Postmortem Voice and Gendered Violence in The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Preethi T1, Rani Priyadharshini V2
1Head and Associate Professor, Department of English, St. John’s College, Palayamkottai, Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Abishekapatti, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India. preethihelan27@gmail.com
2Assistant Professor, PG and Research Department of English, V. O. Chidambaram College, Thoothukudi, Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Abishekapatti, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India. ranipriyadharshini@gmail.com
| Received: May 15, 2025 | Accepted: June 05, 2025 | Published Online: June 30, 2025 |
Abstract
This paper analyses gendered violence through posthumous narratives. Alice Sebold’s “The Lovely Bones” is the story of a young girl who was raped and murdered by her neighbour. The afterlife narratives uncover and break the silence of sexual violence and exposes societal complexities. It examines how afterlife gives the space to voice out her story and reflect her emotions and unresolved trauma. It also sheds light on how society fails to address sexual violence against women and lack of justice. She gets the freedom to narrate her story without any limitations of social customs, while she is in her own heaven. It breaks the taboo of discussing gendered violence. This paper also addresses the impact of sexual violence and its effect on families and communities. This narrative not only breaks silence about gendered violence but also stresses the need for awareness and change in society.
Keywords: Gendered violence, social injustice, trauma, afterlife narrative, awareness
