Ruana Singh Character Analysis in The Lovely Bones

Ray’s mother, Ruana, is a fierce and independent spirit. Her separate encounters with both Jack and Abigail charge their lives with meaning in the face of despair. She tells Jack that if her child had been murdered, she would find out who was responsible, and “quietly” kill them when she was absolutely sure, while a chance encounter with Abigail leaves Abigail dreaming of the possibilities of a life somewhere else. The free-spirited Ruana is a conduit for the Salmons’ desires, and a proponent of justice no matter the cost.

Ruana Singh Character Timeline in The Lovely Bones

The timeline below shows where the character Ruana Singh appears in The Lovely Bones. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Tragedy, Grief, Alienation, and Isolation Theme Icon

...on the door of the Singh house. He is “struck dumb” when Ray’s beautiful mother Ruana answers the door. She invites him in and offers him something to drink. He tells... (full context)

Jack asks Ruana if things have been hard for Ray, what with the policemen’s investigation of him. Ruana,... (full context)

Jack tells Ruana that he knows who killed Susie. She asks if he’s informed the police, but he... (full context)

Ruana silently gets up and goes over to the window. She announces that Ray is coming... (full context)

...late summer, and still there has been no movement on Susie’s case. Jack cannot stop Ruana’s words from echoing in his head, though he has not shared them with Abigail—he is... (full context)

...heads downstairs, taking a baseball bat from the hall closet and heading out the door. Ruana’s words—find a quiet way—echo in his ears. (full context)

...house while Abigail follows the smell of foreign cigarettes to the Singhs’ backyard. She finds Ruana there, enjoying a smoke. Ruana explains that her husband is hosting a party inside, and... (full context)

...year to the day after Susie’s death, the doorbell at the Singh house rings, and Ruana answers the door. Ruth is there, holding a sack of groceries. She asks if Ray... (full context)

...go off to Penn to study medicine, Susie worries that he will forget her. However, Ruana slips a book of Indian poetry into Ray’s luggage, and as he unpacks in his... (full context)

...home and gets no answer; when she asks the operator to dial the Singhs’ number, Ruana picks up, and tells her that an ambulance pulled up to the Salmon house a... (full context)

...leaving the bike shop the previous evening, they returned to the Singhs’ and fell asleep. Ruana checked on them in the middle of the night and saw them sleeping together, entwined... (full context)

In her kitchen, Ruana considers divorce. Something about the “crumbling, clinging postures” Ruth and Ray adopted together in sleep... (full context)

...steps—his mother is waiting in the car. Abigail walks down the driveway and leans into Ruana’s car window to say hello to her. Ruana asks if Abigail will join her to... (full context)

During Ray and Ruana’s visit, Samuel mentions the Gothic Revival house on the side of the road that he... (full context)