Kelso High School

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Kelso High School

• English Department

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Chapter Seventeen
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In todays lesson we will

• Analyse Chapter Seventeen in relation to
• plot
• characterisation
• Theme Coming of Age / Grief
• and Loss
• symbolism

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Plot

• Discuss briefly with your partner the main events
  of Chapter Seventeen.
• Check that your chapter summary notes include all
  relevant information.

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Characterisation Jack

• Looking at Abigails photos, Jack realises that
  he is falling in love with her all over again.
• The last few pictures show the mask she had begun
  to wear when her marriage was under strain. Jack
  asks himself, Did I do that to you? How did
  that happen?
• He feels deep guilt about having failed Abigail,
  just as he still grieves for not having been able
  to protect Susie.

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Theme Coming of Age

• Susie is becoming more and more accepting of her
  death
• At twenty-one Lindsey was many things I
  
• would never become, but I barely grieved
• for the list anymore.

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Theme Grief and Loss

• Where was I? Would I be mentioned? Brought up
  and discussed? Usually the answer was a
  disappointing no. It was no longer a Susie-fest
  on Earth.
• The family is beginning to heal and rely more
  and more on each other and not constantly relive
  the lives they had with Susie.

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Theme Grief and Loss

• Incident Buckley sees Susie standing by the
  clock.
• The strings are waving out from her towards them
  all.
• The strings are slowly being cut as her family is
  slowly beginning to let her go.
• She disappears before Buckley can call her name
  and bring her back.

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Symbolism Lindsey running home in the rain

• Symbolises the symbolic washing away of pain and
  finding closure.
• Susie knows from the memory of the two of them
  that she has as she runs that Lindsey is almost
  healed.

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Symbolism Snow globe

• Reader is reacquainted with the snow globe from
  the mini-prologue.
• Forever represents Susie in Jacks mind.
• Jack told her not to worry about the penguin
  because he was safe and lived in a perfect world.
• For both Jack and Susie, the perfect world where
  she is alive and grows up is something that can
  no longer happen.

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Symbolism Lindsey and Samuels house

• They find a house the day after he proposes.
• It needs work but so does Lindsey.
• When it is fixed it will be perfect for them and
  it will represent the rebuilding of the Salmon
  family.
• Samuel Heckler. Fixer of broken things,

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Symbolism Houses

• References throughout novel to sameness of houses
  in the suburb.
• Grandma Lynn is surprised Abigail was happy with
  a house that looked the same as everyone else.
  Did this suggest that she was such a reluctant
  housewife that she didnt care about her house?
• Susie lives in a duplex because she hated her
  house on Earth.
• Lindseys house will be unique and interesting -
  the family has moved on.

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The End Well done!