Rape is no more than an atrocious act that strips one from their rights and diminishes their freedom. This theme is evident within the novel, The Lovely Bones, written by Alice Sebold. The symbol of windows is used to exemplify the absence of hope from victims of rape, contributing to the ultimate theme. With this in mind, the element of symbolism is used to portray the theme of rape is an action that takes away one’s freedom.
To begin, the image of windows embodies the liberation granted to those who participate in sexual intercorse accoring their their will. Conversely, those who are raped against their will are relinquished from their freedom at the hands of their perpetrator. This concept is made apparent through the discrepancies between …show more content…
Susie states that “At fourteen my sister sailed away from me into a place I'd never been. In the walls of my sex there was horror and blood, in the walls of hers there were windows” (Sebold 138). Susie, a victim of rape, first experienced sex with haunting images of “horror and blood.” Notably, during this time, her rapist had confined her within a hole in the ground where he inflicted brutality upon her. Within this space, Susie was trapped from the outside world and, subsequently, was unable to receive help during this time. As a result, she was faced with death, for she was stripped of any access to help. Alternatively, following her own demise, her sister partook in pleasant and mutual intercourse with her boyfriend. In this respective area, the two of them were surrounded by “windows,” acting as gateways to the world around them and securing her freedom. Thus, the windows, which were absent in Susie’s sex but present in her sister’s, symbolize the liberty that is exclusively available in times of reciprocal agreement. Specifically, the hole in which Susie was lured and raped lacked “windows.” Consequently, she was cut off from the external world and from the hope within it, obliterating any possible chance of rescue. Moreover, Sebold utilizes the literary device
To begin, the image of windows embodies the liberation granted to those who participate in sexual intercorse accoring their their will. Conversely, those who are raped against their will are relinquished from their freedom at the hands of their perpetrator. This concept is made apparent through the discrepancies between …show more content…
Susie states that “At fourteen my sister sailed away from me into a place I'd never been. In the walls of my sex there was horror and blood, in the walls of hers there were windows” (Sebold 138). Susie, a victim of rape, first experienced sex with haunting images of “horror and blood.” Notably, during this time, her rapist had confined her within a hole in the ground where he inflicted brutality upon her. Within this space, Susie was trapped from the outside world and, subsequently, was unable to receive help during this time. As a result, she was faced with death, for she was stripped of any access to help. Alternatively, following her own demise, her sister partook in pleasant and mutual intercourse with her boyfriend. In this respective area, the two of them were surrounded by “windows,” acting as gateways to the world around them and securing her freedom. Thus, the windows, which were absent in Susie’s sex but present in her sister’s, symbolize the liberty that is exclusively available in times of reciprocal agreement. Specifically, the hole in which Susie was lured and raped lacked “windows.” Consequently, she was cut off from the external world and from the hope within it, obliterating any possible chance of rescue. Moreover, Sebold utilizes the literary device