Susie Salmon is a rape and murder victim and the main protagonist of the book and filmThe Lovely Bones.
Though she doesn’t meet outstanding achievements or noble qualities, she symbolizes courage in and many other heroic qualities. She's only fourteen when she's beaten, raped, and murdered by her neighbor, Mr. Harvey. Susie tells us her story from the afterworld in her own heaven.
“My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973.” The first sentence in the book basically lays out the whole story itself, but what we don’t get from it is the realization of Susie’s heroic actions. If Susie were a nonfictional victim, we would never talk about her as a hero. But being in a book, we have no choice but to see her as so. Growing up, Susie was very curious about design, structure, and building, making her an easy prey for Mr. Harvey. “I was no longer cold or weirded out by the look he had given me. It was like I was in science class: I was curious." Curiosity alone couldn’t get her to follow Harvey into that hole. Innocence, trust, respect for authority, and her sense of politeness were also involved in this fatal act. Susie was acting within the rules, norms, and expectations of her culture. Her dad labeled Harvey as a “character.” Susie’s parents and herself had no idea that people like him even existed. Especially in their own neighborhood. So, Susie had nothing but intuition not to trust this man, but her innocence and respectful attitude unknowingly lead her to her own death.
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