Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

After finishing the book “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer, I starting to think about loss which to me is the most important theme of the book. Once the characters began to  experience loss, we start to see how it effects each character differently. It’s  interesting to see how each and every character struggles to find a hidden path of their own to overcome their version of “loss.”

Oskar, for example, losses his father in the 9/11 attack at the World Trade Center. His way for dealing with the loss of his father and all of the confusing emotions that come with it is by trying to find a lock. A lock that will hopefully bring him closer to his father. Throughout  Oskar’s journey through the five boroughs, he seems to repeat non-stop the phrase “heavy boots.” Ever since his father died, he kind of became obsessed with this expression. Does this mean that his “secret” about the answering machine is weighing him down because he’s afraid to tell anyone? On page  36 when Oskar is in his fathers closet touching all of his things after he died, Oskar said that it made his boots feel lighter….so is he using this expression as a way to deal with his emotions? I’m not completely sure but I see it as a way for him to express how difficult his journey really is.

Oskar’s grandfather is another character in which I believe has experienced loss. I never thought about this before, but loosing someone doesn’t necissarily mean they have died physically. Oskar’s grandfather introduced me to a different type of “loss.” For example, I believe that he has lost a piece of his personality. How? From my inference post-its I can suggest that maybe he was trying to give up so much of himself for Anna and when they left eachother, he got confused between his real, proper identity and the “fake” he was being for her. I think that Oskar’s grandfather came back for his grandson as a way to find his true identity again.

All in all, this book has definitely brought me to a different understanding about loss and how it effects different people in different ways. Not only did this book help me realize the different paths people take to hopefully overcome their loss, but it also makes me wonder about the different versions…how sometimes people loose a part of themselves.