Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close By Oskar Schell
Literary Analysis When you are growing up, you are constantly learning. Everything that occurs in your life impacts you a little or a lot and everything you experience turns you into the person you are. Sometimes you even meet people that impact your life and help you grow. In the book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Oskar Schell is a nine-year-old boy that lost his father to a plane crash in the World Trade Center on September 11th. On one evening, Oskar’s mother brings Ron, her friend that Oskar loathes. That night Oskar goes to his fathers closet to explore his wardrobe. He wants to feel the coats, wear them, and put his hands in the pockets. He wants to know how big the pockets are and what they contain.While he is still in his parent’s
…show more content…
room a blue vase falls and inside it was an envelope. Oskar examines this envelope and finds two pieces of evidence that would determine his plans for the next few months; It contains a key and has “Black” written on it. Oskar decides to then set up an expedition so he could understand what relevance this key had to his father. He creates a plan to meet all of the Black’s in New York so he could interview them. This journey he takes makes him encounter many people who help him in some way. Although Oskar also helps the Black’s, they help him in ways he would never imagine. Throughout Oskar's journey to solve the mystery of the key, Oskar faces many fears with help from the Blacks. He is usually "panicky" when he is away from his mom because he is "not very good with people" (Foer 202). When he started his journey to meet the Black's he started his journey to face fears. Oskar who is afraid of meeting people and staying away from his mom starts to go to places all over the city to talk to people all by himself. When Oskar meets Abe Black, Oskar makes it very clear how he is "incredibly panicky about roller coasters" (147). Although he says he is afraid of roller coasters, Abe convinces Oskar to ride the "Cyclone" with him because Abe believed that "it would be a shame to die" without riding on it (147). With Abe's help Oskar's reluctance toward the roller coaster vanishes and he accompanies Abe on it. Ironically Oskar, a boy afraid of roller coasters and meeting new people, rides a roller coaster with a person he just met. Oskar does not "get into cars with strangers", but because Abe says that he is no stranger to Oskar, Oskar comes out of his comfort zone and allows himself to get into the car with Abe (149). These actions show a transparent change in Oskar. With the help of Abe Oskar is able to overcome two fears. A.R. Black also helps Oskar eradicate some fears. Mr. Black and Oskar reach Georgia Black's apartment after a "four hour" commute because Mr. Black spends "two of those" hours trying to "convince [Oskar] to get on the Staten Island Ferry" (240). During those two hours Oskar continues to only think about all the bad outcomes that could present themselves. He thinks about all the possible ways he could die until Mr. Black mentioned that at the end of it "[he] won't feel anything anyway" which makes Oskar think and eventually get on the ferry (240). In addition, Oskar discloses to Mr. Black that "[he] was panicky about going up the elevator", but Mr. Black replies by saying that "it [is] okay to feel like [he] could not do it" (243). With the help of Mr. Black, Oskar uses the ferry as the means of transportation to Georgia Black's house despite all the scenarios and inventions he created in his head. Oskar is also now able to take an elevator to the top of the Empire State Building when just a few months ago he was not able to meet Aaron Black face to face for the simple fact that Aaron lives "on the ninth floor and [Oskar does not] go that high" (90). The Black's also help him pop the bubble of his imaginary world full of inventions and allow him to experience and see real world situations. Though Oskar and Aaron did not physically meet, they "[face] each other" being "nine floors apart" (90). Oskar learns that Aaron is "very sick" and Oskar thought that just by saying his "dad was dead" that Aaron would sympathize with him. Aaron did show sympathy for Oskar, but could not go down because he is "hooked up to all sorts of machines" (90). This shows Oskar that there are people suffering other than just him. In the beginning Aaron is rude and annoyed by Oskar at first which would also make Oskar realize that not everyone he meets will be nice and welcoming. He is being exposed to different types of people which would help him mature. For example, even though Oskar and Mr. Black "haven't even told [Arnold] what [they] needed help with", Arnold Black refuses to help and shuts the door on them (199). Also, Abby Black's broken relationship shows Oskar that not everyone has the happy family life he and his parents once were. This could help him to appreciate that much more than he did before. Another example is Ruth. After the loss of her husband, Ruth "couldn't bear to go home" (252). She copes with the loss of her husband by moving to the Empire State Building because she knows that if she goes home "he wouldn't be there" (252). This could show Oskar that if he continues to dwell in his past like Ruth, he will end up isolating himself from the rest of the world. This encounter could help Oskar understand the importance of moving