The Lovely Bones Guilt

Murdered by her next door neighbour at the age of 15, the film, The Lovely Bones focuses on guilt caused by Susie’s death. I think it is part of human nature to feel guilty for something that has happened even though it wasn’t your fault. Susie’s father bears much of the weight of guilt as he feels that he wasn’t there to support her daughter and be present when she needed him. Thus, I think he feels responsible and pressured to avenge Susie’s death. Susie’s mother, however, suffers a distinct kind of guilt. She feels guilty for wanting to forget about the murder and not wanting to be a mother figure anymore. I think as parents, they feel responsible for their children and not being able to see their child go through life the way they did only causes the development of guilt.

The film looks at the way how one life can affect the lives of everybody who are around. Susie was murdered by her neighbour and her death influenced her family and her parent’s relationship tremendously. I think Susie feels guilty for being the “stupid” girl that forced her family through the pain of dealing with her death and for trusting her murderer. I realise that she feels the responsibility to watch over her family in heaven, a place where

Her death was a process of recovering from the guilt of a loved one’s death. Today, there are families that have suffered through extreme loss and are still consumed with guilt. I think for all families there will be a phase where they will lose a loved one and have to suffer through grief and guilt. However, the film shows us that even though “murder changes everything” it only makes you stronger. Susie knew that her dad would never “give her up” and the guilt that he felt, only made him stronger. Susie’s connection with her family on earth assisted them to recover from guilt. The captivating film features guilt as a natural emotion, an experience that heals