Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer is the story of nine-year-old Oskar Schell, who loses his dad during 9/11. He sets out on an adventure across New York to figure out what the key that he finds in a vase in his Dad's closet is for. This book is truly incredible, with countless stories all woven together into one extraordinary book. Mostly, it is the experiences of a sad child who wants to discover why his dad has died.The one theme that carries through the entire book of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is love.
For the main character of the book, Oskar, love is what keeps him searching for meaning in the little things his father left behind. In the key, and the name Black, and the circled words on the back of the newspaper. He believes if he does not continue searching, he does not truly love his deceased dad. Love is what drives his incessant need for answers. Love is what keeps him safe on his journey around New York and the other boroughs, with his caring mother watching over him the entire time. Love is what stripped Oskar's grandfather of his ability to speak, when the weight of all of his loved ones that would never return to him became too much. When the thought of the life that he could have had with Anna destroyed him. Love is what bound him and Anna's little sister together in their times of need, even if they would never truly be in love. And love is what compelled every single person Oskar visited with the last name Black to show him compassion. They all had their own stories full of love and loss, and helping Oskar to find some closure within his life gave every single one of them closure as well.
There are many other themes to this book. There is tragedy, and loss, and the search for a reason to keep living. There is also hope that lies within every hopeless story. But for me, all of these themes were related to, or somehow always led back to love. I feel as though that theme in this book was what kept it so true to life. It didn't exclude the hopelessness that the characters felt, or the depression. The only driving force that kept this book from being one of tragedy was love. This is where this book is very realistic. I believe that love is the one thing that keeps us all going. It is also the something we all share in common. If we didn't have love, then all we would be left with would be that hopelessness. This all shone through so brightly to me through the love that Oskar shared with his mother, and old Mr.Black, his grandmother, and eventually even his long lost grandfather.
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If you haven't already i 100% recommend you read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.
I totally agree with you Ellie. What a wonderful way of putting it. I have read the book and loved it, but the theme I had trouble putting together. Your connections made total sense to me, and you described each characters motive beautifully. Great job! By the way my favorite character is Mr. Black. He seems so wise, and very fatherly. I can only imagine how Oskar must have felt when he had to stop searching with him.
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