on. The Black's even help him boost his self confidence. In the beginning of his journey he invites many of the Black's to his Hamlet play. When he looks out into the audience and notices that he knows a lot of people he "feel[s] special" (143). Oskar is not very outgoing so for him to have so many people come to see him must have made him feel amazing. Most importantly Abby and William help Oskar by solving the mystery of the key. Abby leaves Oskar a message, eight months prior to when Oskar receives it, saying that she "might be able to help" Oskar (288). Abby leads Oskar to her ex-husband William Black who explains the story of the key to Oskar in full detail. William explains how the vase and the envelope landed in the possession of Oskar's father. This revelation disappoints Oskar, but it also marks the end of the long search for an answer. Oskar then has a breakdown where he tells William about his fathers death. Oskar tells William how he had a chance to talk to his dad one last time, but he missed his chance. He told William about all the guilt he has been carrying. He asks William to hold him and William "scoot[s] his chair around his desk to [Oskar]" (301). Oskar begins to cry and William "squeezed [him]" to comfort him and soothe his pain a bit (302). Although the Black's help Oskar throughout his journey, Oskar also returns the favor.
Abby, a woman who is obviously depressed because she "started to cry tears" out of no where in front of a nine year old stranger (96). She had to have been going through a rough time with her husband who constantly yelled at her and unknowingly Oskar makes her laugh and smile when he met her. While she was probably down and depressed he boosts her confidence by saying that "if [she] looked up 'incredibly beautiful' in the dictionary, there would be a picture of [her]" (91). Also, Oskar puts an end to William Black's search for his father's key. After William reveals that the key belongs to his late father and he has been searching for it since September 2001, Oskar reassures him by saying that he no longer "[has] to look anymore" expecting nothing in return (300). Oskar even helped Mr. Black. After many years of being cooped up in his apartment, Oskar offers to allow him to accompany him during the search in which Mr. Black replies with an excited "Yes!" (164). He also turns on Mr. Blacks hearing aid which makes Mr. Black so ecstatic he "started to cry" at the beauty of being able to hear again
(168). Oskar has been through a lot in his life. He lost his father at such a tender age, but even when his father was gone he made sure to keep Oskar occupied with something. Oskar’s father left a whole expedition ready for Oskar that Oskar’s mom helped him plan. Throughout this journey he faces many fears, learns new things, and helps many people. He encounters people that help him learn things that books couldn’t teach him. Hopefully he carries everything he learns throughout his journey instead of carrying the burden of feeling guilty about not talking to his dad one last time.
Reflection Letter My experience writing this analysis is very different from what I am used to. I have never written a literary analysis that I remember. This experience has enhanced my understanding of the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I chose my topic because while I was reading I noticed how the Black’s constantly taught Oskar so much and I wanted to further analyze that. It interested me because Oskar’s mother was aware of this project that Oskar created and no mother would allow their child to interact with strangers unless they knew it would benefit them. I wanted to analyze and understand all the ways the Black’s helped Oskar and vice versa. While writing the essay I noticed that I did not know the page numbers of all the quotes I wanted to use. I basically skimmed through the three hundred-twenty six pages to find the twenty quotations that I used. I wanted to use even more quotations but could not because of my inability to find the quotations. Though I did have some difficulty finding the quotations, I think that the citations were one of the greatest strengths in my essay. I think that I have integrated my quotations with my thoughts very well and cited them perfectly. One of my weaknesses was that because I did not have the information of the other quotations I wanted to use, I feel that I have not analyzed the relationship between the Black’s and Oskar to the best of my ability. After reading the peer conference letter I noticed that my partner pointed out that my quotes were poorly integrated and cited. I agreed and noticed that I had only three citations and only one was cited and integrated correctly. I took this into account while writing my second draft and made sure to not repeat the same mistake. She also mentioned that my entire essay was written in past tense so I tried my best to fix that problem so that my essay could reach all the requirements. I think that I used the literary present tense correctly when I said, “Abby leads Oskar to her ex-husband William Black who explains the story of the key to Oskar in full detail” (4). I did not use the past tense at all in this sentence and I was able to maintain the present tense. One time that I cited correctly was, “He is usually ‘panicky’ when he is away from his mom because he is ‘not very good with people’ (202)” (1). I used the correct MLA format and integrated my quotes appropriately.
