Zach’s Comments (group member since Apr 28, 2011)

Zach’s comments from the Oscar's book on finding the truth group.

In Jonathan Safran Foer’s book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Foer weaves a story around a family who has lost a loved one in the terrorist attacks on September 11. The story’s main focus is on a nine-year-old boy named Oskar and his quest to find a peculiar lock that matches a key that had belonged to his father. His journey leads him all around to the pockets and corners of New York City, and along the way meets some curious strangers. The story is about how the search for ones identity can only be discovered with a greater understanding of ones family.

Oskar travels all around the five boroughs of New York City to find the lock to the key in an attempt to still have a connection with his father. The two used to do so many things together and now that his father is no longer alive Oskar feels like he is alone. In his quest he tries to discover his identity through the people he meets and the experiences he has, but he really can only find it through the understanding of his family. Oskar thinks his mother no longer loves him and isn’t really there for him. Even the readers have to question her love for Oskar when she just lets him roam all over New York. It seems that she really isn’t a part of Oskar’s life and that in dealing with the death of her husband she has forgotten to be there for Oskar. In turn Oskar tries to find the meaning of the key and what it opens so he doesn't lose that connection between him and his father. We don't find out until the end of the book that Oskar’s mother has really been keeping track of her son this whole time. We discover that she has discovered Oskar’s plan and calls every Block Oskar goes to see before he gets there, which is the reason they are so welcoming and helpful. It’s not until the end of the book that Oskar finds the only way to really find his identity is through the understanding of his family. Oskar and his mother are inevitably drawn closer after he finds out that she has known what he has being doing, and that she has been helping him Along the way.

Oskar’s identity is most modeled after his father, Thomas Schell Jr. Oskar and his father had a special relationship that Oskar doesn't have with anyone else, even after he is dead Oskar still believes that his father has planned clues for him to find so Oskar is able to find out his fathers last game. Oskar goes on a quest to find who he really is through his father’s clues, which eventually lead him to discover nothing about himself or his father. When he does eventually find what the key does open it has nothing to do with his father at all, and Oskar’s quest hasn't revealed anything to Oskar about his father. One may think that Oskar’s quest has been completely pointless and that he hasn't found out who he really is but the book puts a twist on things.

Oskar really finds his identity when he meets the mysterious roommate that is living with his grandmother. For most of the book we tend to think that his grandmothers roommate is actually a figment of her imagination to give her companionship, but we actually find out that the mysterious roommate turns out to be Oskar’s grandfather who returned to his wife after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade center. He finds his identity when they go to exhume up the empty coffin of his dead father, and when Thomas Schell Sr. fill the coffin with all the unsent letters to his now dead son. Oskar finds solace in the fact that the coffin is no longer an empty shell to remember his father and is now filled with something meaningful.

Oskar focuses so much on finding what the key opens that he forgets what really matters, his family. He tries to find out who he really is through complete strangers that he meets on his quest when all the while the answer to his question is staring him in the face. To understand who he is he must first better understand his family and what made them who they really are. Oskar doesn't realize that even though his father may no longer be alive he can still find parts of who is in the people around him. Oskar’s mother helps him find who he is by letting him go all around New York and helping him in his quest to find the lock that match’s the mysterious key that belonged to his father. His dad helped him discover who he is even after he is no longer there by teaching Oskar that he can never really be wrong if there isn’t a real answer and by having him think outside the box when faced with day-to-day problems. Oskar’s finds himself through his grandfather by digging up his father’s grave and putting all of the unsent letters his grandfather wrote for his son Thomas Schell Jr. Through all of these experiences with the ones closest to him, Oskar is able to find his identity of what he really is, a son. To truly know ones identity you must have a greater understanding of ones family.

I don't think anyone knows. I think all of these clues that Oskar keeps getting might also be from the grandpa, like Oskars fathers name in pen in that store.

Ya I think she may be talking about the grandpa because he is back and it has made all these memories come flowing back to her.

I think he is old and may be a little senial. I think he forgot that he turned it off to save the batteries and now he doesn't want to be embarrassed.

I think that there is a real roommate and that he may be Oskars grandpa. She doesn't tell him because I don't think the grandpa wants him to know he is there until he is ready to reveal it to Oskar himself.

I think that the old man turned off his hearing aid on accident and didn't realize he had turned it off. I think that he just thought that his hearing was terrible and his hearing aid was broke. I think it ties into the auditory theme of the story by showing that sometimes you believe what you want and not what is really the truth.

Do you think that there really is a roommate in Oskars grandmas apartment or is he made up? Why would she lie to Oskar is he is fake?

wheres our other group member?

Hello?

Do you think Oskar has an effect on the different people he encounters throughout his quest? What kind of effects does he have on them?

I THINK THAT PEOPLE LIKE OSKAR SO MUCH BECAUSE HE IS A NICE YOUNG BOY AND GIVES THEM MANY COMPLIMENTS AND MAKES THEM FEEL SPECIAL. I ALSO THINK THAT WHEN HE DOESN'T GET WHAT HE WANTS HE MAKES THEM FEEL GUILTY TO GET IT. I THINK THAT THEY REACT TO OSKAR DIFFERENTLY THAN THEY REACT TO OTHERS.

Do you think the pictures and scribblings are a meaningful and integral part of the work.