Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Oskar

When Oskar discovers that coffee has the ability to stunt his growth, he grows an affinity for it. His childish mentality makes him believe that the effect that coffee has on his height is able to keep him from aging or growing up, hence preventing his death. This is obviously impossible, since death is inevitable, but we see Oskar’s innocence in this statement.

In Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Oskar Schell leaves home in search of a lock that he hopes can bring him closer to his deceased father. Though he believes his encounters with the Blacks will somehow connect him to his father, unbeknownst to Oskar, his entire journey is orchestrated by his mother in an attempt to rekindle their relationship and ultimately bring him back home. 

In Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,  the protagonist Oskar embarks on a search for justice and closure from his father’s untimely death in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Although he doesn’t obtain a definitive reason or any real form of justice, he does begin to come to terms with his father’s death through the relationships he forms with others on his quest for answers. 

Jonathan Safran Foer uses a postmodern style in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. He narrates the novel from the perspective of three different characters: the grandson, the grandfather, and the grandmother of the Schell family. Through these three narrators, readers eventually use opinions, experiences, and background information revealed from each character to eventually build and develop the story in a pastiche style. For instance, Foer makes use of intertextuality and frequently alludes to Hamlet in terms of plot as well as imitates its existentialist themes. Moreover, Foer also uses varying forms of communication to tell his story throughout the novel. He employs a non-linear structure with frequent time jumps from the past to present to show discontinuity and emphasize the recurring motif of miscommunication. Letters, notes, traditional first person narration, and even images are used throughout the novel as a means of establishing a postmodern element within the story. The narrators often tell their stories through stream of consciousness and the grandmother and grandfather are aware that they are telling a story, eliminating the willful suspension of disbelief usually found in non-postmodern novels. Together, these intertextual mechanisms add variety to the story, as readers gain plot development through methods that are personal to the characters.

Stephen Hawking writes a letter to Oskar Schell, where he considers the meaning and purpose of life. This excerpt adds to the blurred lines of the novel, as it is unclear whether Hawking actually sent the letter- both because it answers questions relating to Oskar’s own feelings of futility so well, and because it seems slightly unrealistic that such an event would occur. Regardless, it is important that these concepts are presented from the point of view of Stephen Hawking, because he is a figure Oskar respects and reveres. Like Oskar, Hawking considers the insignificance of life. However, Hawking poses Oskar with a question that has gone untouched for much of the novel, up to this moment. Hawking states that while it is important to question what is or isn’t real, a more important question may be: why is life important? This comment is surprising since it comes from one of the most significant scientific revolutionaries of the 21st century, and deals more with feelings rather than formulaic thought. Moreover, this also forces Oskar to reach outside of his opinion that life is virtually pointless and instead consider: why should life be treasured, despite its uncertainty and seeming insignificance? Hawking serves as a model for Oskar, that despite being a smart, formulaic, and analytical thinker, it is important to value your emotions just as strongly as your critical thoughts. Hawking shows Oskar that life depends most on emotions, and your outlook- despite the fact that you can’t see, hear, smell, or touch them. This helps to alter Oskar’s perspective and causes a shift in the novel. From this point forward, Oskar’s perspective is slightly changed, and he becomes more open about his emotions to people like his mother.

In this excerpt, Oskar Schell’s grandmother reflects on the day her husband abandoned her. She states that after her husband left, she set all of the animals in their home free. This action has multiple levels of symbolic meaning behind it. In terms of structure, the short, line by line sentences mirror the grandmother’s breakdown. These blunt statements of difficult to accept facts show her desperate attempts to grasp reality by turning a traumatic experience into short factual statements. Similarly, the syntax of this passage is short and sharp as well, with brief sentences and definitive periods- once again conveying the grandmother’s pained but definite emotional state. From a metaphorical perspective, this excerpt may be interpreted as a biblical allusion. Here, the grandmother releases the animals from her home, serving as a mirror to Genesis 8 verse 19 of the Bible, which states, “Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatever creeps on the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark”.  Here, the animals from Noah’s Ark are released one by one-worded in a manner similar to that described by the grandmother in this scene. This is significant because symbolically, it is meant to convey that the grandmother has experienced a rebirth. In the story of Noah’s Ark, all of God’s creatures are given a second chance at life after the great flood. When they are released, the earth is re-inhabited and the cycle of life starts from a blank slate. Similarly, in this scene the grandmother is given a chance to restart her life. As a pregnant, newly-single parent, her past has been washed away and she is able to begin life again. Like in Noah’s Ark, Oskar’s grandmother is given the opportunity to turn a tragedy into a reawakening. As she reflects on this part of her life, she uses this allusion to convey the amount of change she is experiencing during this time. Finally, this scene blurs lines- as it is difficult to tell whether these events (the grandmother’s release of the animals) actually occurred, or if they were added for dramatic effect.

This excerpt from the novel demonstrates the psychological effects the sudden loss of a parent may have on a young child. Throughout the novel, Oskar creates inventions in order to help him cope with the loss of his father. Oskar only sees his inventions as concepts of items he wishes exist, but in reality they are reflective of the trauma he has experienced from the loss of his father. His father died in 9/11- and thus, “airbags for skyscrapers” would have given him a better chance of survival. On the way to his father's funeral, Oskar rode in a limousine for the first time. If he was in a “limousines that never had to stop moving”, he would never have to face the reality of his father’s death and attend his funeral. Finally, Oskar’s father used to play with a toy  yo-yo and show him tricks- and as a result, Oskar wishes there was a yo-yo that would  never stop moving. It is clear that Oskar’s creations are rooted in deep psychological trauma. It is also important to note that all of his inventions deal with the creation of permanency, and the desire for certain events to never end. This is likely a result of Oskar’s feeling that he has a lack of control and stability in his life. Oskar’s inventions are a deeper look into his feelings of insignificance and lack of power. Through these inventions, we receive a deeper look into Oskar’s emotions and innermost thoughts, and the desires he has for security and direction.

 In this scene, the grandfather remembers 9/11 and reflects on where he was when the event occurred. Once again, he speaks in a disjointed, stream of consciousness that blurs the lines of fantasy and reality, as it is confusing whether his accountant of the experience is fully accurate. This portion of the novel is also a component of its overall pastiche form, as this excerpt is told from the future in order to piece together the story. In this scene, there are also further references to animals, which is a recurring theme throughout the novel. The lion killing the flamingo is representative of the attacks taking place. This parallel is created in order to once again highlight the unrestrained, savage, and animalistic nature of war. Moreover, it is interesting that the grandfather takes notice of the one television playing a scene from the nature channel. The grandfather seems relatively calm, serving in sharp contrast with the surrounding scene. This helps accentuate the events taking place around him, and makes them appear even more tragic, while also showing how helpless and insignificant any of the grandfather’s actions or emotions are.

 Oskar Schell reminisces on a conversation he had with his father, Thomas Schell, before he died on 9/11. This uses a pastiche method, where the story is pieced together by reflecting on past events to eventually create a whole story. Specifically in this scene, Thomas attempts to condole his son after Oskar begins to experience an existential crisis. Oskar feels as though he is insignificant, and as though his actions are pointless in the grand scheme of the universe. These emotions serve as reflective parallels to the postmodern nature of the novel, as it is clear that Oskar’s feelings are representative of characteristics found in postmodernism. His father thus uses an analogy to attempt to assuage Oskar’s disarming emotions. Thomas attempts to prove Oskar’s post-modern opinions wrong by exemplifying that the only way to be insignificant is to remain idle. He shows with his Sahara Desert analogy that even if you move a tiny grain of sand, you’ve changed the course of history- and as a result, you are significant. This serves in direct contrast with the books postmodern tendencies which deal with a defiance of traditional structures, the concept of self-actualization, and the purpose of existence. Moreover, this helps to set Oskar’s father apart from the rest of the characters in the novel, as this scene shows that prior to his death on 9/11, Thomas served as a balancing force who was able to help refute Oskar’s painful postmodern concerns.

Inventions: Throughout the novel, Oskar creates “inventions”. These inventions are products which could never be built realistically, but that he wishes would exist. One example of these inventions is Oskar’s desire to create a limousine that would never stop moving. Oskar’s inventions are symbolically significant because they serve to show that many sadnesses which we wish to fix have no feasible cure. While Oskar’s inventions would clearly make the world a better place, the reader takes note that they could never exist realistically, and thus Oskar’s inventions show that certain inventions to problems we wish did not have to exist cannot be created.

Hamlet: Throughout the novel, Oskar references his role as Yorick in the school production of Hamlet. Oskar discusses Hamlet at many points in the novel, as well. This is significant because there are many parallels between Oskar and Hamlet. Oskar and Hamlet face a similar existential crisis where they question the purpose of their life- specifically after losing their fathers. However, Hamlet choses to die as a result of his inability to accept the circumstances he is facing, whereas Oskar chooses to take accountability for his emotional state and live on with the trauma he has had to face.

Doorknobs and Doors: Doorknobs and doors are symbols present throughout incremental parts of the story. When the grandfather leaves his wife, he takes pictures of the doorknobs in their apartment. Moreover, Oskar comes across many different doors and doorknobs as he searches to find the lock which matches his key. These images contribute to the meaning of the novel as a whole because they symbolize the possibility of opportunities, either ignored or taken. Whether opportunities are seized depends upon whether the door is “opened.”

Key: Throughout the book, the key is a symbol of hope for Oskar, even though it turns out it does not have much to do with his dad. Unable to overcome his grief, the key makes Oskar feel more connected to his father and gives him a sense of importance in the midst of his boredom and depression. To Oskar, the key holds answers about his father, which is why he believes his quest is meaningful. In reality, the key is meaningful because it influences him to build relationships with people and ultimately reunites him with his mother.