Oskar In The Book 'Extremely Loud Incredibly Close'

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
If I were to ask you if you were an optimist or a pessimist, what would you answer? Is the glass half empty or half full? Undoubtedly, you’ve felt down at least once in your life. Sadness is an emotion everyone must deal with. In the beginning of the book Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Oskar is asked if he is an optimist, which he answers yes. Shortly after, Oskar loses his father, the most important person in his life, causing Oskar to fall into a period of extreme depression. He frequently has suicidal thoughts. Even though Oskar becomes extremely depressed after his tremendous loss, he still tries to be an optimist, even though at times his depression may win. Oskar loses his father during the twin tower terrorist attacks on September 11th. From then on, everything in his life, in some way or another, is controlled by this catastrophic event. Oskar does not represent the mind of a normal 9 year old boy. Jonathan Safran Foer, author of this novel, said in an interview “Oskar’s not realistic. He’s too smart and at some points too naive to be a real 9 year old”. Oskar is an inventor. Many of his inventions have to do with ways to
On the way to his father’s funeral, Oskar hops up front of the limousine he’s in. This is a time where Oskar should be extremely depressed, but instead he’s making jokes with the limo driver, Gerald. Oskar wants Gerald to like him, and Oskar seems almost happy when he talks to him. Another time Oskar’s happy is when he’s acting in a play. He looks out into the audience and sees his Grandma. Oskar loves his Grandma, and uses extra caution not to hurt her. There are also brief moments of happiness when Oskar teams up with A.R. Black, and also when he meets Abby Black. Oskar wants people to care about him. He wants to have someone there for him, like his father