Violence Quotes in The Lovely Bones

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

"If I'm not mistaken," said Miss Ryan, "there are no breasts on our anatomy model." (6.41)

Though this doesn't seem like a violent moment at first, but it sure feels violent to Ruth. Being denied the right to draw a part of her own anatomy is a type of violence, one thriving on power imbalances.

Quote #8

"This is not Susie, for Chrissakes," her mother would say, plunking down an inch thick sirloin in front of her daughter. (10. 8)

Ruth comes to equate Susie's murder with the slaughter of animals, so she becomes a vegetarian. Her totally insensitive mom provides a moment of comic relief.

Quote #9

It was on that day that I knew I wanted to tell the story of my family. Because horror on Earth is real and it is every day. It is like a flower or the sun; it cannot be contained. (14.100)

That horror Susie's talking about, most of it can be linked to some kind of violence – from Earthquakes to famine to cancer to murder.