alice Sebold describe the charm bracelet that Susie wore? How would you draw it?

To put
it bluntly,absolutely nails the description here.  She even puts it in the context of the
grotesque Mr. Harvey, allowing the two to directly complement each other. 

If
your assignment is to draw Susie's bracelet, Sebold gives you a perfect starting point: a gold
bracelet (most likely a gold chain with links large enough to hold charms) with keystone
engraved with the initials S. S., a ballet slipper (obviously indicating Susie's past interest
in dance), the golden thimble (homage to Susie's very favorite Monopoly piece), and the working
little gold bike. 

Let's further explore this (as well as the connection with
Harvey) through the actual text of the novel.  Probably the best description can be found on
pages 53 and 54:

[Harvey] fingered it, the fleshy pad of
his index finger finding the smooth gold metal of the Pennsylvania keystone, the back fo the
ballet slipper, the tiny hole of the miniscule thimble, and the spokes of the bicycle with the
wheels that worked. (53)

[Harvey] liked the Pennsylvania keystone, which my
father had had engraved with my initials--my favorite was the tiny bike--and he pulled it off
and placed it in his pocket.  He threw the bracelet, with its remaining charms, into the
soon-to-be man-made lake. (54)

It is important to note
here, that there are significant differences between the bracelet in the novel and the bracelet
in the movie.  Gold vs. silver, for example.  I find it ironic that the charm Harvey chooses to
save is the Pennsylvania keystone, . . . and NOT the house (seemingly nonexistant in this
description) that is so critical in the movie, . . . with Harvey fingering that house while
thinking of Susie.

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