room a blue vase falls and inside it was an envelope. Oskar examines this envelope and finds two pieces of evidence that would determine his plans for the next few months; It contains a key and has “Black” written on it. Oskar decides to then set up an expedition so he could understand what relevance this key had to his father. He creates a plan to meet all of the Black’s in New York so he could interview them. This journey he takes makes him encounter many people who help him in some way. Although Oskar also helps the Black’s, they help him in ways he would never imagine. Throughout Oskar's journey to solve the mystery of the key, Oskar faces many fears with help from the Blacks. He is usually "panicky" when he is away from his mom because he is "not very good with people" (Foer 202). When he started his journey to meet the Black's he started his journey to face fears. Oskar who is afraid of meeting people and staying away from his mom starts to go to places all over the city to talk to people all by himself. When Oskar meets Abe Black, Oskar makes it very clear how he is "incredibly panicky about roller coasters" (147). Although he says he is afraid of roller coasters, Abe convinces Oskar to ride the "Cyclone" with him because Abe believed that "it would be a shame to die" without riding on it (147). With Abe's help Oskar's reluctance toward the roller coaster vanishes and he accompanies Abe on it. Ironically Oskar, a boy afraid of roller coasters and meeting new people, rides a roller coaster with a person he just met. Oskar does not "get into cars with strangers", but because Abe says that he is no stranger to Oskar, Oskar comes out of his comfort zone and allows himself to get into the car with Abe (149). These actions show a transparent change in Oskar. With the help of Abe Oskar is able to overcome two fears. A.R. Black also helps Oskar eradicate some fears. Mr. Black and Oskar reach Georgia Black's apartment after a "four hour" commute because Mr. Black spends "two of those" hours trying to "convince [Oskar] to get on the Staten Island Ferry" (240). During those two hours Oskar continues to only think about all the bad outcomes that could present themselves. He thinks about all the possible ways he could die until Mr. Black mentioned that at the end of it "[he] won't feel anything anyway" which makes Oskar think and eventually get on the ferry (240). In addition, Oskar discloses to Mr. Black that "[he] was panicky about going up the elevator", but Mr. Black replies by saying that "it [is] okay to feel like [he] could not do it" (243). With the help of Mr. Black, Oskar uses the ferry as the means of transportation to Georgia Black's house despite all the scenarios and inventions he created in his head. Oskar is also now able to take an elevator to the top of the Empire State Building when just a few months ago he was not able to meet Aaron Black face to face for the simple fact that Aaron lives "on the ninth floor and [Oskar does not] go that high" (90). The Black's also help him pop the bubble of his imaginary world full of inventions and allow him to experience and see real world situations. Though Oskar and Aaron did not physically meet, they "[face] each other" being "nine floors apart" (90). Oskar learns that Aaron is "very sick" and Oskar thought that just by saying his "dad was dead" that Aaron would sympathize with him. Aaron did show sympathy for Oskar, but could not go down because he is "hooked up to all sorts of machines" (90). This shows Oskar that there are people suffering other than just him. In the beginning Aaron is rude and annoyed by Oskar at first which would also make Oskar realize that not everyone he meets will be nice and welcoming. He is being exposed to different types of people which would help him mature. For example, even though Oskar and Mr. Black "haven't even told [Arnold] what [they] needed help with", Arnold Black refuses to help and shuts the door on them (199). Also, Abby Black's broken relationship shows Oskar that not everyone has the happy family life he and his parents once were. This could help him to appreciate that much more than he did before. Another example is Ruth. After the loss of her husband, Ruth "couldn't bear to go home" (252). She copes with the loss of her husband by moving to the Empire State Building because she knows that if she goes home "he wouldn't be there" (252). This could show Oskar that if he continues to dwell in his past like Ruth, he will end up isolating himself from the rest of the world. This encounter could help Oskar understand the importance of moving on. The Black's even help him boost his self confidence. In the beginning of his journey he invites many of the Black's to his Hamlet play. When he looks out into the audience and notices that he knows a lot of people he "feel[s] special" (143). Oskar is not very outgoing so for him to have so many people come to see him must have made him feel amazing. Most importantly Abby and William help Oskar by solving the mystery of the key. Abby leaves Oskar a message, eight months prior to when Oskar receives it, saying that she "might be able to help" Oskar (288). Abby leads Oskar to her ex-husband William Black who explains the story of the key to Oskar in full detail. William explains how the vase and the envelope landed in the possession of Oskar's father. This revelation disappoints Oskar, but it also marks the end of the long search for an answer. Oskar then has a breakdown where he tells William about his fathers death. Oskar tells William how he had a chance to talk to his dad one last time, but he missed his chance. He told William about all the guilt he has been carrying. He asks William to hold him and William "scoot[s] his chair around his desk to [Oskar]" (301). Oskar begins to cry and William "squeezed [him]" to comfort him and soothe his pain a bit (302). Although the Black's help Oskar throughout his journey, Oskar also returns the favor.
