Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close Quotes

In the novel, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” the readers can see how the characters come to terms with the loss of their loved ones. It’s how they learn to come to terms with this loss that reveals their overall character. An example of this is how Oskar copes with the death of his father. The quote, "I GUESS I FELL ASLEEP ON THE FLOOR. WHEN I WOKE UP, MOM WAS PULLING MY SHIRT OFF TO HELP ME GET INTO MY PJS, WHICH MEANS SHE MUST HAVE SEEN ALL OF MY BRUISES. I COUNTED THEM LAST NIGHT IN THE MIRROR AND THERE WERE FORTY-ONE. SOME OF THEM HAVE GOTTEN BIG, BUT MOST OF THEM ARE SMALL. I DON'T PUT THEM THERE FOR HER, BUT STILL I WANT HER TO ASK ME HOW I GOT THEM (EVEN THOUGH SHE PROBABLY KNOWS), AND TO FEEL SORRY FOR ME (BECAUSE SHE SHOULD REALIZE HOW HARD THINGS ARE FOR ME), AND TO FEEL TERRIBLE (BECAUSE AT LEAST SOME OF IT IS HER FAULT), AND TO PROMISE ME THAT SHE WON'T DIE AND LEAVE ME ALONE. BUT SHE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING. I COULDN'T EVEN SEE THE LOOK IN HER EYES WHEN SHE SAW THE BRUISES, BECAUSE MY SHIRT WAS OVER MY HEAD, COVERING MY FACE LIKE A POCKET, OR A SKULL" (Foer 172-173), states that Oskar often resorts to self harming himself (bruising himself) as a coping mechanism. This shows that Oskar does not handle death very well and he resorts to unhealthy ways of coping
with the death of his father. The novel also includes an insight on how Oskar’s mother felt and what she did to cope with the loss.
"She said, 'There's nothing wrong with someone needing a friend.' 'Are you actually talking about Ron now?' 'No. I'm talking about Grandma.' 'Except actually you're talking about Ron.' (Foer 70), one way his mother deals with the loss of her husband is that she befriends a new character named Ron. She meets Ron through a supportive group which is filled with people who have been similar situations as Oskar’s mother. This shows that Oskar’s mother cannot deal with a loss like this on her own and that she must have support system in order to maintain her sanity after her husband’s
death. Death can ruin many relationships. An example of this would be how Oskar’s grandfather lost his ex-lover, Anna. This could’ve potentially ruined the relationship he and his son could’ve had but because he was too afraid of loving his child, fearing that he would lose him, they had no relationship whatsoever. “Everyday I write a letter to you. Sometimes I think if I could tell you what happened to me that night, I could leave that night behind me, maybe I could come home to you….” this quote explains that, in an attempt to communicate with his son, Oskar’s grandfather wrote letters to Oskar’s dad to explain why he did the things that he did. This reveals that Oskar’s grandfather has issues facing his problems head-on therefore causing him to run away and avoid his problems. To conclude, every character in, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” has different and unique ways of learning to cope with the loss of a loved one. It gives the readers a more deeper understanding of what each character is really about.