illustration of Susie in the clouds with her charm bracelet above her head

The Lovely Bones

by Alice Sebold

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In "The Lovely Bones," what did Mr. Harvey use to cut up Susie's body?

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In "The Lovely Bones," Mr. Harvey uses a knife to cut up Susie's body after murdering her. He dismembers her in an attempt to hide the evidence of his crime. This act, coupled with the rape and murder, adds to the gruesomeness of the crime. However, his carelessness in leaving behind an elbow, which is discovered by a neighborhood dog, leads to an investigation into Susie's death.

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The torturous and murderous Mr. Harvey cuts up young Suzie's body with a knife. He dismembers her in order to hide her body. The rape and murder of Suzie is made all the more horrific by the dismembering of her body, as Harvey slices her body with a knife. He violates her in life thrugh rape and in death through the dismembering of her corpse, and this makes her murder even more particularly gruesome. Harvey mistakenly leaves her elbow behind, which is an immensely blatant mistake for a serial killer to make. Due to his carelessness, a neighborhood dog finds the poor girl's elbow, and this eventually leads to an intense and complicated investigation into Suzie's death. If Harvey had not cut up her body with the knife, it is possible her death would have remained a tragic mystery.

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