Abby, a woman who is obviously depressed because she "started to cry tears" out of no where in front of a nine year old stranger (96). She had to have been going through a rough time with her husband who constantly yelled at her and unknowingly Oskar makes her laugh and smile when he met her. While she was probably down and depressed he boosts her confidence by saying that "if [she] looked up 'incredibly beautiful' in the dictionary, there would be a picture of [her]" (91). Also, Oskar puts an end to William Black's search for his father's key. After William reveals that the key belongs to his late father and he has been searching for it since September 2001, Oskar reassures him by saying that he no longer "[has] to look anymore" expecting nothing in return (300). Oskar even helped Mr. Black. After many years of being cooped up in his apartment, Oskar offers to allow him to accompany him during the search in which Mr. Black replies with an excited "Yes!" (164). He also turns on Mr. Blacks hearing aid which makes Mr. Black so ecstatic he "started to cry" at the beauty of being able to hear again
(168). Oskar has been through a lot in his life. He lost his father at such a tender age, but even when his father was gone he made sure to keep Oskar occupied with something. Oskar’s father left a whole expedition ready for Oskar that Oskar’s mom helped him plan. Throughout this journey he faces many fears, learns new things, and helps many people. He encounters people that help him learn things that books couldn’t teach him. Hopefully he carries everything he learns throughout his journey instead of carrying the burden of feeling guilty about not talking to his dad one last time.
Reflection Letter My experience writing this analysis is very different from what I am used to. I have never written a literary analysis that I remember. This experience has enhanced my understanding of the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I chose my topic because while I was reading I noticed how the Black’s constantly taught Oskar so much and I wanted to further analyze that. It interested me because Oskar’s mother was aware of this project that Oskar created and no mother would allow their child to interact with strangers unless they knew it would benefit them. I wanted to analyze and understand all the ways the Black’s helped Oskar and vice versa. While writing the essay I noticed that I did not know the page numbers of all the quotes I wanted to use. I basically skimmed through the three hundred-twenty six pages to find the twenty quotations that I used. I wanted to use even more quotations but could not because of my inability to find the quotations. Though I did have some difficulty finding the quotations, I think that the citations were one of the greatest strengths in my essay. I think that I have integrated my quotations with my thoughts very well and cited them perfectly. One of my weaknesses was that because I did not have the information of the other quotations I wanted to use, I feel that I have not analyzed the relationship between the Black’s and Oskar to the best of my ability. After reading the peer conference letter I noticed that my partner pointed out that my quotes were poorly integrated and cited. I agreed and noticed that I had only three citations and only one was cited and integrated correctly. I took this into account while writing my second draft and made sure to not repeat the same mistake. She also mentioned that my entire essay was written in past tense so I tried my best to fix that problem so that my essay could reach all the requirements. I think that I used the literary present tense correctly when I said, “Abby leads Oskar to her ex-husband William Black who explains the story of the key to Oskar in full detail” (4). I did not use the past tense at all in this sentence and I was able to maintain the present tense. One time that I cited correctly was, “He is usually ‘panicky’ when he is away from his mom because he is ‘not very good with people’ (202)” (1). I used the correct MLA format and integrated my quotes appropriately.