The Lovely Bones

by

Alice Sebold

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Franny Character Analysis

Susie’s intake counselor, guide, and mentor in heaven. A social worker in her life on Earth, Franny is a nurturer by nature, and helps Susie to understand both the mechanics of her heaven and the ways in which her desires, emotions, and needs influence the course of her afterlife. Franny urges Susie to remember that watching life on Earth is not the same as living it, but allows Susie the time and space to come to this understanding on her own.

Franny Quotes in The Lovely Bones

The The Lovely Bones quotes below are all either spoken by Franny or refer to Franny. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Justice and Injustice Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2 Quotes

Eventually I began to desire more. What I found strange was how much I desired to know what I had not known on Earth. I wanted to be allowed to grow up.

"People grow up by living," I said to Franny. "I want to live."

"That's out," she said.

"Can we at least watch the living?" asked Holly.

"You already do," she said.

"I think she means whole lives," I said, "from beginning to end, to see how they did it. To know the secrets. Then we can pretend better."

"You won't experience it," Franny clarified.

"Thank you, Brain Central," I said, but our heavens began to grow.

Related Characters: Susie Salmon (speaker), Franny (speaker), Holly (speaker)
Page Number: 19
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

I did begin to wonder what the word heaven meant. I thought, if this were heaven, truly heaven, it would be where my grandparents lived. Where my father's father, my favorite of them all, would lift me up and dance with me. I would feel only joy and have no memory, no cornfield and no grave.

"You can have that," Franny said to me. "Plenty of people do."

"How do you make the switch?" I asked.

"It's not as easy as you might think," she said. "You have to stop desiring certain answers."

"I don't get it."

"If you stop asking why you were killed instead of someone else, stop investigating the vacuum left by your loss, stop wondering what everyone left on Earth is feeling," she said, "you can be free. Simply put, you have to give up on Earth."

This seemed impossible to me.

Related Characters: Susie Salmon (speaker), Franny
Page Number: 120
Explanation and Analysis:
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Franny Quotes in The Lovely Bones

The The Lovely Bones quotes below are all either spoken by Franny or refer to Franny. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Justice and Injustice Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2 Quotes

Eventually I began to desire more. What I found strange was how much I desired to know what I had not known on Earth. I wanted to be allowed to grow up.

"People grow up by living," I said to Franny. "I want to live."

"That's out," she said.

"Can we at least watch the living?" asked Holly.

"You already do," she said.

"I think she means whole lives," I said, "from beginning to end, to see how they did it. To know the secrets. Then we can pretend better."

"You won't experience it," Franny clarified.

"Thank you, Brain Central," I said, but our heavens began to grow.

Related Characters: Susie Salmon (speaker), Franny (speaker), Holly (speaker)
Page Number: 19
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

I did begin to wonder what the word heaven meant. I thought, if this were heaven, truly heaven, it would be where my grandparents lived. Where my father's father, my favorite of them all, would lift me up and dance with me. I would feel only joy and have no memory, no cornfield and no grave.

"You can have that," Franny said to me. "Plenty of people do."

"How do you make the switch?" I asked.

"It's not as easy as you might think," she said. "You have to stop desiring certain answers."

"I don't get it."

"If you stop asking why you were killed instead of someone else, stop investigating the vacuum left by your loss, stop wondering what everyone left on Earth is feeling," she said, "you can be free. Simply put, you have to give up on Earth."

This seemed impossible to me.

Related Characters: Susie Salmon (speaker), Franny
Page Number: 120
Explanation and Analysis: