We need to talk about Oskar.

[Lynchenberg]

Has anyone read the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close? I found it to be a smart novel that explored the September 11th Terrorist attacks while the tragedy was fresh in the public consciousness, and focused upon individual trauma. Through the narrative's style, we see a portrait of a boy using his creativity to concoct a quest in order to deal with grief. As written in an interview with Jonathan Foer, the author, "Oskar's creativity is echoed in the design of the novel, a highly experimental affair that draws upon photographs and typographical play in an attempt to blur the old boundaries between image and text" (Solomon, Para 7). This is not limited to Oskar. The book also explores the pain of those he meets during his quest to solve the mystery of the key. For Oskar, his pain stems from his father's death in the World Trade Center on 9/11. For others, Foer explores similar tragedies in Japan and Germany. In the latter, one character experienced the Dresden bombing. This is Thomas Schell Senior, Oskar's grandfather. Both characters share goal of finding closure for the death of Thomas Schell Junior. Considering Thomas Sr.'s past, the circumstances surrounding Thomas Jr.'s demise make it more traumatic for him. Among the unsent letters he prepared for his son, one in particular addresses the event. "I ran from cellar to cellar as each previous cellar was destroyed, burning monkeys screamed from the trees, birds with their wings on fire sang from the telephone wires over which desperate calls traveled, I found another shelter, it was filled to the walls, brown smoke pressed down from ceiling like a hand, it became more and more difficult to breathe, my lungs were trying to pull the room in through my mouth, there was a silver explosion, all of us tried to leave the cellar at once, dead and dying people were trampled, I walked over an old man, I walked over children, everyone was losing everyone, the bombs were like a waterfall" (Foer, 211). The carnage Thomas Sr. witnesses is not unlike the chaos many survivors of 9/11 recall. Understanding the horror his son endured means his torment is distinct from Oskar's. Thomas Sr. is in pain over what he understands. Oskar is in pain over what he does not understand. Oskar is able to express this pain by talking about it. Thomas Sr. lacks the ability to speak, and instead tries and fails to express his pain through writing. "Foer suggests, then, that the aporia at the heart of the traumatic experience can, indeed, only be filled with words…but the words can never really capture or represent the traumatic past" ( Codde, 245). Another difference is that Oskar's loss was inflicted upon him. He did nothing to expedite the death of his father. But as previously mentioned, Thomas Sr.'s alienation from his son is his own fault. He even admits it in one of the letters he writes. "Maybe if I'd been able to, we could have lived differently, maybe I'd be there with you now instead of here. Maybe if I had said, 'I lost a baby,' if I'd said, 'I'm so afraid of losing something I love that I refuse to love anything,' maybe that would have made the impossible possible. Maybe, but I couldn't do it, I had buried myself too deeply inside of me" (Foer, 216). Therefore, the emotional reasons for the grandfather's quest and the grandson's quest are quite different. However, the goal for both of them is the same; they wish to heal from personal pain. The novel's deceptively anticlimactic ending may lead one to believe they never accomplished this. However, a letter Oskar's grandmother writes suggests otherwise. “I don’t know if I’ve ever loved your grandfather. But I’ve loved not being alone” (Foer, 309). She isn't the only one whose loved not being alone. During his quest, Oskar has met with interesting people and made new friends. In joining his grandson on this quest, Thomas Sr. has connected with Oskar in a way he never did with his son. This is what resulted in their healing process. The death of Thomas Schell Junior thrust both characters into loneliness, and they pulled themselves out of it by reintegrating into society. Ultimately, they learned not to isolate themselves. Would you agree with this analysis, or did you have different interpretations, fellow SMSers?