Hey Readers,

This past week in class we have just finished discussing Foer’s novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, in an assignment due in early February we have been asked to do a close reading of Foer’s novel.  That is to say that we must pick a small moment in the book and relate it to a larger theme or bigger picture that the Foer is potentially trying to convey throughout the novel. In preparation for the upcoming assignment I am going to be discussing something that I read in the novel that I feel is potentially part of a larger theme.

I thought that the specific moment in the novel that contributed to the bigger picture was Oskar’s journey to find the lock to fit the mysterious key that he found.  After losing his father Oskar finds a key in an old vase in his fathers closet Oskar is convinced that his father has left it for him and sets out on an epic quest.  Ultimately the key did not belong to his father at all, it was a forgotten key left by the man (Mr.Black) who he had bought the vase from. Some may have viewed this as a disappointing ending, but I believe that it the novel actually ended in a perfect way.  The larger theme that I want to relate Oskar’s journey to is the theme of grief.  Grief plays a big role in the novel in terms of Oskar trying to mourn the loss of his father, but the key theme of grief also prevails when studying Grandpa and Grandma and how they both suffered the loss of Anna and are now grieving the loss of their son, Thomas.

A moment in the book where I felt that Oskar’s experience related to the theme of grief was at the end of the novel when Oskar meets Mr. Black only to find out that the key never actually belonged to his father, that it was left behind in the vase unknowingly when Mr. Black sold Thomas the vase.  By finding out that the key was never meant for him Oskar seems to find some peace for the first time since his father had died, for once he seemed not to question everyone and everything.  “Why don’t you come with me to the bank?” “You’re nice but no thank you,” Oskar states (Foer: 300) .  Oskar is finally coming to terms with his grief and by doing this Oskar is able to finally re-connect with his mother and begin to understand the grief that she has suffered.  Oskar begins to welcome Ron into their lives, after being unfair to his mother for feeling happiness.

Throughout Foer’s novel it is clear to see the stages of grief throughout most of the characters, predominantly Oskar, and how certain textual examples demonstrate grief as a large theme of the book.  When the mystery of the key is revealed the reader can see Oskar finally getting rid of his “heavy boots” and accepting and trying to move on through his grief.  It is clear to see grief as a key theme in this novel and is interesting to see the different levels of grief progress, and eventually the process of moving on among the characters.  This is just one example in the text that relates to the potential bigger picture of the novel, but there of course are many more key themes Foer is conveying in his work.

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Magda Adkins