What are some of the major themes of this book?
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
LBD
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Participating Libraries
Dover Town Library
Dover, MA
Grinnell Library
Wappingers Falls, NY
Homer Township Public Library
Homer Glen, IL
Placer County Library
Auburn, CA
Shrewsbury Public Library
Shrewsbury, MA
Warren-Trumbull County Public Library
Warren, OH
Previous Books
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
Leaving Protection by Will Hobbs
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Previous Posts
- Many famous people in this book choose to do somet...
- How was life in Elsewhere different from life in o...
- Do you think most people would choose to return to...
- Who was your favorite character in this book? What...
- What characters have the most important relationsh...
- Water is a powerful image in this book. When does...
- What was the most memorable scene?
- Where there any flaws in the book?
- What did you enjoy about this book?
- Would you recommend this book to your friends?
Elizabeth Anastasi
Sushila Mertens
Alexandra Tyle
Stephanie Worek
10 Comments:
There are a few themes to be discussed but in the end it is really about the circle of life. Cue Elton John.
I tend to think of the circle of life as the grass grows, an animal eats the grass, ANOTHER animal eats that animal, that animal dies and fertilizers the grass, AND THEN more grass grows.
I do get what your saying about souls being reincarnated.
coming to terms with things. lizzie hated elsewhere but she finally came to terms with the fact she was dead
I think it is about how things can be bad but in the end everything will be alright and also that being happy is the best thing that you can do for yourself.
This book was about life and death
Forgiveness is a major theme. Liz hates the cab driver for killing her but realizes that her hate for him won't make things better for anyone.
I think forgiveness, life, identity, love, reincarnation, amougn some other things are some themes in this book :]
I think it shows that life and love can seem wonderful and awful at the same time, and that their always there.
It's about coping with terms of change. The ability of adapting.
In the book Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin, 3 main issues that are explored include dealing with loss, new beginnings, and love. Zevin portrays this story through third person, and uses features such as strong imagery, descriptive language and symbolism to enhance the novel. The main character Lizzie Hall is killed in a hit-and-run accident just before her 16th birthday. She wakes up in a foreign place, on a boat that is heading for her new home known as Elsewhere, which is literally the afterlife. Elsewhere proves to be quite a normal place that’s almost the same as Earth, except for the fact that everyone ages backwards until they are too young to exist and are sent back to Earth, to begin a new life. A cycle of incarnation. However Lizzie’s life still feels incomplete because she knows that she will never be able to get married, or drive a car or have children or ever fall in love. The book depicts her struggle to reintegrate herself into this new life, but she has trouble overcoming the feelings of loss and grief for her family and her friends.
Gabrielle Zevin explores the issue of dealing with loss through a variety of characters and techniques, including the second main character Owen, a boy that Lizzie gradually falls in love with and her grandmother Betty who both in their own ways help her deal with the loss of her old life. When Lizzie moves in with her grandmother at her arrival, she is encouraged to start again, to move on from the past. However, this proves hard for her as she has so many unresolved issues that she left behind. Lizzie begins to lose her hope and motivation considering her new life pointless, and spends her time at the OD’s or observation decks watching her family struggle through grief. “The story of my life is short and pointless; there was once a girl who got hit by a car and died. The End.”
Betty helps her to resolve these feelings by convincing her to take a new job as a counsellor in the division of domestic animals, at which point Lizzie begins to slowly leave her routine of watching her family and instead is given a new motivation to her new life. However, Lizzie is still plagued by the anger she feels towards the driver responsible for her death, “he is a murderer, he is my murderer.” here Zevin uses repetition to emphasize this anger.
Lizzie becomes strongly determined to make him pay for what he has done, and she manages to find a restricted portal known as “The Well,” to contact her family and tell them who it was that were responsible for her death.
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